Meet the People of East Timor

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN AUSTRALIA

EAST TIMOR, or Timor-Leste, is a tiny country that occupies the eastern half of the island of Timor. The Malay word from which “Timor” is derived and the Portuguese word Leste both mean “east.” English speakers commonly call the country East Timor. The name is fitting, for the island is located at the eastern extremity of the Indonesian archipelago.

East Timor is some 5,700 square miles [14,800 square kilometers] in area, making it a little larger than the state of Connecticut, U.S.A., or less than half the size of the Netherlands. Although small, the island straddles an ecological border between Asia and Australia. Tropical jungles flourish alongside dry eucalyptus scrub and arid grasslands. The wildlife is also a mixture of Australian and Asian species. For example, Australian marsupials and birds coexist with Asian monkeys and tropical saltwater crocodiles. What, though, about the people of East Timor? Would you like to meet them?

Memories of a Colonial Past

Portuguese navigators may have first arrived in East Timor about 1514. At the time, vast sandalwood forests covered the hillsides. Sandalwood was worth a fortune, and these trees alone were enough reason for the Portuguese to establish a trading outpost. The Catholic Church also took an interest in the area and wanted to send missionaries to convert the indigenous people. Driven by this dual imperative, the Portuguese began to colonize the island in 1556.

East Timor remained, however, a lonely and neglected colonial outpost. When the Dutch seized control of the western half of the island in 1656, the Portuguese withdrew to the eastern side of the island. Finally, after more than 400 years of colonial rule, the Portuguese pulled out completely in 1975.

That same year, civil war broke out. During the next 24 years, an estimated 200,000 East Timorese​—about one third of the population—​were killed in the fighting. A wave of violence swept the country in 1999, destroying up to 85 percent of the homes and much of the infrastructure. Hundreds of thousands of people fled to the mountains. Finally the United Nations intervened to halt the destruction and to stabilize the country.

Since then, the Timorese have been working to rebuild their shattered lives. In May 2002, East Timor, or the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, was officially recognized as a new state.

A Cultural Crossroads

Centuries of trade, Asian and Australasian migration, and European colonization have created a colorful mix of cultures and languages throughout East Timor. While Portuguese remains the language of business and government, 80 percent of the population speak an official lingua franca called Tetum, itself rich in Portuguese words. A patchwork of ethnic groups throughout the country speak at least 22 other languages.

In rural areas traditional kings continue to play an important role in village life. They direct ceremonies, land allocation, and other  traditional matters, while an elected headman oversees civil administration.

Religion is a blend of traditional animism and imported Catholicism. Ancestor worship, witchcraft, and spiritism permeate every aspect of life. Regular churchgoers commonly consult the local matan do’ok, or witch doctor, to divine the future, treat illness, or ward off evil spirits.

Curious and Hospitable People

The people of East Timor are cheerful, curious, and hospitable by nature. “We have a passion to learn, talk, mingle and interact, even with strangers,” says President Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão.

Visitors invited to dine with a Timorese family will likely eat with the male head of the family. His wife and children will serve the meal and then eat later in the evening. It is polite to take a small amount of food at first. The visitor can then honor the cook by asking for a second helping.

Most Timorese meals include rice, corn, or cassava, along with leafy greens and vegetables. One Timorese specialty, saboko, is a tasty mix of sardines, tamarind sauce, and spices, all wrapped in a palm leaf. Meat, though, remains an expensive luxury.

Noisy With Children

East Timor is a nation of young people. Nearly half the population are children, and many families have between 10 and 12 children living at home.

On their way to school, children often walk hand in hand​—boys with boys and girls with girls—​laughing and singing as they go. Their school education includes not only academic knowledge but also training for right living and behavior.

A Timorese child never plays alone or quietly​—the whole neighborhood joins in the fun! A favorite game is dudu karreta, or push car. The rim of a bicycle wheel is the imaginary car. Running and laughing, the children roll the rim down the street, guiding and propelling it with a stick as they chase it.

However, life is not all play for Timorese children. For instance, they may be assigned to grind corn, using a heavy steel bar. Still, they smile happily as they work, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they have been born into one of the ten poorest countries in the world.

Birth Pangs of Nationhood

Extreme poverty results in a tenuous existence for the Timorese. Forty percent of the population live on less than $1.50 per day ​—the minimum required to cover essential food and household needs. The infrastructure is poor. One governmental report states: “Nationwide, three in four persons live without electricity, three in five persons without safe sanitation and every other person without safe drinking water.”

Under these circumstances health problems abound. Malnutrition, malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases limit average life expectancy to 50 years. About 1 child in 10 dies before five years of age. During 2004, fewer than 50 doctors served a population of approximately 800,000 people.

Many foreign governments are now working along with the United Nations to help the Timorese rebuild their damaged country. Rich oil and gas deposits in the Timor Sea also offer hope of improving the poor economic situation. However, East Timor’s greatest asset is its resilient and humble people. One Timorese woman told Awake!: “We may be poor, but we’re not miserable!”

“Good News of Something Better”

In recent years Jehovah’s Witnesses have been bringing the inhabitants of East Timor “good news of something better.” (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:14, 15) In 2005 the one congregation of Witnesses  in the country spent nearly 30,000 hours telling others about the Bible’s wonderful promise of a coming earthly paradise.​—Psalm 37:10, 11; 2 Peter 3:13.

Learning Bible truths has freed some inhabitants from the oppressive yoke of spiritism. For example, Jacob, a family man with five children, was deeply involved in traditional spiritistic practices. He regularly offered up animal sacrifices to the spirits of the dead. This practice placed a heavy financial burden on his family. A chicken sacrifice cost nearly a day’s wages, while a special goat or pig sacrifice cost many weeks’ wages.

In time, Jacob’s wife, Fransiska, began to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. She then showed Jacob Scripture texts proving that the dead are conscious of nothing and cannot harm the living. (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; Ezekiel 18:4) Accepting what the Bible said, they both decided to stop sacrificing to the spirits. In turn, their relatives angrily disowned them and said that vengeful spirits would soon kill them. However, Jacob and Fransiska stood firm, saying: “Jehovah will protect us.”

Meanwhile, Jacob began to study the Bible and attend Christian meetings along with his family. This resulted in his making other fine changes in his life. Although he had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for many years, he quit smoking. He also learned to read and write. During this time Fransiska stopped chewing betel nut. Finally, in 2005, Jacob and Fransiska were baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses. Today, they wisely use their money to educate their children and cover needed medical expenses.

Indeed, as Jesus foretold, the good news of God’s Kingdom is being preached to “the most distant part of the earth,” even to the inquisitive, hospitable, bighearted inhabitants of tiny East Timor.​—Acts 1:8; Matthew 24:14.

[Box/​Picture on page 17]

“Bringing a Thread and Bobbin”

“Bringing a thread and bobbin” is an expression the Timorese once used to announce the birth of a baby girl. It describes the traditional role of Timorese women as weavers of tais, lengths of decorative cloth. Tais are used to create elaborate ceremonial clothing, blankets, and family heirlooms. Grandmothers teach younger women to grow, pick, spin, dye, and weave cotton into beautiful, multicolored patterns. Depending on the complexity of the weave, a single tais could take a year or longer to complete. Since each region has its own traditional designs, an expert can instantly tell where a tais was made.

[Map on page 14]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

INDONESIA

EAST TIMOR

AUSTRALIA

[Picture on page 15]

Traditional conical house

[Picture on page 16]

“Dudu karreta”​—a favorite children’s game

[Picture on page 16, 17]

Jacob and his family