OINSA BARLAKE MUDA IHA TIMOR LESTE?

Is barlake changing in Timor-Leste?

Seminar husi Dr. Sara Niner

SLIDE 1: TILE

Introduction

SLIDE 2

Hau interese ba Barlake tamba nia iha pontu de vista 2 ne’ebe diferente:

I am Interested in barlake because there are 2 very different views about it:

Barlake ne’e di’ak: hanesan parte ida husi kultura Timor nian no fo valór no

proteje feto sira Barkake is good: it is part of Timorese culture and values and protects women

Barlake ne’e ladi’ak: Mane’e hafolin feto ho hanoin katak feto sira ne’e sira

nian no haterus sira Barlake is bad men buy women and think they own them and mistreat them

Karik Ita bele tau hamutuk pontu de vista rua ne’e no karik iha buat balun

ne’ebe bele halo hodi hadia situasaun ida ne’e? Can we reconcile these 2 views and is there anything to do to improve the situation?

Fontes de informasaun mak:Antropolojia no livru konaba jéneru no relatioriu sira

anthropology and gender books and reports

Interviu hamutuk 15 ne’ebe no diskusaun ho ema timoroan lubun ida , tamba

ema barak gosta atu koalia konaba barlake 15 interviews and discussions with many Timorese as everyone likes to talk about it

Sei uza komentariu sira ohin nian iha ha’u nia artigu peskiza nianWill use the comments from today in my research article

Sosiedade indíjena no relasaun géneru sira Indigenous society and gender relations

• Iha lian oin-oin iha Timor-Leste maibe fiar no kultura sira iha aspetus barak kuaze hanesan Many different languages in Timor-Leste but very similar beliefs and culture

• Feto mak Maromak: feto sagradu no nia valórizasaun ba fertilidade sacredness of women and valorization of fertility

• Mundu Sekulár: mundu/rai leten mane mak domina secular world: the earth’s surface is dominated by men

• Mundu Sagrada: mundu/rai klaran feto mak domina sacred world: ‘the world inside’is dominated by females

• Feto no labarik feto sira reservadu ba mundu/rai internu ka domestiku no mane ma ba mundu/rai exteriror ka publiku women and girls are kept to internal or domestic world and men to external or public world means women’s opportunities are limited leading to

• Signifika katak oportunidade ba feto sira limitadu tebes hodi hamosu:1. Falta de partisipasaun politika maibe feto balun bele kaer poder ema

ida-idak nian lack of political participation but women may hold power privately

2. Kargu tomak husi servisu domestiku nian no tau matan ba labarik sira bele signifika katak sira mos iha poder boot iha uma full burden of domestic work and looking after children held by women but means they may be powerful in home

Definisaun balun

Slide 3

Kultura: Fiar sira, kustume sira , pratika sira no hahalok sosial povu ida nian

Culture: the beliefs, customs, practices, and social behavior of a people

Adat ka Lisan: Pratika kostume Indigena Timoroan nian

Adat ka Lisan: indigenous Timorese customary practices

Jéneru: dever no responsabilidade sira mane’e no feto nian iha kultura no sosiedade

Gender: the roles and responsibilities of men and women in cultures and societies

Matriarkada (Strutura lisan husi inan nian): Strutura sosial ne’ebé feto iha poder,

hanesan xefi ba uma kain no oan feto sira hetan eransa rai husi inan sira

Matriarchy: social order where women have power, are heads of families and daughters inherit land from mothers

Patriarkadu (Strutura lisan husi aman nian): Strutura sosial ne’ebé mane’e iha

poder iha famila nia laran no iha sosiadade , no rikusoin/sasan sira fo husi aman ba

oan mane . Patriarchy: social order where men have power in the family and society and possessions are passed from father to son

Violensia bazeiadu ba Jéneru: Gender based violence (GBV):

