Once kingmakers in one of the most gender fluid societies on earth, the intersex bissu priests of Sulawesi — Indonesia's third-largest island — are on the verge of disappearing after years of cultural decline and increasing persecution.

Key points: The Bugis have five genders; cis men and women, transgender men and women, and the intersex bissu

The Bugis have five genders; cis men and women, transgender men and women, and the intersex bissu The tradition dates back at least 600 years, according to anthropologists

The tradition dates back at least 600 years, according to anthropologists A recent rise in hardline Islamism and homophobia has coincided with a dramatic decline in bissu numbers

It is a cultural tradition that has persisted for centuries in a Muslim-majority country, but the tradition of revering priests who were born intersex with male and female characteristics — known as bissu — is dying out, locals and anthropologists have warned.

The Bugis people live mainly on Sulawesi and believe in five genders including LGBTI people, with the most important being the bissu.

In addition to cisgender males (oroani) and females (makkunrai), there are female men (calalai), male women (calabai) and then the intersex bissu.

In Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi, the population of bissu has dwindled to just six people, with only five of them still performing traditional priesthood roles, according to Dasriana, a cultural officer employed by the local government.

"We used to have around 40 bissu a few years ago, and now there are only five left taking care [of] all of their complex roles in our society," she told the ABC.

Dasriana has been working to preserve bissu tradition for years, but there are fears they will disappear in the near future.

Aside from their roles as traditional community priests, bissu have mostly survived by working as farmers and participating in weddings as maids of honour.

The number of bissu has declined dramatically in the last few years, coinciding with an escalation of LGBTI persecution across Indonesia.

Indonesia's LGBTI community has experienced increased harassment and discrimination from hardline Islamic groups, police and politicians.

Outdated practices such as gay conversion therapy have also become more prominent, as have attempts to ban dating apps and censor LGBTI education and health campaigns on social media such as Instagram.

Cultural worker Dasriana, centre, fears the bissu will soon disappear from Bugis culture without protection. ( Supplied: Dasriana )

600 years in heaven, 60 years in hell

Bissu tradition and the concept of five genders has been a key part of Bugis culture for at least six centuries, according to associate professor Sharyn Graham Davies from Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand.

Associate Professor Davies studied gender in Bugis culture as part of her PhD and found there were similar traditions in Thailand, Malaysia, India and Bangladesh that view gender as going beyond just male and female.

"Their language[s] offer five terms referencing various combinations of sex, gender and sexuality," she told the ABC.

"Pre-Islamic travellers to the region noted this gender and sexual diversity, so it was there before Islam [came to Indonesia] in the early 1500s."

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To become a bissu one must be born both female and male, or intersex.

"To be precise, the Bugis believe that a bissu who appears externally male is internally female, and vice versa; this combination of sexes enables a meta-gender identity to emerge," she said.

"It depends who you ask but often bissu say you must be born bissu. That is, you should be both female and male.

"But other people say if you learn the language and the songs and incantations, and have a gift for bestowing blessings, that you can become bissu."

She said traditionally the transgender priests had provided blessings for people about to harvest food or before giving birth.

Muslim protesters hold an anti-LGBT rally outside a mosque in the Aceh's capital Banda Aceh. ( Reuters: Antara Foto )

The voice of heaven

Professor Halilintar Lathief, an Indonesian anthropologist who has studied the bissu phenomenon for decades, said in pre-Islamic Bugis culture these priests were seen as intermediaries between the people and the gods.

"They perceived the upper world as male and this world as female, and therefore only a meta-gender [intersex] would be able to become intermediaries [between the two worlds]," he told the ABC.

Bissu initiation is a long process that includes a potentially life-threatening ceremony where they have to prove themselves immune to a ceremonial knife called a keris, Professor Lathief said.

They are also required to remain celibate and wear conservative clothes.

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Up until the 1940s, the bissu were still playing a central role in keeping ancient palace rituals alive, including the crowning of kings and queens.

"There would be no king's inauguration without bissu present at the ceremony," Professor Lathief said.

"Only bissu were be able to convey a king's oath to the gods."

Professor Lathief said since Indonesia gained its independence in 1949, the ancient Bugis kingdoms were incorporated into the new republic and bissu's roles were subsequently increasingly marginalised.

Shortly after independence, a regional Islamic rebellion in South Sulawesi saw further persecution of the bissu as they were seen as being against Islamic teaching.

Anti-LGBTI protest in Banda Aceh which has become ground zero for rising homophobic sentiment. ( ABC News: Adam Harvey )

Mr Lathief is one of those who began trying to revive the bissu tradition from the 1990s after decades of repression.

"Internally, their qualities deteriorated as there is no more adequate figure among them [to lead]," he said.

In Associate Professor Davies' view, fewer people now wish to becoming bissu as Indonesia becomes increasingly homophobic and less supportive of alternative views of gender.

She also believes the Indonesian Government needs to have policies protecting people of different genders.