Dancer

October 7th, 2010 jen Posted in Dance, Performance, Traditional Culture, Video Archive 1 Comment »

We set up a social network at suaimediaspace.ning.com to facilitate communication between the two communities of Port Phillip and Suai in 2009 and this short video of a man dancing in Kamenassa was uploaded there by Chamot in 2009. It was a truly exciting moment because it was the very first video documentation uploaded to the Internet from Suai EVER.  The dance, I am told, originates in Indonesia and is similar to a martial art. Check out how that man squats like a mosquito it’s truly amazing and the location sound is a whole new sound to be heard on media that provides international access. Enjoy and CONGRATULATIONS CHAMOT.

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Suai-Covalima’s Tais

July 28th, 2008 jen Posted in Suai Tais, Tais Weaving, Tradition Art & Identity Suai, Traditional Culture, YoMaTre 1 Comment »

Suai-Covalima’s Tais was written by
Ajay, Densi & Ameu who were made up one of the collaborative groups in the YoMaTre Digital Stories workshop held in Suai in June 20008. (Densi and the women in her family are weavers from Kamenassa near Suai.)

Tetun Version: Tais Suai Covalima

The Suai-Covalima’s tais are very beautiful since they have a variety of types and colours. The Suai-Covalima’s tais look most beautiful when they are worn during the ceremonies especially by women for dancing.

“The models of tais Covalima”, “Cotton tree”, “Cotton wool”, Cristalina Moniz, Residential Address: Fatuk Laran. Occupation: spinning traditional cotton wool”.

The process of turning cotton wool into threads takes a long time. Because of that only very few people who still make tais from the traditional—locally grown—cotton, while many women make tais from imported modern threads, that is, threads from Indonesia.

Traditional Threads
The making of traditional threads required the following materials:

A special shape of wood—beautifully crafted from solid wood for spinning.
A small bowel—traditionally either made form wood or mud for spinning.

Process of making traditional threads
1. It takes at least one month to spin the cotton
2. Boiling and drying cotton take one week
3. Rolling the cotton takes four days
4. Making design on the thread (turning into futus) takes two months
Modern thread
The process of making tais from modern threads is faster. Therefore more women prefer to make tais from modern threads. It is faster to roll, to dye and design.


“Modern threads (threads made in Indonesia)”, “Tais designed with flowers”, “Tais designed with names.”

Process of making tais from modern threads:
1. Rolling the threads
2. Dyeing the threads
3. Designing the threads (turning it into futus)
4. Colouring the threads by way of boiling them with colourful modern liquids).

Tais Designs
Tais can be designed with flowers, with names of people or places. There are diverse designs.

“welcoming the visit from the government”, “sitting together”, “preparation to welcome guests.”
The Role of the Tais in Timorese life
1. For wearing during the traditional ceremonies
2. For covering the dead bodies (the dead bodies are covered with layers and layers of tais, the quality and quantity of tais depend on the social status of the dead person)
3. For gift exchanges
4. For bride prize
5. For welcoming the visit of the government or the head of the Church, and for welcoming the statue of the Blessed Mother Mary (usually during the procession months for the Blessed Mother Mary, May and October.

SUMMARY:
The traditional threads still exist, but nowadays not so many women use traditional threads for making tais. More and more women use modern threads. This is simply because modern threads do not need a long process for making tais.

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Food Crisis

July 28th, 2008 jen Posted in Food, Food, Tradition Art & Identity Suai, Traditional Culture, YoMaTre 5 Comments »

Tetun Version: Krizi Hahan
The Food crisis has considerably preoccupied the mind of the Timorese people as the price of the rice is skyrocketing beyond the purchasing power of majority of the Timorese. The price of one sack of rice is now US$32.00, more than twice as high as the price before the crisis. Many people cannot afford to buy even just one sack of rice. Consequently, many Timorese are forced to return to their indigenous diets, such as, corn, cassava, banana, papaya, and other locally grown foods.


Read the rest of this entry »

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Traditional Sacred House of Fohoren

July 24th, 2008 jen Posted in Architecture, News, YoMaTre 4 Comments »

Tetun version: Uma Lulik Tradisional Lakon Kalae?