Sosiedade indíjena no relasaun Jéneru sira

• Iha antropolojia hatudu katak knaar husi feto no mane nian hanesan “komplementa malu” no “interdependente” maibe la signifika katak sira nia knaar hanesanIn anthropology the roles of women and men are described as ‘complimentary’ and ‘interdependent’ but his does not mean roles are equal

• Lisan ka adat liuliu laos atu haneehan feto sira maske iha efeitu ida ne’e ohin loronLisan/adat not primarily to oppress women although does have that effect today

Feto hakat klot; mane hakat luana woman is born for narrow steps while a man is born for wide steps

Sosiedade indíjena no relasaun Jéneru sira

• kultura muda hela deit tuir kondisaun - hanesan uluk feto sira luta iha Indonezia nia tempu -nune’e oinsa kultura muda iha Timor-Leste?

Saida mak Barlake?

Saida mak barlake?

• Barlake hanesan parte ida husi sistema luan adat ka lisannian ne’ebé dezenvolve ona liu tinan rihun liuba

husi bei ala sira hodi regula sosiedade iha ambiente difisilbarlake part larger system of adat ka lisan which developed over thousands of years by ancestors to regulate society in difficult environment

• Barlake regula familia sira no sosiedade hodi foti soliedaridade no armonia sosiál barlake regulates family and society to build social solidarity and harmony

• feto barak hatete katak Barlake fo valor no proteje siramany women say they are valued and protected by barlake

SLIDE

Barlake=‘dowry’ presente husi umane ba fetosan-

noiva lori nia eransa ba iha nia uma kain foun +

‘bride-price’ presente husi fetosan ba umane-

hanesan ‘pagamentu’ ba noiva

= Simbolikamente hanesan

•sasán sira mai husi fen nia familia hetan simbolikamente valór boot ka riku liu tan sira mai husi “moris nia hun”goods from the wife’s family are symbolically more valuable or richer because they are coming from the ‘the source of life’

•Lia na’in hateten Barlake nia folin devia justu no la bele liu familia nia kapasidade.... “Ema ida la bele obriga familia ida

atu selu liu fali sira nia kapasidade, ne’e laos versaun ida

ne’ebe los husi Barlake” Lia Na’in says barlake exchange should be equal and not

beyond capacity of families… No-one should press the other family to pay more than they can afford otherwise it is not correct version of barlake…

SLIDE 5

Saida mak barlake?Matriarkada no

PatriarkaduMatriarkada = Bunak no Tetun-

Terik Fehan (populasaun 12%) mos

Galolen (Manatuto) no Antoni

(Oecussi) (?%) la os barlake ida ka

buat ruma hanesan, maibe menus,

ne’ebe hanaran bee manas ai tukan

Matriarchal =Bunak and Tetun-Terik Fehan (12% of population) barlake is not practiced or something similar, but less, called bee

manas ai tukan

Matriarkada = Rikusoin sira no

ritual menus no La’en hela hamutuk

ho feen nia familia

Matriarchal =gifts and ritual is less and husband lives with wife’s family

Perguntas ba Painél: Folin la hanesan normal? Oinsa balansu ne’ebe la hanesan bele explika? Karik diferente entre grupu sira seluk? Panel Questions: Are unequal gifts normal? How is this imbalance explained? Is it different amongst different groups?

Barlake muda iha Timor Leste?• Kultura muda tuir tempu atu responde ba eventu no

influensia sira hanesan Reinu boot Wehali ne’ebé uluk ukunTimor mos monu Culture changes over time in response to events and

influences just like the decline of the Wehali Kingdom that once ruled over Timor

• Kolonilismu Portugues (1514-1974) no okupasaun

Indonesiu (1975-1999) estraga partes balun husi kultura Timor maibe mos hametin fiar no relasaun familia nian Portuguese colonialism (1514-1974) and Indonesian occupation (1975-1999) destroyed parts of Timorese culture but also strengthened beliefs and family bonds

• Ohin loron, hanesan iha fatin barak iha mundo, ema la halao ona kostume tradisaun sira, hanesan barlake maibe sira uja sira nia rekursu sira hodi selu edukasaun moderna no asistensia saúde, ho mos uma, kareta, no produtu moderno sira seluk.Today, as is the trend in many societies, individuals are opting out of traditional practices, like barlake, in favor of using their available resources to pay for modern education and health services, along with more contemporary homes and commodities.

