A ''mudoko dako'' (also known as ''mudoko daka'' or ''dano mulokere'') is an

effeminate Effeminacy or male femininity is the embodiment of feminine traits in boys or men, particularly those considered untypical of men or masculinity. These traits include roles, stereotypes, behaviors, and appearances that are socially associated wi ...

male who is considered by Langi society to be a different gender, though were mostly treated as woman among the Langi in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. also could be found among the

Teso Teso or TESO may refer to: Places * Têso, a Portuguese hamlet * Teso District, Kenya, a defunct administrative district in the former Western Province of Kenya * Teso District, Uganda, a district in Uganda now known as Teso sub-region Language ...

and the Karamojan people. Recognition of the ''mudoko dako'' can be traced back prior to

colonialism in Africa External colonies were first founded in Africa during antiquity. Ancient Greeks and Romans established colonies on the African continent in North Africa, similar to how they established settler-colonies in parts of Eurasia. Some of these endu ...

. ''Mudoko dako'' was considered an "alternative gender status" and were able to marry men with no social sanctions. The word, , in the Lango language means "woman". In his work, ''The Lango: A Nilotic Tribe of Uganda'' (1923), anthropologist Jack Herbert Driberg describes the ''mudoko dako'' people among the Langi. Driberg describes how men, known as ''Jo Apele'' or ''Jo Aboich'', go on to become ''mudoko dako'', dressing in the manner of women and taking on women's traditional roles. Driberg even observed ''mudoko dako'' simulating

menstruation Menstruation (also known as a period, among other colloquial terms) is the regular discharge of blood and Mucous membrane, mucosal tissue from the endometrium, inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle is characterized ...

References

{{Authority control LGBTQ in Uganda Homosexuality Transgender identities