See More  Photographs here.

This is the traditional sacred house of Timor, particularly in Covalima. The traditional sacred houses still exist. Our ancestors have passed on to us these traditional sacred houses from one generation to another. Traditional sacred house is very, very sacred. Therefore, whenever we are in the traditional sacred house, it is forbidden to talk, to chat and to put on hat. In addition, the elders are to be respected. People have to follow their words of wisdom. If not, then the punishment from the Above, the High in sky, would descend on you taking the forms of: death, being barren/having no children, becoming mad, or becoming confused and restless. Therefore, we Timorese really adore and respect our traditional sacred houses and our elders.

Tuar Hamutuk iha Uma
Sitting together in a sacred house

“Sitting Together”

The process of building a traditional house needs a very long time. It involves many meetings, working together and traditional ceremonies.

The community members have to sit together. All the members who belong to one sacred house or uma lulik get together to make plan for the construction of the uma lulik. This includes those who married to people of other tribes and to the non-Timorese—the white and non-white foreigners—but who have not abandoned, and should not abandon, their traditional practices. All members of the sacred house (community) get together to make preparation for the building and the completion of the sacred house which ends with a very big celebration that lasts several days, in the past, even weeks. During this celebration of uma lulik people from other communities are invited. Preparation for the celebration of the completion and the blessing (traditional blessing) of the sacred house involve the preparations of buffaloes, pigs, goats, rice, local alcohol, tais, cova (traditional male and female baskets called cova mane and cova feto) and others for the celebrations.

Serimonia oho fahi

“Ceremony of slaughtering of pigs as an offering”

When the two main pillars for the sacred house have been found suitable, a small religious ceremony is conducted before the cutting of the trees for the pillars. A pig is slaughtered and the blood of the pig is sprinkled at the bottom of the trees and a prayer is said, led by an elder, before the trees are cut down. After that an offering of cooked heart of the pig and cooked rice, along with beetle nuts and beetle leaves are offered at the bottom of the trees. This is a sign of respect for the trees and a way of asking permission from the spiritual owners of the trees (the spirits of the land/the forest which is seen as being sacred).

Ta' ai rin Halas Uma

“Cutting trees for the pillars”or“Putting the ‘bones’ of house.”

The two main pillars are named after the names of the Grandfather and Grandmother of the sacred house community. The Grandfather is the south pillar which becomes the place in the house for sacred adoration, prayers and offerings, for the elder of the use to bless the members of the sacred house by means of what is called kaba. The ceremony of kaba is as follows. The offering in the form of beetle nuts and beetle leaves putting in a specially made female koba/cova (small and beautifully made basket) is made to the ancestors and is put on the bottom of the Grandfather’s pillar. After a prayer was said by the elder, the beetle nuts and beetle leaves are eaten by the elders but not swallowed. The elder then makes a mark on the chests and foreheads of the members of community with the crushed beetle nuts and leaves from his mouth mixed with saliva. And this is called kaba. The female pillar with the name of the grandmother is on the north where the kitchen is. It is just referred to is grandmother or bei feto. It is here in this side of the female pillar—the grandmother—that sacred baskets, sacred pots, sacred spoons and plate, sacred inheritance and others are kept.

Tali Halibur Hamutuk

Collecting ropes/strings and leaves together and putting the bones of house.

Collecting together grass/palm leaves

Having putting together the bones (woods) of the house tied tightly with strings from the forest, the roof of the house is put. The roof consists of either certain type of grass called hae manu lain for the people in highland where there are no palm tress or the leaves of the palm trees for the people in the coastal area and lowland. All these are done together in the group.

Having putting together the bones (woods) of the house tied tightly with strings from the forest, the roof of the house is put. The roof consists of either certain type of grass called hae manu lain for the people in highland where there are no palm tress or the leaves of the palm trees for the people in the coastal area and lowland. All these are done together in the group.

Hosi Uma

The Result of the process of building sacred house

The result of the process of constructing a sacred house is as follows. All the members of the uma lulik (the community) are very happy, although the process of building a sacred house is very long—a one-year-long process.

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Uma Lulik Tradisional Lakon Kalae?