Barlake muda iha Timor Leste?

SLIDE 7

•Feto klosan sira agora hakarak kontinua sira nia

edukasaun no servisu duke barlake Younger women today

want to pursue education and career rather than barlake

•Lian Na’in rekoñese katak rekursus no partisipasaun ba lisan husi ema sira menusLian Na’in recognize that resources and people’s participation in culture are less

•Husi tinan 1999 haforsu atu muda relasoens

jéneru iha Timor Leste nudar mos kritika ba lalaok

barlake Since 1999 attempts to change gender relations in Timor-Leste has meant criticism of barlake

Balansu iha folin ka lae?Equal exchange or not?

• autoridades tradisionais hateten katak barlake folin lolos iha balansu no iha

lejitimidade wainhira sira iha duni traditional authorities contend that legitimate barlake exchanges are equal and are only legitimate if they are

• Troka sasán ba malu ne’e simbolikamente hanesan de’it tamba tuir faktus

katak sasán ne’ebe noivu familia sira simu simbolikamente konsidera folin

liu tamba mai husi Moris nia hun, noiva nia familia. The exchange is only symbolically equal due to the fact that gifts from the wife-takers are symbolically considered more valuable as they come from closer to the source of life, the bride’s family

• Pergunta ba Painél: barlake mosu hanesan troka sasan ba malu hanesan entre grupu etniku oin-oin? Sei fo mos hanoin boot ba problema neé no mos bele fo solusaun ba hanoin katak feto ne’e sosa kotu Panel Question: is barlake an equal exchange amongst all the different ethnic groups? Would provide a great insight into this problem and may provide a solution to this concern that women are being bought.

Karik Barlake halo feto sai nudar produtu no fo

impaktu ba GBV? Does barlake make women a commodity and cause GBV?

• Wainhira troka sasán ne’e la hanesan, no familia husi Noiva nian sai riku

karik nee signifika katak feto no nia fertilidade sai nuudar sasán nee be bele

sosa? If exchange of gifts unequal so bride’s family is enriched does this mean that women and their fertility are being bought and treated as a commodity?

• Sentimentu hanesan feto nee sai nuudar produtu ida mane nian halo

relasaun no poder sei la balansu no feto servi nafatin mane e ne’e hamosu

violensia doemestika A feeling ownership of women by men makes gender/power relations unequal and women subservient to men—this causes domestic violence

• Violensia domestika mos akontese hotu iha komunidade matrilineal nian

ne’ebe (barlake ne’e folin menus) nee katak barlake ne’e hanesan factor ida

husi factor sira seluk neebe fo inpaktu ba violensia domestika Yet domestic violence also occurs in matrilineal communities (where barlake is low) so barlake must be seen as only one of several factors leading to domestic violence

Fatores seluk = 1. Sosiadade aseita violensia domestika ne’e no ‘baku hanorin’

2. Atitude husi autoridade tradisionais estadu nian (lia na’in, juizes no polisia) ne’ebe la akusa GBV ne’e hanesan ilegal Other factors =1. sosiál acceptance of domestic violence and ‘baku

hanorin’

2. attitudes of traditional and state authorities (lia na’in, judges and police) who do not treat GBV as illegal

Painél Pergunta: bele ga lae haketak lisan ka barlake husi sosiadade nia moris, hanesan GBV, ne’ebe sempre akontese no dezenvolve istorikamente? Ne’e dalaruma susar tebes ?

Panel Question: can we separate barlake from social practices, like GBV, that are commonplace or have developed historically? This will be difficult?

