Tetum people

{{See also|:de:Lulik}}

Among the Tetum Terik of Viqueque, it is believed that the first humans emerged from two orfices or vaginas, "Mahuma" and "Lequi Bui", emerging on the ground by climbing sacred tendrils. Therefore, among the Tetum Terik, the door of the house is traditionally referred to as the vagina and the inside is called WOMB, the women's room. According to their beliefs, the Tetum Terik universe, which is divided into the underworld and the upper world, is connected through a woman's vagina. The lower or sacred world is defined as feminine, dominated by women, while the secular and masculine upper world is occupied by men. According to their beliefs, the two worlds must be united, otherwise infertility, disease and death will threaten.{{cite web|last=Trindade|first=Josh|date=30 June 2011|url=https://www.academia.edu/7450617|title=Lulik: The Core Values of Timor-Leste|website=Academia.edu|page=11|access-date=1 June 2024}}

Based on stories that have been passed down from generation to generation, it is believed that the Tetum ethnic group originally came from Malacca on the Malay Peninsula, then moved to several places before finally arriving on the island of Timor, namely in the eastern part of the island. This story is also believed to be the origin of the founding of the {{ill|Kingdom of Malacca|de|Malaka (Reich)|id|Kerajaan Malaka}} in West Timor, which is one of the kingdoms led by the Tetum ethnic group.

File:Timor Sprache.jpg

The Malayo-Polynesian Tetum form the largest ethnic group in East Timor with approximately 450,000 people and the second largest in West Timor with 500,000 people. They only migrated in the 14th century, when according to their records, the Tetum people came from Malacca. First they settled in the centre of the island and pushed the Atoni Meto to the western part of Timor. They then advanced further east and founded four kingdoms, of which Wehali was the most powerful. Likewise, their language became the lingua franca in the centre and east of the island. Even today, Tetums live in the centre of the island on both sides of the border and on the southeastern coast.

The Tetum speak various dialects of Tetum. Tetun Prasa is the official language of East Timor alongside Portuguese. In East Timor alone, over 432,766 people speak Tetum as their first language (2015). Of the different dialects, 361,027 East Timorese stated that Tetun Prasa is their mother tongue, 71,418 mentioned Tetun Terik, and 321 mentioned Nanaek (2015).

The historical exonym Belu means 'friend' or 'protector'. Therefore, the eastern part of the island of Timor was called Belu during colonial times.{{cite web|author=|url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20140402140947/http://www.pcgn.org.uk/East%20Timor%20%201999.pdf|title=Geographical names against a volatile background|publisher=Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use: East Timor|date=December 1999|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209194248/http://www.pcgn.org.uk/East%20Timor%20%201999.pdf|archive-date=9 February 2013|access-date=1 June 2024}}

In contrast to other Tetun speakers, the "Tetum Terik Fehan" are matriarchally organised, which is otherwise only the case in Bunak and Galoli in East Timor. The Tetum Terik Fehan ethnic group lives in Manufahi, Cova Lima, Bobonaro and Manatuto.{{cite web|last=Niner|first=Sara|date=January 2012|url=http://www.fundasaunmahein.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2012-Local-Global-Barlake-and-issues_of_womens_status-TL-Niner.pdf|title=Barlake: an exploration of marriage practices and issues of women's status in Timor-Leste|website=Fundasaun Mahein|page=144|access-date=1 June 2024}}

One of the traditional dances of the Tetun ethnic group is the {{ill|Likurai dance|id|tari Likurai}}, which is danced by women to welcome guests or fighters returning from war.

Tetum women who are and have been married traditionally wear tattoos with certain motifs that symbolise their social status. Tetum brides and grooms also have traditional clothing equipped with headdresses, fabrics, necklaces, studs, and other jewellery with distinctive patterns and meanings.{{cite book|last1=Husni|first1=Muhammad|last2=Siregar|first2=Tiarma Rita|date=1 January 2000|chapter=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l0DDCgAAQBAJ&dq=suku+belu&pg=PA32|title=Perhiasan Tradisional Indonesia|trans-title=Traditional Indonesian Jewellery|language=Indonesian|publisher=Directorate General of Culture|page=32|access-date=1 June 2024}}

{{portal|Timor-Leste|Indonesia}}

{{wiktionary|Tetum}}

{{commons category|Tetum}}

• Tetum language
• Culture of East Timor
• Atoni
• Kemak people

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{{reflist}}

• David Hicks: A maternal religion, the role of women in Tetum myth and ritual. 1984, (= Special Report. no. 22; Monograph series of Southeast Asia). DeKalb Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Illinois University, {{OCLC|800516747}}.
• B. A. G. Vroklage: [https://books.google.com/books?id=2joVAAAAIAAJ&dq=Maromak&pg=PA155 Ethnographie der Belu in Zentral-Timor.] Band 1, Leiden 1952.
• W. Woertelboer: [https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40451023.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Ab66f6c8ab76e11713cf3a3127b81f121 Zur Sprache und Kultur der Belu (Timor).] In: Anthropos. 50.1, 1955, pp. 155–200.

{{Ethnic groups in East Timor}}

{{Ethnic groups in Indonesia}}

Category:Ethnic groups in Timor-Leste

Belu

Category:East Nusa Tenggara

Category:Timor-Leste