July 9th, 2008 jen Posted in Architecture-Tetun, News, Tradition Art & Identity Suai, Traditional Culture, YoMaTre 2 Comments »

English Version Traditional House Story


“Uma lulik Tradisional Fohorem” (Buka slideshow fotografi iha-ne’e)

Ida ne’e mak uma lulik tradisional ami Timor nian, liu-liu iha Covalima no uma lulik tradisional Timor sei la lakon tamba bei ala sira rai hela mai ami no sei lahalakon hosi jerasaun ba jerasaun.Uma lulik tradisional lulik tebes. Tamba sei wainhira ita tama ba uma lulik laran labele kanta,halimar,no labele uja sapeo,no tenqui respeito ema katuas ou halo tuir sira nia lia fuan,se karik lahalo tuir lia fuan nebe iha leten mak sei fo malisan mak hanesan: mate,oan la iha,bulak,moris la hakmatek nebe ami timor adora teb-tebes uma lulik.

Tuar Hamutuk iha Uma

Tur hamutuk iha uma Lulik

“Tuir Hamutuk”

Prosesu halo uma lulik tradisional persija tempo naruk teb-tebes no tenqi lao hamutuk ho serimonia adat.

Tenki tur hamutuk tamba,liu hosi tur hamutuk mak bele halibur famalia tomak maski balun kaben ho ema malae mutin maibe sei lahaluha iha uma lisan ida ne’e nia laran hodi tau hamutuk ideia hodi harin uma ida ne’e no oinsa preparasaun hanesan karau,fahi, fos, no seluk-seluk tan hanesan material dapur.

Serimonia oho fahi

Serimonia oho Fahi

“Sermonia oho fahi”

Molok ta,a ai rin tenki oho fahi,hodi hisik fahi ran iha ai hun nebe mak atu ta’a.

Ta’ ai rinHalas Uma

‘Ta airin” “Halas uma”

Ai rin ne’e mak hanaran bei mane no Bei feto, Bei mane iha lor ,no nia hanesan fatin adora lulik, kaba, mak hanesan simbolu ida ou marka hatudu katak ema ne’e uma lisan ida ne’e nian Bei feto mak iha ahi matan rai matrial lulik ba hanesan tanasak lulik,sanan lulik no seluk tan.

Tali Halibur Hamutuk

“Halibur tali”

Tali halibur hamutuk ho halas

Halibur hamutuk

Tali tahan ou du,ut mak hanesan material nebe atu usa hodi sor uma lulik, prosesu halibur tali ou du,ut (lata hae/du ,ut), molok lata dut/hae uma halas hotu ona.

Hosi Uma

Resultadu hosi prosesu uma lulik

Resultado hosi prosesu halo uma lulik mak ne’e.Ami familia uma lisan ida ne,e sinte kontente teb- tebes maski iha prosesu halo uma lulik ne’e naruk no bele han tempo tinan ida.

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Krizi Hahan – Food Crisis

July 8th, 2008 lin Posted in Food - Tetun, News, Tradition Art & Identity Suai, Traditional Culture, YoMaTre 2 Comments »

English Version: Food Crisis


Krizi hahan ne’e prekupa bot ida tebes ba ema Timor tamba fos folin sae halo ema barak labele sosa fos. Ema nebe mak laiha osan labele sosa fos tamba fos folin caru liu hanesan saco 1 $32.00. Ho rasaun ida ne’e ema Timor barak fila fali ba hahan tradisional hanesan batar, Aifarina, Hudi, Aidila ho buat seluk nebe mak ema Timor bele han.”

Intervista Senhor Antonio Moniz Mall – World Food Program – Suai
Tambasa mak krizi mosu iha timor leste?
Tuir Sr. Antonio nia hanoin katak krizi hahan ne’e mosu hosi ema ida-ida nia a’an rasik tamba lakoi halo serviso hanesan ema agrikultur; lakohi halo to’os ou baruk ten. Maibe hau fiar katak ema Timor bele moris ho hahan tradisional.

