Faʻatama
| Etymology | Samoan prefix faʻa-, meaning "in the manner of" + tama, meaning "boy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classification | Gender identity | ||||
| Other terms | |||||
| Synonyms | Faʻatane, fakatane, fakatama | ||||
| Associated terms | Faʻafafine, two-spirit, trans man, whakatāne, Māhū | ||||
| Demographics | |||||
| Culture | Samoan | ||||
| |||||
Faʻatama or fa’afatama (Samoan pronunciation: [faʔatama]; lit. 'in the manner of a man') are natal females who align with a third gender or masculine gender role in the Sāmoan Islands.[1][2][3]
Faʻatama do not enjoy the same levels of acceptance as their Faʻafafine counterparts, but there is some growing support.[1]
Terminology
The word faʻatama includes the causative prefix faʻa–, meaning "in the manner of", and the word tama, meaning "boy", "young man", or "male" depending on context.[4]
A precursor to the word faʻatama is the word faʻatane, though it has fallen out of use. It is a cognate of related words in other Polynesian languages, such as Cook Islands akava’ine,[5] Niuen fakafifine,[5] Tongan fakaleiti ,[5] and NZ Māori: whakawāhine.[6]
Exponents point out that Pacific island third and fourth genders, while non-binary, do not align neatly with similar Western concepts.[2][5][7] While others explain that even the categorisation of faʻatama and faʻafafine as a third or fourth gender is a simplification of gender identity.[8] There is also a preference among the community to use these traditional and established terms rather than Western terms in advocacy.[9]
Together, faʻatama and faʻafafine constitute 1-5% of Samoa's population.[7]
Associations
Samoa Faʻafafine Association
The Samoa Faʻafafine Association (SFA) is the lead organisation in Samoa for LGBTQ+ communities.[9]
| Formation | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Apia, Samoa |
President | 'Ice' Vanila Galumulivai Ualegalu Heather |
| Website | The Rogers Club on Facebook |
The Rogers Club
The Rogers Club is the first dedicated association of faʻatama.[10] The group is named in honour of 'Mama Roger' (Toʻotoʻoaliʻi Roger Stanley, former president of the Samoa Faʻafafine Association, SFA). The group was subject of the short film The Rogers of Samoa (2020).[10][11]
Notable Faʻatama
- Vanila Galumulivai Ualegalu Heather (aka Mr. Ice) founder and president of The Rogers Club[12]
- Zetta Tiatia, vice-president of The Rogers
Faʻatama in poetry and fiction
- Faatane shooting pool in Apia bars, Fa‘a Fafine Poem Number Twenty-Two by Dan Taulapapa McMullin[13]
- Matalasi by Jenny Bennett-Tuionetoa[14]
References
- ^ a b Treagus, Mandy; Enari, Dion (15 October 2024). "Fa'atama: Indigenous Tomboys of Sāmoa". ETropic: Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics. 23 (2): 197–212. doi:10.25120/etropic.23.2.2024.4065. hdl:10292/18145. ISSN 1448-2940.
- ^ a b Samuels, A. J. (29 October 2024). "Fa'afafines and Fa'afatamas: the Four Genders in Samoa". Culture Trip. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ^ Romanczukiewicz, Eva (24 July 2023). "In American Samoa, fa'afafine, and fa'afatama celebrations despite lack of legal protections". Pasquines. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ^ "Tama (dictionary entry)". Gagana Samoa. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d Matega, Tanumia (14 July 2025). "Identity in the Pacific". Salient (magazine). Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association.
- ^ "From Fa'afafine to Fakaleitī: Understanding Pacific gender diversity". ABC News. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ^ a b Karrer, Paul (21 May 2023). "Teachers, students – even my grandmother – went to these drag-queen pageants". The Miami Herald. pp. 7C. Retrieved 1 January 2025 – via newspapers.com.
Being fa'afafine does not necessarily mean a person is gay; they consider themselves instead to be a third gender. About 1% to 5% of Samoa's 222,000 people identifies as Fa'afafine or Fa'afatama.
- ^ Kanemasu, Yoko; Liki, Asenati (22 February 2023). "Weaving 'culture' and political advocacy in a small island nation". In Briguglio, Lino; Briguglio, Michael; Bunwaree, Sheila; Slattery, Claire (eds.). Handbook of Civil Society and Social Movements in Small States. Taylor & Francis. pp. 138–150. doi:10.4324/9781003341536-12. ISBN 978-1-000-84598-3.
- ^ a b Ph.D, Paula Gerber (26 January 2021). Worldwide Perspectives on Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals: [3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 979-8-216-16895-9.
- ^ a b "Celebrate Pride Month With These PBS Programs". PBS Wisconsin. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
In the second half of the program, take a glimpse into the lives of those who formed the first visible group of transgender men in the Pacific Islands – The Rogers of Samoa
- ^ "Watch 26 new LGBTQ+ film festival shorts, movies and TV shows onboard Alaska Airlines". Alaska Airlines. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ^ "Vanila Galumulivai Ualegalu Heather (Samoa)". The Healer Stones of Kapaemahu. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
- ^ McMullin, Dan Taulapapa; Zepeda, Ofelia (2013). Coconut Milk. University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-0-8165-3052-6. JSTOR j.ctt183gz5x.
- ^ Bennett-Tuionetoa, Jenny (27 June 2018). "Matalasi". Granta magazine (Short Story Prize entry). Retrieved 16 October 2025.