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The Political System of the Atoni as Viewed by Modern Science and as Classified by Timorese Thinking

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The Political System of the Atoni of Timor

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Abstract

We have seen that a political system is a composite made up of a large number of structures of the political community. The latter we have defined as a community which is localized in a particular territory and within the bounds of which decisions are made which are binding on the community as a whole.

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References

  1. The raja of Amarasi, Hendrik Koro, thought that nai was the older and higher title, which dated back to the pre-Portuguese period. After the Portuguese seized the power the rulers were degraded to the rank of amaf. Cunningham, 1962, and Middelkoop have accepted this statement, although it is incorrect. The Portuguese, as we saw in our Historical Survey, never gained complete control of West Timor. In Amarasi there were only Dominican missionaries after 1618. Moreover, the title Ama occurs as early as 1659 in the Records of the East India Co. However, the statement by the raja of Amarasi confirms our theory that nai places rather more emphasis on territorial rights.

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  28. Cf. Onvlee, 1949, pp. 448, 449.

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  29. See photograph

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  31. See photograph

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  36. P. 264 above. Admittedly Kisnai is also acknowledged as an “original”group, but it is not mentioned here, probably intentionally so to obtain a triad.

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  51. Cf. p. 271 above. Cf. Taitoh in Beboki, with four plus eight plus one groups, diagram no. 11, p. 247.

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  52. Cf. p. 340 above.

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  57. Cf. p. 242 above.

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  58. Cf. Cunningham, 1964, p. 50.

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  59. P. 317 above.

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  60. Middelkoop, 1963, p. 193.

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  61. The fact that Cunningham classifies the west with black and the north with yellow must be attributable to an error on his part. He classifies white with the east and red with the south, furthermore (1964, p. 36).

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  62. Cf. 340 above.

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  65. P. 336. above. Middelkoop, 1963, p. 155. A red fowl is sacrificed to the nitu before the headhunting raid.

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  80. According to Cunningham, 1962, the Atoni are nis muti and wear red kerchiefs with white bands.

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  82. Communication Locher.

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  83. Middelkoop, 1963, p. 238. Mela is one of SonbaTs amaf naek.

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  93. Cunningham, 1964, p. 47, gives the same classification and adds a dichotomy of pah meto and tasi (sea). This latter dichotomy I encountered nowhere.

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  102. Timor, from timur — east, is a name by which Indonesian seafarers must have called the island.

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Authors
  1. H. G. Schulte Nordholt
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© 1971 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Nordholt, H.G.S. (1971). The Political System of the Atoni as Viewed by Modern Science and as Classified by Timorese Thinking. In: The Political System of the Atoni of Timor. Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, vol 60. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-1013-4_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-1013-4_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-015-0404-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-1013-4

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