Karik Barlake halo feto sai nudar produtu no fo inpaktu ba GBV?

Presu ou valór? Price or Value?

• Diferensa iha signifikadu liafuan sira ‘valór’ no ‘presu’. Karik Barlake ne’e noiva ni folin ka noiva nia valór difference in meaning of the words ‘value’and ‘price’. Is barlake a bride ‘price’ or a bride ‘value

• Nesesidade kultural atu selu hikas no respeita tempo no esforsu neebe noiva nia inan-aman lori hodi hakiak sira nia oan feto, oinsa akontese agora? deep cultural need to repay or respect the time and effort made the parents of the bride to raise their daughter but how is this shown today?

• kanten no hare liu ba posizaun iha ligasaun ba aumentu kultura konsumerismu nian, ne’ebe dollar sai hanesan premeiru simbolu estatutu no riku nian greed and status enhancement are linked to the escalating consumerist culture in which $$$ are regarded as the prime symbols of state and wealth

• Ohin loron inves de sai hanesan marka ba respeito ba inan aman noiva nian no valór ba noiva, troka nee muda tiha ba folin/presu ba feto nee nia folin ba nia inan aman sira, familia balun esplora barlake. (hanesan akontese mos iha fatin seluk) no inan-aman balu hakarak hatudu oinsa sira nia riku soin Today instead of being a mark of deep respect to the parents of the bride and a valuing of the bride this ‘gifts’ are turned into a ‘price’ for her paid to the parents that is being exploited by some greedy families (as happens in other parts of the world) and families wanting to show off how rich they are

Todan ba familia sira

Burden on families

Slide 8

•Rezultadu negativo mak todan ne’e fo ba familia sira neebe bele lori too jerasaun

barak a negative outcome is the burden placed on families that may go on for several generations

•Frustrasaun tan folin barlake as entre noivo nia parente sira bele hatodan ba feto no

feto bele hanoin barak. Ida ne’e menus iha komunidade matriarkal ne’ebe feto moris

ho sira nia inan, bin no tian sira.

frustrations caused by high barlake amongst the groom’s extended family can be directed at the bride and she may become a focus of frustrations and vulnerable to ill-feelings. This is less so in matrilineal communities where women live amongst their mothers, sisters and aunts

Painél pergunta: Karik presiza iha planu ka regulamentu ne’ebe bele halakon todan ba familia? Komunidade balun rezolve tiha ne’e ho meious hanaran tara bandu– bele ka lae iha regulamentu nivel nasional ida atu regula iha situasaun susar nee?Panel Question: Should guidelines or regulations be made to relieve burdens on

families? Some communities have solved this by a tara bandu –can a national one be

imposed in these difficult times?

Atitude feto sira nian ba barlake

ohin loron Women’s attitudes to barlake today

SLIDE 10:

Com

Peskiza balun hatudu katak barlake ne’e sei forte iha jerasaun tuan, feto kabe na’in

no menus entre feto ran ne’ebe agora suporta barlake nee depende ba se feto nee

hetan respeitu ka lae, karikiha mudansa cultural iha gerasaun akontese hela

Some research shows that support for barlake is much stronger amongst older, married women and less amongst younger single women whose support for barlake is dependent upon if women are being respected or not so there maybe a cultural and generation change occurring

Hanoin feto nian tuir mai ne’e:

Barlake ne’e parte ida husi ita nia tradisaun kultural no ita ten ke manten ita nia kultura , …maibe dala ruma ema uza sala, presisa atu regula ho lei, …agora ne’e iha enfase ida ba ema sira neebe halo barlake hanesan fontes de rendimentu ida no uja ho sala (feto Parliamentariu 2010)Barlake is part of our traditional culture and we have to maintain our culture, …but there is misuse of it

so it has to be regulated by law, by the government, … there is now an emphasis on people who treat

barlake as an income source and mis-use it. (Female Parliamentarian 2010)

