The last of the animists

Asia » Indonesia » Timor » Soe
November 9th 2017

Published: November 9th 2017

Once most of Timor was animist. Then came the Portuguese and they brought a Catholic Jesus, followed by the Dutch who brought a Protestant Jesus. The interior, for long remained animist, but the onslaught of Jesus from the coast could not be stopped indefinitely. And now just one village remains. Notwithstanding that, most of their fellow Timorese are only nominally Christians. Boti, however, is ... Read Full Entry

Photos are below

Photos: 42, Displayed: 21

Statue

Traditional weaving

Spinning the yarn

Removing the cotton seeds... I think

Boti

More weaving

Nome

Nome fort entrance

Nome

Some huts inside the fort

Nome

The square pile of rocks is where they would place the heads of the defeated warriors, and burn of the flesh in a 4 day ceremony before sending the skulls off to the King

Nome

Views from the fort

Nome

Sacred spot, where the warriors would consult the Gods about whether to go to war or not

Soe

My guide for the day, Jemri Saluk

Temkessi

This lovely couple wanted their picture taken, and who am I to refuse

Arriving at Temkessi

Traditional houses

It wasn't very big

But you had to climb around a lot

Temkessi

At the top of a rocky outcrop...

Temkessi

My 'ojek' driver also wanted his photo taken to prove he had made it to the top

Temkessi

Good views from up there

Temkessi

And more views

Temkessi

The village as seen from above

9th November 2017

Dancing Dave
David Hooper

The stick & the egg
Beautifully written blog Ralf. Great pics as well. Took me there. You said what you did with the egg...but not what you did with the stick. Or is that sacred men's business?

9th November 2017

His Dudeness
Ralf Kreuze

The stick...
Remains the mystery in the tale, because every tale needs a bit of a mystery.

29th November 2018

Steven Campbell
non-member comment

Your travels really interest me
Hi Ralf. I stumbled across your page because I want to visit the Dutch cemetery in Kupang on my next trip to Indonesia. Your appreciation of history and local culture is very impressive and you have really sparked my interest in exploring West Timor in greater depth. I have been there a few times since 1970 but have really only scratched the surface. If you ever come to Lombok get in touch. My wife and I have a homestay in Kuta. We are usually there from April to October each year. Regards

29th November 2018

His Dudeness
Ralf Kreuze

Nice to hear
Glad you enjoyed my blog and that it piqued your interest. West Timor is an interesting place, and I too have really only seen a few places. It's a bit like Indonesia, I have both seen a lot of it and seen almost nothing of it. It would be impossible to see all. I do feel I have got a fair glimpse of the country. Thanks for the offer on Kuta, it's a nice spot, so who knows I might pop by one day.

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The last of the animists

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