Revolution, religion and magic; The PKI in West Timor, 1924-1966

Abstract

The Indonesian Communist Party began as a socialist organization in Java in 1914 and after various permutations took on the name Partai Komunis Indonesia (PKI) in 1924. Outside the Russian sphere, it was the first commu nist party in Asia. Most studies of the PKI stress its activities in Java, and to a lesser extent Bali and Sumatra, while the other islands have been largely ignored.1 An examination of the history of the PKI in the Timor region, how ever, reveals that the party was adept at adapting to local conditions. The area is predominantly Christian, but traditional animism and belief in the powers of the supernatural have remained strong also. The PKI in West Timor showed from its earliest days up until the point when the party was dissolved that it was capable of mixing radical politics, Christianity, tradi tional magic, and witchcraft into a blend that was palatable to the variety of local tastes.2 The PKI was no latecomer to the region either, for in the very year the party was formed, Dutch officials in Timor reported communist activity in their area. Throughout the Dutch period there was regular men tion of communists undermining rust en orde (peace and order) in West Timor and the surrounding islands. Under the Indonesian administration the PKI blossomed in West Timor. By the mid-1960s there were PKI members in the