Tutuala is a village and suco in the

subdistrict A subdistrict or sub-district is an administrative division that is generally smaller than a district. Equivalents * Administrative posts of East Timor, formerly Portuguese-language * Kelurahan, in Indonesia * Mukim, a township in Brunei, Ind ...

of Tutuala in

Lautém District Lautém ( Tetum: Lautein) is a toponym for a place eastmost in East Timor. It may refer to, from small to large: * Lautém (city) * Lautém Administrative Post * Lautém Municipality Lautém (, ) is one of the municipalities (formerly di ...

Timor-Leste Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

. It is situated at the extreme eastern end of

Timor Timor (, , ) is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is Indonesia–Timor-Leste border, divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste in the eastern part and Indonesia in the ...

. Its population at the 2004 census was 3,707. The subdistrict of Tutuala comprises two sucos, including Mehara and Tutuala with the subdistrict administrator residing in Tutuala. The suco of Tutuala comprised four hamlets (aldeia): Ioro, Pitileti, Tchailoro, and Vero. The main

Fataluku language Fataluku (also known as Dagaga, Dagoda', Dagada) is a Papuan language spoken by approximately 37,000 people of Fataluku ethnicity in the eastern areas of East Timor, especially around Lospalos. It is a member of the Timor-Alor-Pantar language ...

areas of the country are in Tutuala, as well as Lautem and Fuiloro.

History

In Tutuala, 24 clans or ''ratu'' have been identified. According to local tradition, the Tutuala ratu and Kati ratu clans originally spoke the

Makuva language Makuva, also known as Makuʼa or Lóvaia, is an apparently extinct Austronesian language spoken at the northeast tip of East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country i ...

. All other clans in the district originated from outside Timor, bringing their own language with them during their migration. One clan has been identified as originating from southeastern Maluku. Until

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Lata people were settled in ancestral homes inside the forests, dependent upon the forests for their livelihoods. Many villages settled along the edges of the road or along the coast date to the period of Portuguese occupation, and after 1945 during the Indonesian occupation. Forested uplands in the Tutuala area were inhabited by the ''ratu'' or "clan groups" which included the walled and open settlements of ''Lata'' and also caves (''veraka'') which housed ancestral figures. According to Timorese legend, Fataluku people believe that "

Jaco Island Jaco Island (, , Fataluku language, Fataluku: or ) is an uninhabited island in Timor-Leste, a country occupying the eastern end of the island of Timor in the Lesser Sunda Islands in Southeast Asia. It lies off the eastern tip with Cape Cutcha o ...

(Totina), near Titula, is identified by Fatalaku people as "the head of the land", while the rest of the island constitutions the body".

Geography

Tutuala is situated at the eastern end of Timor, northeast of Lospalos. Tutuala is bordered to the north by the

Banda Sea The Banda Sea (, , ) is one of four seas that surround the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, connected to the Pacific Ocean, but surrounded by hundreds of islands, including Timor, as well as the Halmahera Sea, Halmahera and Ceram Seas. It is about ...

, to the southeast by the

Timor Sea The Timor Sea (, , or ) is a relatively shallow sea in the Indian Ocean bounded to the north by the island of Timor with Timor-Leste to the north, Indonesia to the northwest, Arafura Sea to the east, and to the south by Australia. The Sunda Tr ...

and to the west by the ''suco'' of Mehara. The settlement of Muapitine is separated from Tutuala by the Vekase River. The road to Tutuala passes along the northern periphery of Lake Ira Lalaro and passes through the village of Mehara where Falalaku-style houses can be seen. During the rainy season this stretch of road is prone to flooding from rising lake waters. Valu Beach, which is from the village, has fine white sand. Jaco Island, which also has fine beaches and is noted for its colourful anemone fish and sea

turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

s, is separated from Valu Beach by a narrow strait. Tutuala is situated within the Nino Konis Santana National Park. Geographic features of importance include Lake Ira Lalaro and Mount Paitchau, as well as the caves of Léné Ara, Ile Kére Kére and O Hi.

Climate

Archaeology

The caves of Ile Kére Kére were excavated in 1966–1967, and numerous items such as stone tools and the bones of giant rats were unearthed, and some of the archaeological finds in the nearby caves of Lene Hara are carbon dated to 30,000 years ago. The caves also had cave paintings. Guerrilla fighters used these caves as hiding places during wartime. Excavations at the Lene Hara cave established occupation at least 30,000-35,000 years ago. Marine shells and stone artifacts have been dated to the

Middle Paleolithic The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle P ...

through

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...

era. The site is a raised limestone terrace situated from the coast. In addition to artifact, painted rock art was also recorded at Lene Hara, in roof panels and stalagmite formations. The rock shelter site, Jerimalai, also located at the tip of the island, was occupied over 42,000 years ago; inhabitants, who left behind stone tools and shells, were noted to have eaten turtles, tuna, and rats.

Gallery

File:ETimor2006-0014.JPG, Rice field in Mehara File:As casas elevadas da Ponta Leste--2.jpg, Holy houses and meeting hall in Ioro, 1970 File:Lake Ira Lalaro floodplain and surrounding area.jpg, Lake Ira Lalaro floodplain and surrounding area File:Jaco 3.jpg, View from

File:Beach ahead Jaco.jpg, Tutuala beach, in front of Jaco island File:Tutuala 13-16.jpg, Church in Tutuala File:A pousada de Tutuala.jpg, ''Pousada'' (hotel) in Tutuala, former seat of the colonial administrator File:Tutuala 13-15.jpg, Graffiti in Tutuala, saying "murderer" in memory of the massacre by pro-Indonesian guerrilla forces, 1999

References

Bibliography

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External links

{{Commons category
Statoids.com
Populated places in Timor-Leste Lautém Municipality