Atitude feto ba barlake ohin loronHau konkorda no mos la konkorda ho barlake. Ne’e nudar parte ida husi hau nia identidade timor oan no parte husi hau nia kultura. Barlake uluk halo atu habelar no haforsa familia mais agora sai fali bisnis. Hau fiar ita tenke mantem nia forma no redus nia numeru. Ida nee tem ke enderesa/koalia hamutuk ho igualidade de jéneru ne’ebe halo ona iha parlamentu (Advokasia Feto 2010). I agree and disagree with barlake. It is part of my identity as a Timorese and part of my

culture. Barlake used to be for extending and strengthening families but now it looks more

like business. I believe we should keep the form and reduce the numbers. It should be

addressed along with the gender equity law now being drafted in parliament.

(Women’s advocate 2010).

Iha fatin balun barlake ne’e muda ba aat liu—enves de reprezenta prosesu troka sasan ba malu entre familia, maibe buras tan ba termus osan nian e inklina liu ba idea presu feto nian. …konseitu iha area rurais katak hametin relasaun interdependensia entre familia, sai taka kasamentus ‘modernus’. (Antropologista iha 2010)…barlake is changing for the worse in many areas —rather than representing part of a

process of reciprocal exchange between families it is being increasingly treated as

monetary exchange more akin to the idea of 'bride-price' or 'bride-wealth'… the view from

rural areas was that the concept of creating bonds of inter-dependence between families

was being undermined by 'modern' marriages.

(Anthropologist 2010)

Konklusaun Conclusions

Slide 11

traditional

Iha nesesidade atu komprende barlake sira oin oin no nia impaktu ba feto sira nia moris Barlake needs to be better understood and its impact on the everyday lives of womenPrinsipius orijinais barlake nian tenke investiga didiak ba grupus etnikus hotu iha timor no tau matan liu liu ba Original principles of barlake need to be more carefully documented for all ethnic groups in Timor and focused upon such as:1.Fo honra ba feto sira nudar inan no fo moris Honoring of women and their role as life-givers and mothers2.Kria ligasaun naruk solidariedade no respeitu nian entre noiva no noivu

nia familia sira no mos komunidade Creating life-long bonds of solidarity and respect between the bride and groom’s families and community3.Troka sasán ba malu ne’e tenke iha valór hanesan no tuir familia sira nia

kapasidade (laos todan) Exchanges must be of equal value and affordable to families (not a burden)4.Rikusoin ka sasan troka malu maka sasan cultural (laos osan ka buat

sira bele faandeit) Gifts of cultural significance are exchanged (not money or commodities)Wainhira haforsa prinsipius hirak ne’e duke valor osan nian kairik bele hamenus impaktu negativu ba feto sira.If these principles were emphasized rather than the amounts exchanged it may improve the negative outcomes for women.

Konklusaun Conclusions

• Persiza dialogu nasional ida kona ba VBJ A national dialogue is needed like that taking place around GBV

• Hapara hahalok barlake hodi lei (hanesan iha rai India) lao’ s dalan loos maibe persiza dalan nasional Outlawing the practices (as done in India) does not work but some form of national guidance is required

• Tenke konsidera Barlake hanesan parte ida ida iha lei jéneru igualidade nian ne’ebe halo diskusaun iha parlamentu hela. Barlake needs to be addressed as part of the proposed jéneru equity law now being drafted in parliament.

• Atu separa barlake husi hahalok kleur ona iha sosiedade hanesan violensia ne’e susar, diak liu atu kolabora ho autoridades atu bele haforsa ou hasa’e tratamentu no posizaun feto sira nian iha sistema tradisonal sira nia laran Separating barlake from entrenched socialised practices like violence is difficult so a better approach would be to work with authorities to improve how women are regarded and treated within traditional systems

• Hahalok jéneru ne’ebe diak tenke identifika no promove Good gender practice needs to be identified and promoted

Father and daughter with their traditional weavings, Oecussi, 2008