“Oinsa impakto kona ba krizi ne’e?
Krizi ne’e impakto bo’otba povo Timor tamba sasan folin sae no ema barak osan menos no labele sosa fos, tamba fos karon ida $32, nomos sasan seluk tan. Tuir ema seluk nia hanoin, hare, nomos rona katak krizi hahan ne’e mosu tamba, kondisaun naturais mak hanesan udan bot, anin, bai loro naruk.


“Batar”
Foto hahan Tradisional
Batar mak hanesan hahan original Timor nian, maski ema Timor iha hahan oin-oin hanesan hudi, aifarina, aidila. aibe ema timor hare liu ba batar, Batar ne’e ema Timor mengola sai ba oin-oin atu hodi susutenta sira nia moris loro-loron.

“Hudi”
Foto Ai Han timor
Hudi mos hanesan aihan Timor, maibe hudi dala ruma ema Timor usa hanesan hahan mata bisu, Ema barak mak hudi hodi halo dosi, pisang goreng no buat seluk nebe sira bele halo tuir kapasidade ema ida-idak nian.

“Aidila”
Aidila mos hanesan ai han ida nebe mak ema Timor bele han, Nomos sira bele halo modo liu hosi nia tahan ho fuan. Aidila nia tahan mos bele halo aimoruk hodi halakon isin kole, laran beik no malaria.

SUMARIO
Istoria badak ida ne’e hosi ami gropu III kona Ba krizi hahan iha Timor Leste. Maibe ami fiar katak ami timor sei moris nafatin ho aihan tradisional.

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Tais Suai Covalima

June 20th, 2008 lin Posted in News, Suai Tais, Suai Tais - Tetun, Tais Weaving, Tradition Art & Identity Suai, Traditional Culture, YoMaTre 1 Comment »

Hakerek Grupu 8 Istoria Digital Workshop by Ajay, Densi ho Ameu. Densi ho famili halo tais ba Kamenassa Suai besik.

English Version – Tais Suai Covalima

Tais suai Covalima, tais nebe furak no kapas tamba, nia modelo oin-oin no nia kor mos kapas. iha sira nia isin lolon, bain hira sira hatais hodi halo sermonia.

“ Modelu Tais covalima”“Kabas hun”“Kabas rahun” Cristalina Moniz; Hela fatin: Fatuk Laran Servisu: Halo tiris, kabas tradisional.”

Sasan atu hodi halo Kabas Tradisional iha maibe nia prosesu han tempu.ida
ne’e ema balu halo Kabas Tradisional, balu lahalo. tamba, nia prosesu ne’e kleur.
Ne,e mak ema barak uja kabas moderno, ne’e nia prosesu la-lais. .(benang buatan Indonesia).

Kabas Tradisional
Halo Kabas tradisional persija material:
– Tiris kabas hodi ai.
– Mankok ki’ik.

Prosesu Kabas Tradisional:
1. Halo tiris nia han tempu fulan 1
2. Tein no habai’I kabas han tempu semana 1
3. Hurun kabas han tempu loron 4
4. Tiha atu kesi sai ba futus fulan 2

Kabas Moderno:
Kabas moderno nia prosesu lais, ne,e mak ema
barak liu hakarak uja kabas moderno.
tamba, lalais hurun,tiha,kesi ba futus mos lais.

“Kabas moderno (benang buatan Indonesia)”“Tais futus ho aifunan” “Tais futus ho naran”

Prosesu Kabas Moderno:
1. Hurun kabas.
2. Tiha kabas.
3. Kesi kabas sai ba futus.
4. Tein kabas hodi aiwen. sai ba kor oin-oin.

Modelu Tais:
Tais beleh halo ba gambar aifunan,
beleh halo ba ema nia naran, ho
modelu oin-oin.

“simu visitasaun hosi governo”“tu’ur hamutuk”“preparasaun atu simu ema”

Fungsi Tais:
1. Hodi halo sermonia adat.
2. Hodi falun ema mate.
3. Hodi troka perenda.
4. Hanesan mak visitasaun hosi governo, ho nossa senhora.

Sumario:
Kabas tradisional sei iha nafatin mai be to’o agora ema ladun uja kabas tradisional, ema barak uja kabas moderno. Tamba, nia prosesu lalais.

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