Local Governance in Timor-Leste - Secretaria de Estado da Arte e ...

4.1 Formation of Political HybridityThe political structures that were in place on the island of Timor, prior to Portuguesearrival, consisted of small head-hunting kingdoms that were regularly at war witheach other. Many of these kingdoms were bound to the ritual centre of Wehali,located in what is now West Timor (Nixon, 2008: 61-62, Farram, 1999, Fox, 1982).While relations between the smaller kingdoms were often characterised by conflictand shifting alliances, Wehali which was ruled by the Maromak Oan 20 gave overallstability (Farram, 1999: 41, Hägerdal, 2009: 47).This political system of smaller kingdoms bound to a ritual centre appears to be themost centralised form of governance that the island of Timor had experienced, priorto Portuguese colonial consolidation (Gunn, 1999: 47). The power of the MaromakOan rested on his ritual significance and tributes from other liurai, who were allregarded as 'sons' of the Maromak Oan and responsible for ruling the land and thepeople (Farram, 2004: 37). In contrast to the other liurai who controlled extensivetracts of territory (Ramos-Horta, 1987: 18, Capell, 1944: 199, Hicks, 1983: 21), theMaromak Oan was deemed to have immense powers over the weather, defeat orvictory in war, and the spread of disease. Real power was seen to come not from thematerial control over population and land but rather from the ritual significance ofWehali (Fox, 1982, Farram, 2004).The liurai ruled via a class system that separated the Timorese into liurai, datu 21 ,ema-reino 22 , and ata 23 (Capell, 1944: 196, Hicks, 1972: 101). Individuals belonged totheir uma lulik (sacred houses) which were both physical constructs and a symbolicfocus through which to regulate social relations and systems of mutual obligationamong house members (McWilliam, 2005). The houses were hierarchically ordered,and the uma lulik of the liurai and datu held the right to rule other houses by virtue oftheir possession of sacred objects and knowledge (Traube, 1987: 99, Davidson, 1994:117). These objects were commonly warlike in nature, including swords and20 Maromak Oan: ‘Child of God’ or ‘Child of the Luminous’.21 Datu: aristocracy22 Ema-reinu: commoners23 Ata: slaves78