`Died in the Service of Portugal': Legitimacy of Authority and Dynamics of Group Identity among the Atsabe Kemak in East Timor

As one enters the East Timorese town of Atsabe, the administrative centre of the subdistrict with the same name, one quickly notices a newly built, large, elaborate grave, paved with white tiles and adorned with fresh flowers. The grave seems out of place since it is not in a graveyard but next to the administrative building of the subdistrict, down slope, but clearly visible, from the house of the last Atsabe chief. It is also unlike the small individual graves in graveyards that mimic the shape of a house. The inscription on the grave is also striking as the name of the deceased is in small print, far overshadowed by the contrasting large inscription that follows in the Portuguese language: 'Died in the service of Portugal.' The secondary burial that resulted in this grave was a significant event for the people of Atsabe subdistrict. In 2002, two years after the conclusion of the ceremony, it was still the subject of fervent discussion. The local dialogue and exegesis tended to be spontaneous and unsolicited, frequently utilizing a historical perspective that was anchored in the view point of fresh nationhood. It was striking to hear people, regardless of social or educational status, use foreign concepts and terms that originated in the multitude of socialization and education programmes from the period of transitional administration that the United Nations oversaw. The focus of this article, on the apparent incongruous burial and its ceremony, is thus not simply an expository device, but is grounded in continuing Atsabe dialogue about this significant event. The grave appears to exemplify the metaphors of the processes of local cultural identity constructions by the Atsabe Kemak in the current environment of East Timorese national independence. This article examines the way continuity is maintained with the past while adapting to current changes as East Timor attained independent nationhood. Various cultural metaphors and dynamics of group identity construction among the Atsabe Kemak are addressed, with a strong emphasis on local cultural remembering of Atsabe history vis-a-vis relations of power. Power relations within the traditional socio-political system are examined in relation to transformations through its historical interaction with the forces of the Portuguese, Indonesian and current democratic states. Kemak views on power, authority and sources of legitimizing power are considered. In this regard, this article looks at the role of local chieftains as intermediaries for the encapsulation of foreign notions of authority. Such processes of encapsulation enhanced their access to a wider scope of 'symbolic capital' that validated their place in the traditional social hierarchy. (1) It also examines the ways in which the Kemak continually incorporate external cultural ideas into their own cultural milieu--in a sense, appropriating and localizing the foreign through a reformulation of meaning from within the context of their own local cultural categories. The reburial of the last local ruler's father and the seemingly out-of-place grave highlight the important roles that language and the influence of the local Catholic Church play in the processes of cultural identity formulation. The discussion of these issues makes particular reference to shared cultural views in the local conceptions of power and authority, in the context of the political dynamics within the former Atsabe kingdom vis-a-vis their historical experiences. (2) The importance of understanding such local cultures as truly historical societies through in-depth study of cultural meaning and content of relationships of power and domination has been emphasized by Clifford Geertz. (3) Pierre Bourdieu's concept of habitus is a useful framework for understanding how the Kemak generate their doxa, 'field of taken-for-granted knowledge', in reproducing local experiences of 'Kemakness' in the secondary funerary treatment of the former chief. (4) The concepts of power, authority and legitimacy also require some consideration, particularly the way these are used in this article. …