Ancestors and Martyrs in Timor-Leste

Abstract

This chapter reflects on the subject of ancestors: what are they in Timor- Leste? Assuming a comparative perspective, I argue that ancestors are inscribed in unilineal kinship dynamics implying mutuality of being. The category of martyrs emerges in the historical process of resistance against Indonesian occupation and should be understood as part of the lived experience of ancestorship and cosmic circularity (lulik circle). Contrasting constrained forms of honouring the dead imposed by colonial authorities after the Japanese invasion during World War II with the liveliness of the programmes destined to support reburials and pay tribute to martyrs in post-independence Timor-Leste, I argue that more than war heroes, martyrs inscribe the homage to the deceased in the conquest of freedom and self-determination.