OINSA BARLAKE MUDA IHA TIMOR LESTE?

OINSA BARLAKE MUDA IHA
TIMOR LESTE?
Is barlake changing in Timor-Leste?
Seminar husi Dr. Sara Niner
SLIDE 1: TILE
Introduction
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 nian
Will use the comments from today in my research article
SLIDE 2
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
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):
Slide 3
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 hanesan
In 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 loron
Lisan/adat not primarily to oppress women although does have that effect today
Feto hakat klot; mane hakat luan
a 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
difisil
barlake 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 sira
many women say they are valued and protected by barlake
Barlake=
‘dowry’ presente husi umane ba fetosannoiva lori nia eransa ba iha nia uma kain foun +
‘bride-price’ presente husi fetosan ba umanehanesan ‘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
Matriarkada no
Patriarkadu
Saida mak barlake?
Matriarkada = Bunak no TetunTerik 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?
SLIDE 5
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?
•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 menus
Lian 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
SLIDE 7
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
Karik Barlake halo feto sai nudar produtu no fo inpaktu ba GBV?
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?
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
•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?
Slide 8
Atitude feto sira nian ba barlake
ohin loron Women’s attitudes to barlake today
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)
SLIDE 10:
Com
Atitude feto ba barlake ohin loron
Hau 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
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 women
Prinsipius 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 mothers
2.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 community
3.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.
Slide 11
traditional
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