Indonesia

One visit stands out in my memory. We went to a local medical clinic, where Ohm Boki (Uncle Boki) was in charge. He had been in charge of that clinic for the last twenty years. He had never studied medicine, yet he told us of some of the operations he had carried out, as there were no doctors on the island. He amputated a leg, without anaesthetics, of course, lanced boils, set broken bones, but never delivered a baby. This was the job of midwives. He seemed to have had a very successful record, as people in the district all admired him greatly and fully trusted his medical abilities. It amazed us all that on the whole island of Rote, with a population of approximately 75,000 people, there had never been a resident doctor.

The Rotinese as an ethnic group, are quite different from the Timorese. They have long straight hair, their features are more Indian looking, they are definitely sea-faring people, with fishing and swimming being part of their culture. Their great cultivating achievement is the Tuak Palm, or sugar palm, which in hunger periods helped many people to survive. They tap the flower and catch the sugary sap twice a day. This juice, when fresh, tastes like sweet lemon juice, a most refreshing drink, and very sustaining, as it contains a lot of sugar. If they want to make some alcoholic drink out of it, they let it ferment for about three days, which they call laru. It tastes a little bit like our beer. If they let it ferment longer and then distil the alcohol from it, it becomes sopi, a strong drink, reserved as a rule for special festivities, like weddings and funerals.

The island of Rote is divided into 18 kingdoms, which still existed when we did our study tour. We heard stories of tribal fighting between one kingdom against a neighbouring one, with dire consequences. But in general it was said that since Christianity had come to Rote in the 17th century, there has been less fighting among the people. The culture of the tuak palm helped them to survive many 'normal' hunger periods in these islands, the month before the rainy season and shortly afterwards, and of course, during severe drought periods. They are an industrious people and take initiatives when required. They have also settled on the island of Semau, pushing the indigenous Helon people to the north of the island. There are also large pockets of Rotinese in Timor, mainly in Kupang, along the coast and along the main trunk road inland.

Their cloth weaving, done in the tie dying method, the same as on the other islands, has a characteristic black base with red and white patterns, sometimes mixed with shades of green or yellow. Each family or clan has their own pattern. I was reminded of the Scottish clans with their characteristic kilts and patterns. The men wear a traditional straw hat in the shape of hats worn by the Portuguese in the 17th century, including a palm leaf woven feather sticking out at the front.

During our sharing sessions one student came up with the following story:

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