IDENTIDADE TIMORENSE

E
ast Timorese identity is
complex. A multi-disciplinary
approach is necessary to try
to grasp it. History, geography,
linguistics and religion are disciplines
necessary to have a clearer
definition. Languages are key markers
of identity; this is also true in East
Timor. To upgrade the national identity,
education always comes out on
top.
Timor was a part of an Asian trading
network long before the arrival of the
Portuguese in 1515. The Dutch took
the island‟s western part in 1653. Except
for a short British period, the
Netherlands occupied West Timor
and like other Dutch-held territories, it
became Indonesian at independence.
East Timor was occupied by force by
Japan (1942-45) and by Indonesia
between 7 December 1975 and 22
September 1999. The country has
been independent since 20 May
2002.
Luiz Gonçalves and Jacinto José do
Nascimento Moura, in a pioneering
work have paved the way to define
the different forms of Timorese laws
encompassing the Timorese psychology.
Each former Timorese kingdom
had its own particularities based on
ethnic characteristics.
The Portuguese identity is not a problem.
Portuguese is an official language,
even if the youth in
Dili prefer English or Bahasa Indonesia
when they speak to outsiders. It is
difficult to establish what might be
Timor-Leste heritage from the ancient
Indonesian culture and what may
have been imported later from Java
or other parts of Indonesia. However,
the Makasai have some cultural and
linguistic relationship with Sulawesi.
It is sure that there is a strong will to
be part of the East and not the West
among the Atoni of Oecussi. However,
more than in Los Palos, the
Atoni who have their brothers on the
other side of the border know that
Bahasa Indonesia is an important
language. Some families send their
children to study in Kupang, hoping
that they have a foot in the stirrup to
join later an Indonesian university.
There are also geographical differences
between the mountains and
the coast. The identity of the Makasai
living near the Matebian, a sacred
20
Jean Berlie
PhD. EHESS, France
East Timorese
Identity
History
Geography
mountain, is strong. This is why during
the 1959 period of events there
was a strong anti-colonial resistance
around Viqueque. This „geographical‟
character may be more or less
marked but is worth mentioning.
The sociological or anthropological
character is probably more preeminent.
We will insist here on the linguistic
characteristic of this identity,
which is easier to define than a purely
sociological study. This is also probably
true because between 1975 and
1999, despite the importance of the
Bahasa Indonesia which became the
language of education, the linguistic
mosaic of Timor-Leste remained alive
and colorful. However, many traditions
disappeared, but the United Nations
was rather surprised to find a
country different to many others.
Linguistics
Southeast Asian Timorese culture is
related to the Pacific Ocean, and
Austronesian civilization and languages.
Timorese culture is also
deeply linked to Portuguese colonial
history and linguistic influence, with
approximately forty percent of the
Tetum Prasa (from praça, “the city” in
Portuguese) which is originally Portuguese.
In the most part of the 20 th
century, despite the importance of
Tetum and Makasai, Mambai seemed
to have more speakers. Tetum is the
national language, so after 1975,
partly thanks to Catholic Church, it
became the main language of communication.
This does not mean that the Dagada,
or Fatalucu speakers, were really
fluent in Tetum. Between 2000 and
2002, many UNTAET staff could not
understand why everybody in Los
Palos was not familiar with what they
thought evident. However, Tetum is
currently the necessary language of
communication.
Portuguese is one of the main languages,
if not the island‟s main literary
language, and is also an official
language (Constitution of the Democratic
Republic of East Timor, Section
13). This promotion of Tetum by the
Portuguese was partly successful,
but languages such as Mambai,
Makasai and Meto have always had a
significant number of speakers. The
cultural and political Timorese elites
are educated in Portuguese, and this
is precisely why there currently is a
great cultural gap between them and
Dezembro 2010 – №3
Internasional
the youth educated in Indonesian
(Bahasa Indonesia). However,
Tetum, the national language, has
another advantage; it is the liturgical
medium of the East Timorese Catholic
Church (at present, thanks to Indonesia
which obliged the Timorese to
choose among five religions, more
than ninety percent of the population
is Catholic). But Timor, in fact, has
many languages, meaning many
chiefdoms and different customary
laws. The Bible is completely translated
into Meto, but not in Tetum. So
for the State, as well for the Church,
Portuguese and Tetum continue to be
essential for the construction of the
State. The main question is the people
(Povo) speaking local languages
and not the political elite who are
generally fluent in Portuguese. To
understand the island‟s complex customary
system, it is necessary to
classify its languages. Each ethnic
group in Timor is called according to
the language spoken, except groups
such as the Atoni (meaning “man” in
their own language) or Meto speakers
in Oecussi and West Timor.
There are more than fourteen languages
and many dialects. In Atauro
Island three dialects are currently
spoken: Makili, Rahesuk (Adabe) and
Makadede.
Galole spoken in Manatuto is close to
these dialects of this island called
Pulau Kambing by the Indonesian. All
these languages are Austronesian
(formerly Malayo-Polynesian) except
three non-Austronesian or Western
Papuan languages: Bunak, Fataluco
(including Lovaia in Tutuala) and
Makasai (including Maklere). These
Timorese languages are spoken in
different districts as follows: