Oecusse District
Encyclopedia
Oecusse is a district of East Timor
. It is a coastal exclave in the western part of the island of Timor
, separated from the rest of East Timor by West Timor
, which is part of the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia
, and which surrounds Oecusse in all directions except the north, where it borders the Savu Sea
. The capital of the district is Pante Macassar
, also called Ocussi Town, or formerly, in Portuguese Timor
, as Vila Taveiro.
are the names of the two original kingdoms, of which Ambeno existed before the colonial period.
Oecusse was the first part of the island of Timor
on which the Portuguese
established themselves, and is thus usually considered the cradle of East Timor. In 1556, a group of Dominican friars started missionary work on the north coast of Timor. In 1641 they arrived to the village of Lifau
, five km to the west of modern Pante Macassar
, where they baptized the royal family of the Ambeno
kingdom. A permanent Portuguese settlement arose in the 1650s due to migration from Larantuka
on Flores
. The Eurasian
population in Lifau became known as Topasses
. After 1664 they were governed by officers belonging to the Hornay and Da Costa families, and were able dominate most of Timor. In 1702, Lifau became the authorized capital of the colony when it received the first governor from Lisbon
. The following period saw frequent clashes between the governor and the independent-minded Topasses, who had their strongholds in Tulicão west of Lifau, and Animata in the inland. Under their leader Gaspar da Costa
they attacked the Dutch colonial post at Kupang
in 1749 but were smashingly defeated, and subsequently moved their residence to Pante Macassar
(Oecusse) in 1759 due to Dutch military pressure. The capital of the governor was transferred from Lifau to Dili
in 1769, because of the frequent attacks from the Topass leader Francisco Hornay III. Most of West Timor
was left to Dutch
forces, who were conquering what is today Indonesia
. The Eurasian leadership of Oecusse by and by turned into a bona fide Timorese kingship, and members of the Hornay and Da Costa families reigned as Liurai
(kings) until modern times. They regularly intermarried with the Ambeno royalty. In the 1780s a reconciliation took place between the governor in Dili and the Topasses, who henceforth usually supported the Portuguese government.
It was only in 1859, with the Treaty of Lisbon, that Portugal
and the Netherlands
divided the island between them. West Timor
became Dutch, with its colonial seat at Kupang
, and East Timor
became Portuguese, with its seat in Dili. This left Oecusse as an enclave surrounded by Dutch territory. In 1912 the Liurai of Ambeno, João da Cruz, staged a revolt against the Portuguese. It was quickly put down, after which the Ambeno kingdom lapsed. The Liurai of Oecusse became dominant in the entire Oecusse exclave. The definitive border was drawn by the Hague in 1916. Apart from Japanese occupation during World War II
, the border remained the same until the end of the colonial period. The region was given the status of municipality, named Oecússi, by the Portuguese government in August 1973, the last Timorese area to receive it.
It was in Pante Macassar that an Indonesia
n fifth column
raised the Indonesian flag
and took control of the exclave on 29 November 1975, a week before the Indonesian invasion of East Timor proper. However, even under Indonesian rule, Oecusse was administered as part of the province of East Timor, as it had been as part of Portuguese Timor
. Like much of the country, it suffered violent attacks near the 1999 referendum for independence. Over 90 percent of the infrastructure was destroyed. It became part of the independent state of East Timor on 20 May 2002.
On the 11th of November 1999, 600 + Australian Troops from 3RAR (Third Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment) deployed from Maliana in East Timor proper to Oecusse to "liberate" the enclave. They stayed there until late February 2000, being replaced by Jordanian troops.
In the 1970s and 1980s, New Zealander anarchist Bruce Grenville
began a hoax, claiming to have founded the sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno. He invented a history for the state of tribes united against the Portuguese
.
The subdistricts are divided into 19 sucos (communities) in total.
The Atoni
, one of many indigenous ethnic groups, number about 20,000 in the district. A much larger number live in the surrounding part of West Timor
.
, Tetum and Portuguese
, Indonesian
is widely used as a lingua franca
in the area.
The Atoni speak Baikeno, an Austronesian language. This language is surviving well, with many monolingual speakers. There are few loans from Portuguese and almost none from Tetum in the language.
boat connects the territory to Dili
, arriving twice a week on a journey which takes 12 hours.
An airport exists, Oecusse Airport.
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. It is a coastal exclave in the western part of the island of Timor
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
, separated from the rest of East Timor by West Timor
West Timor
West Timor is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, .During the colonial period it was known as "Dutch Timor" and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution...
, which is part of the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and which surrounds Oecusse in all directions except the north, where it borders the Savu Sea
Savu Sea
The Savu Sea is a small sea within Indonesia named for the island of Savu on its southern boundary. It is bounded by Savu and Rai Jua to the south, the islands of Rote and Timor to the east, Flores and the Alor archipelago to the north/northwest, and the island of Sumba to the west/northwest...
. The capital of the district is Pante Macassar
Pante Macassar
Pante Macassar is a city and subdistrict on the north coast of East Timor, 281 km to the west of Dili, the nation's capital. It has a population of 4,730 . It is the capital of the Oecusse exclave .The name literally means "beach of Makasar," alluding to the erstwhile trade with Makasar in Sulawesi...
, also called Ocussi Town, or formerly, in Portuguese Timor
Portuguese Timor
Portuguese Timor was the name of East Timor when it was under Portuguese control. During this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Netherlands East Indies, and later with Indonesia....
, as Vila Taveiro.
History
Oecusse and AmbenoAmbeno
The Ambeno was a traditional kingship on the north coast of Timor, among the Atoni people. Its area is now in the Oecusse district of East Timor. The capital was in Pantar Macasse....
are the names of the two original kingdoms, of which Ambeno existed before the colonial period.
Oecusse was the first part of the island of Timor
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
on which the Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
established themselves, and is thus usually considered the cradle of East Timor. In 1556, a group of Dominican friars started missionary work on the north coast of Timor. In 1641 they arrived to the village of Lifau
Lifau
Lifau is a town and suco in the East Timor exclave of Oecusse District. The city is located west of the mouth of the Tono River. 1,938 people are living in the suco.- History :...
, five km to the west of modern Pante Macassar
Pante Macassar
Pante Macassar is a city and subdistrict on the north coast of East Timor, 281 km to the west of Dili, the nation's capital. It has a population of 4,730 . It is the capital of the Oecusse exclave .The name literally means "beach of Makasar," alluding to the erstwhile trade with Makasar in Sulawesi...
, where they baptized the royal family of the Ambeno
Ambeno
The Ambeno was a traditional kingship on the north coast of Timor, among the Atoni people. Its area is now in the Oecusse district of East Timor. The capital was in Pantar Macasse....
kingdom. A permanent Portuguese settlement arose in the 1650s due to migration from Larantuka
Larantuka
Larantuka is a subdistrict of East Flores Regency, on the eastern end of Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Like much of the region, Larantuka has a strong a colonial Portuguese influence...
on Flores
Flores
Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, an island arc with an estimated area of 14,300 km² extending east from the Java island of Indonesia. The population was 1.831.000 in the 2010 census and the largest town is Maumere. Flores is Portuguese for "flowers".Flores is located east of Sumbawa...
. The Eurasian
Eurasian (mixed ancestry)
The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....
population in Lifau became known as Topasses
Topasses
Topasses were a group of people in maritime Asia in the early modern period, who claimed Portuguese ancestry or had taken up Portuguese culture and language. Topasses were found in the various places of South Asia and Southeast Asia which were frequented by the Portuguese, such as Goa, Malacca and...
. After 1664 they were governed by officers belonging to the Hornay and Da Costa families, and were able dominate most of Timor. In 1702, Lifau became the authorized capital of the colony when it received the first governor from Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. The following period saw frequent clashes between the governor and the independent-minded Topasses, who had their strongholds in Tulicão west of Lifau, and Animata in the inland. Under their leader Gaspar da Costa
Gaspar da Costa
Gaspar da Costa was the leader or tenente general of the Portuguese-speaking Topasses, a Eurasian group that dominated much of the politics on Timor in the early modern period...
they attacked the Dutch colonial post at Kupang
Kupang
Not to be confused with Tanjung Kupang in JohoreKupang is the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara province in southeast Indonesia....
in 1749 but were smashingly defeated, and subsequently moved their residence to Pante Macassar
Pante Macassar
Pante Macassar is a city and subdistrict on the north coast of East Timor, 281 km to the west of Dili, the nation's capital. It has a population of 4,730 . It is the capital of the Oecusse exclave .The name literally means "beach of Makasar," alluding to the erstwhile trade with Makasar in Sulawesi...
(Oecusse) in 1759 due to Dutch military pressure. The capital of the governor was transferred from Lifau to Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....
in 1769, because of the frequent attacks from the Topass leader Francisco Hornay III. Most of West Timor
West Timor
West Timor is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, .During the colonial period it was known as "Dutch Timor" and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution...
was left to Dutch
Dutch Empire
The Dutch Empire consisted of the overseas territories controlled by the Dutch Republic and later, the modern Netherlands from the 17th to the 20th century. The Dutch followed Portugal and Spain in establishing an overseas colonial empire, but based on military conquest of already-existing...
forces, who were conquering what is today Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The Eurasian leadership of Oecusse by and by turned into a bona fide Timorese kingship, and members of the Hornay and Da Costa families reigned as Liurai
Liurai
Liurai is a ruler's title on Timor. The word is Tetun and literally means "surpassing the earth". It is originally associated with Wehali, a ritually central kingdom situated at the south coast of Central Timor . The sacral lord of Wehali, the Maromak Oan enjoyed a ritually passive role, and he...
(kings) until modern times. They regularly intermarried with the Ambeno royalty. In the 1780s a reconciliation took place between the governor in Dili and the Topasses, who henceforth usually supported the Portuguese government.
It was only in 1859, with the Treaty of Lisbon, that Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
divided the island between them. West Timor
West Timor
West Timor is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, .During the colonial period it was known as "Dutch Timor" and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution...
became Dutch, with its colonial seat at Kupang
Kupang
Not to be confused with Tanjung Kupang in JohoreKupang is the provincial capital of East Nusa Tenggara province in southeast Indonesia....
, and East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
became Portuguese, with its seat in Dili. This left Oecusse as an enclave surrounded by Dutch territory. In 1912 the Liurai of Ambeno, João da Cruz, staged a revolt against the Portuguese. It was quickly put down, after which the Ambeno kingdom lapsed. The Liurai of Oecusse became dominant in the entire Oecusse exclave. The definitive border was drawn by the Hague in 1916. Apart from Japanese occupation during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the border remained the same until the end of the colonial period. The region was given the status of municipality, named Oecússi, by the Portuguese government in August 1973, the last Timorese area to receive it.
It was in Pante Macassar that an Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n fifth column
Fifth column
A fifth column is a group of people who clandestinely undermine a larger group such as a nation from within.-Origin:The term originated with a 1936 radio address by Emilio Mola, a Nationalist General during the 1936–39 Spanish Civil War...
raised the Indonesian flag
Flag of Indonesia
The national flag of Indonesia, which is known as Sang Saka Merah-Putih or Bendera Merah-Putih or simply Merah-Putih in Indonesian, is based on the banner of the 13th century Majapahit Empire in East Java...
and took control of the exclave on 29 November 1975, a week before the Indonesian invasion of East Timor proper. However, even under Indonesian rule, Oecusse was administered as part of the province of East Timor, as it had been as part of Portuguese Timor
Portuguese Timor
Portuguese Timor was the name of East Timor when it was under Portuguese control. During this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Netherlands East Indies, and later with Indonesia....
. Like much of the country, it suffered violent attacks near the 1999 referendum for independence. Over 90 percent of the infrastructure was destroyed. It became part of the independent state of East Timor on 20 May 2002.
On the 11th of November 1999, 600 + Australian Troops from 3RAR (Third Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment) deployed from Maliana in East Timor proper to Oecusse to "liberate" the enclave. They stayed there until late February 2000, being replaced by Jordanian troops.
In the 1970s and 1980s, New Zealander anarchist Bruce Grenville
Bruce Grenville
Bruce Grenville , is a New Zealand anarchist, film buff and producer of artistamps.In the 1970s and 1980s he gained notoriety for a hoax involving the fabrication of the Utopian Sultanate State of Oecussi-Ambeno, located as an exclave on the Island of Timor, with himself as the self-proclaimed...
began a hoax, claiming to have founded the sultanate of Occussi-Ambeno. He invented a history for the state of tribes united against the Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
.
Administrative divisions
Oecusse is divided into 4 subdistricts:- NitibeNitibeNitibe is a small town in Nitibe subdistrict, in the East Timor exclave of Oecusse. It is located inland in the west of the exclave.-References:*Wheeler, T. East Timor. Footscray, VIC: Lonely Planet....
- OesiloOesiloOesilo is a small town and sub-district in the East Timor exclave of Oecussi-Ambeno. It is located in the southeast of the exclave, close to the border with Indonesia.-References:*Wheeler, T. East Timor. Footscray, VIC: Lonely Planet....
- Pante MacassarPante MacassarPante Macassar is a city and subdistrict on the north coast of East Timor, 281 km to the west of Dili, the nation's capital. It has a population of 4,730 . It is the capital of the Oecusse exclave .The name literally means "beach of Makasar," alluding to the erstwhile trade with Makasar in Sulawesi...
(capital) - PassabePassabePassabe is a subdistrict of the Oecusse District of East Timor, which is an enclave surrounded by Indonesian West Timor. In the 2004 census it had a population of 7,531 people in 1,153 households. Passabe is a small village in the subdistrict, very near the Indonesian border...
The subdistricts are divided into 19 sucos (communities) in total.
Demographics
The district has a population of 58,521 people, divided into 13,016 households (Census 2004).The Atoni
Atoni
The Atoni are an ethnic group on Timor, in Indonesian West Timor and the East Timorese enclave of Oecussi-Ambeno. They number around 600,000. Their language is Uab Meto....
, one of many indigenous ethnic groups, number about 20,000 in the district. A much larger number live in the surrounding part of West Timor
West Timor
West Timor is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, .During the colonial period it was known as "Dutch Timor" and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution...
.
Languages
In addition to the official languages of East TimorLanguages of East Timor
The languages of East Timor include both Austronesian and Papuan languages. The lingua franca and national language of East Timor is Tetum, an Austronesian language influenced by Portuguese, with which it has equal status as an official language. The language of the Ocussi exclave is Uab Meto...
, Tetum and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
is widely used as a lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
in the area.
The Atoni speak Baikeno, an Austronesian language. This language is surviving well, with many monolingual speakers. There are few loans from Portuguese and almost none from Tetum in the language.
Transportation
A ferryFerry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
boat connects the territory to Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....
, arriving twice a week on a journey which takes 12 hours.
An airport exists, Oecusse Airport.