People of East Timor

The majority of East Timorese people (around 250 000) speak the Tetum language, a Malayo-Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family and one of the official languages of the nation. The Tetum people traditionally inhabited the south central area of the island. Other smaller ethnic groups, many with their own languages, live in small, scattered communities. In the east the Fataluku, who traditionally built elevated houses with characteristic high-pitched roofs, speak a language that belongs to the Papuan family; Timor is in the transition area between Asia and Melanesia.

The overwhelming majority of the (approximately) one million East Timorese is Roman Catholic. The Portuguese brought Catholicism to East Timor in 1515, However, when Indonesia invaded the country in 1975, the majority (72%) of the population remained animist. During the occupation, the importance of Catholicism grew as the Church was the main provider of protection, the vehicle of non-violent protest, outspoken about the brutalities suffered by the people. It became a rallying point for the freedom fighting movement and therefore this period saw many conversions.

For the visitor East Timor is a very friendly and welcoming place. Although the people have suffered a lot during the Indonesian occupation and the violence and destruction following the vote for independence in 1999, they have proved to be very resilient. They are proud of their hard-won independence and look forward to a better future.

	Men of Dili	Playing cards	Mother and daughters	Selling fish
	Dili market	Dili fishermen	Women and girls	Back from laundry
	Father and sons	After mass	Men and boys	Man with blowgun

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