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How did basirs among the Ngadju-Dayak of Borneo serve as intermediaries between heaven and earth?
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Shamanism
Korean shamans, or mudang, performing a ritual dance in South Korea.
Among the Ngadju-Dayak of Borneo, the basirs serve as vital intermediaries between heaven and earth due to their unique status as intersex individuals (hermaphrodites).1
The term basir literally translates to "incapable of procreation". These individuals are believed to bridge the gap between the divine and the mundane because they unite two fundamental cosmic forces within their own persons: the feminine element, which represents the earth, and the masculine element, which represents heaven.1