''Chibados'' (or ) are

third-gender Third gender or third sex is an identity recognizing individuals categorized, either by themselves or by society, as neither a man nor a woman. Many gender systems around the world include three or more genders, deriving the concept either from ...

people, born male, who lived most often as women. They were found among the cultures of the

Ndongo The Kingdom of Ndongo (formerly known as Angola or Dongo, also Kimbundu: ) was an early-modern African state located in the highlands between the Lukala and Kwanza Rivers, in what is now Angola. The Kingdom of Ndongo is first recorded in t ...

and other parts of what is today

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

. They were first described in the west by the Portuguese. Chibados were involved as "spiritual arbiters in political and military decisions" and also performed

burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

Olfert Dapper Olfert Dapper (January 1636 – 29 December 1689) was a Dutch physician and writer who wrote books about world history and geography although he never travelled outside the Netherlands. Biography Olfert Dapper was born in January 1636 in the J ...

described the ''chibados'' as shamans "who walk dressed like women." Portuguese priests and

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

described how chibados lived as women and were able to marry other men with no social sanctions. Instead, "such marriages were honored and even prized." ''Chibados'' made up a separate

caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...

and elders referred to themselves as "Grandmother." Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba had over fifty ''chibados'' in her court. The ''chibados'' were said to be used by Nzinga as

concubines Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar, but mutually exclusive. During the e ...

. As the Portuguese gained more control in Africa, colonial laws introduced and increased

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...

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* * LGBTQ in Angola Third gender Gay history {{Sexual identities Interpersonal relationships