Customary renewal and the pursuit of power and prosperity in post-occupation East Timor: a case-study from Babulo, Uato-Lari

Abstract

This thesis is an ethnographic study of post-occupation sociality in East Timor. Based on fieldwork conducted during prolonged periods between 2006 and 2015, this ethnography focuses on the experiences of the people of Babulo, a predominantly Naueti-speaking community located in Uato-Lari subdistrict on the south-eastern coast of East Timor. The Naueti language belongs to the Austronesian family group and Naueti-speakers are among the least well-known ethno-linguistic groups of East Timor. As such, this thesis makes a contribution to the burgeoning field of East Timor anthropology as well as the field of comparative Austronesian studies. In this thesis I describe and analyse how, since the violent withdrawal of the Indonesian military and civilian administration in 1999, the people of Babulo have been engaged in a process of recovery and renewal characterised by the revitalisation of customary beliefs and practices. I demonstrate that underpinning this resurgence of custom is a renewed commitment to a vision of society in which social and spiritual relations are constructed around the idea that life is continually given, received, reciprocated and renewed. I argue that this vision of society provides a cultural schema where the logic of precedence operates as a key structuring principle that shapes and gives meaning to social interactions and is the basis of social distinctions and inequalities. Focusing on the role of key social actors in Babulo, the ritual authority known as the Source of the Land, I describe how the customary economy of Babulo has become a site of struggle over symbolic and material resources where status and political influence is affirmed, contested, negotiated and re-calibrated. Nevertheless, I suggest that such struggles are undertaken not solely in pursuit of power within a framework of domination/subordination, but also as a means of securing social cohesion and prosperity. To conclude, I discuss the significance of this case study in the context of the wider ethnography of East Timor and the field of Austronesian studies, as well as noting the limitations of the present study and identifying directions for future research.