Yan daudu

Yan daudu is a term used in pre-Islamic times to refer to men exhibiting feminine traits in the Hausa language.[1] These men in contemporary Hausa society are seen as men who are sexually attracted to or intimate with other men.[2] In Hausa Fulani mythology, Yan daudu possess feminine attributes associated with transvestite or third-gender roles, and they were known to be engaging in Hausa Animism practices such as Bori religious practice of the Maguzanci found in present-day Kano state, Nigeria.[3] This was, however, long before the introduction of Islam in northern Nigeria and in Southern Niger.[4][5] Yan daudu are seen as effeminate male sex workers and pimps who sometimes have intimate relationships with other men but do not necessarily identify as homosexuals. They marry women, have children and establish families. The name "yan duadu" is traceable to Dan Galadima: a loose, gambling, and colourfully well-dressed male spirit. Yan daudu translates to "sons of Daudu".

Often compared with the Hijra in Southern Asia, Yan daudu are still found within the Hausa community, particularly in Kano and its surrounding Hausa-Fulani states. Yan daudu in pre-Islamic times performed women-like dances and donated money to cult-adepts, upon the appearance of Galadima.[6][7][5] Today, yan daudu are categorized among homosexuals in Nigeria.[8]

  1. ^ Mark, Monica (2013-06-10). "Nigeria's yan daudu face persecution in religious revival". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  2. ^ Salamone, Frank A. (2005), "Hausa Concepts of Masculinity and the 'Yan Daudu", African Masculinities, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 75–86, doi:10.1057/9781403979605_5, ISBN 978-1-349-52921-6, retrieved 2023-10-08
  3. ^ "meaning of 'dan daudu in English | Hausa Dictionary | English Hausa Dictionary". kamus.com.ng. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  4. ^ Reuke, Ludger; Besmer, Fremont E. (June 1985). "Horses, Musicians, and Gods: The Hausa Cult of Possession-Trance". Man. 20 (2): 359. doi:10.2307/2802405. ISSN 0025-1496. JSTOR 2802405.
  5. ^ a b Sullivan, Joanna (2005). "Exploring Bori as a Site of Myth in Hausa Culture". Journal of African Cultural Studies. 17 (2): 271–282. doi:10.1080/13696850500448378. ISSN 1369-6815. JSTOR 4141314. S2CID 191571123.
  6. ^ Salamone, Frank A. (2005), Ouzgane, Lahoucine; Morrell, Robert (eds.), "Hausa Concepts of Masculinity and the 'Yan Daudu", African Masculinities: Men in Africa from the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present, New York: Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 75–86, doi:10.1057/9781403979605_5, ISBN 978-1-4039-7960-5, retrieved 2023-10-02
  7. ^ Gaudio, Rudolf P. (2007-11-20), McElhinny, Bonnie S. (ed.), "Chapter 7. Out on video: Gender, language and new public spheres in Islamic Northern Nigeria", Words, Worlds, and Material Girls, Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 237–286, doi:10.1515/9783110198805.2.237, ISBN 978-3-11-019574-3, retrieved 2023-10-02
  8. ^ Mehra, Bharat; Lemieux, Paul A.; Stophel, Keri (2019-01-01). "An Exploratory Journey of Cultural Visual Literacy of "Non-Conforming" Gender Representations from Pre-Colonial Sub- Saharan Africa". Open Information Science. 3 (1): 1–21. doi:10.1515/opis-2019-0001. ISSN 2451-1781. S2CID 166833847.