Mythologies of the Mambai Tribe



The Mambai (Mambae, Manbae) people are the second largest ethnic group after the Tetum Dili people in East Timor. Originally, they were known as the Maubere by the Portuguese. Maubere or Mau Bere is a widespread male first name among the Mambai people. The Mambai number about 80,000 from the interior of Dili District to the south coast of the territory, especially in the districts of Ainaro and Manufahi. Its principal centers are Ermera, Aileu, Remexio Administrative Post, Turiscai, Maubisse, Ainaro and Same, East Timor. Among the East Timorese exiles in Australia, the Mambai people are one of the main groups. The Mambai language belongs to the Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages of the Timoric languages branch. It is the second most common mother tongue in East Timor with 195,778 speakers. Circular houses with conical roofs are typical dwellings, and the Mambai cultivate maize, rice, and root vegetables.


The Mambai of East Timor provide an appropriate starting point for this analysis since the notions I wish to examine have already been brilliantly highlighted by Elizabeth Traube in her monograph, Cosmology and Social Life (1986) and particularly in her paper, “Obligations to the Source” (1989). The Mambai constitute a population of approximately 80,000 living in dispersed hamlets in the mountainous area of east central Timor. The Mambai, who rely mainly on the swidden cultivation of maize, rice and root crops, do not have centralized villages. Hamlets consist of small groups of houses (fada) which function as minimal lineages. Houses are divided into a large number of cult groups (lisa) each of which shares a common cult house (fad lisa) and serves as the locus for ceremonial activity. These cult groups are in turn organized into a “great cult” (lis tu) whose house constitutes the “stem house” or “house of origin” (fada ni fun). Several great houses may share a single hilltop site with each huge house arranged in a circle around a round stone altar at the centre of which stands a three-pronged ritual post. Various idioms are used to describe cult relations. Members of a great cult are elder/younger (kak-alin) to one another. The great cult house is “mother and father” (inan nor aman) and the lesser houses are its children (anan). Alternatively, these lesser cult houses are the “twigs” (snikin) established by a younger sibling who “plucks a leaf//breaks a branch”, selects a rock and a sacred object and sets out to found his own separate house. The scattered children of a great house are supposed to unite periodically at their “source” or “origin” (fun). The organization of this kind of origin group is traced through males and is supposed to be exogamous. These houses that recognize a common “house of origin” form a single “origin group” based on “genitor” lines. Among the Mambai, each origin group recognizes two progenitor houses (or lines). Collectively, these primordial progenitors are referred to as umaen fun (lit., “male houses of trunk or origin”) or nai fun (lit., “mothers’ brothers of origin”). Alternately, these lines are distinguished as “mother water buffalo and father water buffalo” (arabau inan nor arabau aman). The “father water buffalo” designates the earliest progenitors; the “mother water buffalo” the subsequent progenitors. Together these progenitor lines are described as “those who support the rock//those who steady the tree”. 


Mambai is one of 15 constitutionally recognized national languages. The main centers of Mambai are Ermera, Aileu, Remexio, Turiscai, Maubisse Administrative Post, Ainaro Administrative Post and Same Administrative Post. The majority of the Timorese community in Australia is native in Mambai. Mambai used to be spoken in the area around Dili, when the Portuguese declared the city to be the capital of their colony Portuguese Timor. Therefore, the Tetum Prasa spoken in Dili is still exhibiting strong influences from its Mambai substrate.


The Mambai (Mambae, Manbae) people are the second largest ethnic group after the Tetum Dili people in East Timor. Originally, they were known as the Maubere by the Portuguese. Maubere or Mau Bere is a widespread male first name among the Mambai people. The Mambai number about 80,000 from the interior of Dili District to the south coast of the territory, especially in the districts of Ainaro and Manufahi. Its principal centers are Ermera, Aileu, Remexio Administrative Post, Turiscai, Maubisse, Ainaro and Same, East Timor. Among the East Timorese exiles in Australia, the Mambai people are one of the main groups. The Mambai language belongs to the Central–Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages of the Timoric languages branch. It is the second most common mother tongue in East Timor with 195,778 speakers. Circular houses with conical roofs are typical dwellings, and the Mambai cultivate maize, rice, and root vegetables.


Images


Movies


Mambai Tribe



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Animal Mythology

Image
May 16, 2022 June 5, 2022 Animal Stories Animals in Mythology Since the beginning of human history, people have lived in close contact with animals—usually as hunters and farmers—and have developed myths and legends about them. All kinds of creatures, from fierce leopards to tiny spiders, play important roles in mythology. A myth can give special meaning or extraordinary qualities to common animals such as frogs and bears. However, other creatures found in myths—many-headed monsters, dragons, and unicorns—never existed in the real world. Animals may serve as stand-ins for humans or human characteristics, as in the African and Native American trickster tales or the fables of the Greek storyteller Aesop. In some legends, animals perform heroic deeds or act as mediators between heaven and earth. They may also be the source of the wisdom and power of a shaman. Animals often have a dualistic quality in mythology. They can be helpful to humans or harmful—som...
Read more

FLOOD MYTHOLOGY

Image
A flood myth or deluge myth is a  myth  in which a great  flood , usually sent by a  deity  or deities, destroys  civilization , often in an act of  divine retribution . Parallels are often drawn between the flood waters of these  myths  and the primaeval  waters  which appear in certain  creation myths , as the flood waters are described as a measure for the  cleansing  of humanity, in preparation for  rebirth . Most flood myths also contain a  culture hero , who “represents the human craving for life”. The  flood-myth motif   occurs in many cultures  as seen in: the  Mesopotamian  flood stories, the  Genesis flood narrative ,  Nuh (Noah)  in  Islam ,  manvantara -sandhya  in  Hinduism , the  Gun-Yu  in  Chinese mythology ,  Deucalion  and  Pyrrha  in  Greek mythology ,  Bergelmir ...
Read more

Most Mysterious Mythologies

Image
  Mythology always has an important role in society; myths provide explanations for things that cannot be explained and give people hope during difficult times. Even in modern times, we turn to our superheroes and science fiction epics, our own versions of mythology, for comfort. All use mythic themes. The world is home to a wide variety of cultures and beliefs. Whether you are looking for the stories of Native Americans, ancient Greek Mythology or Japanese folklore, we have compiled a list of some of the most popular mythologies from around the world! World Mythology is the global term for all of the myths found throughout history across the entire world. These stories take place across all cultures and time periods, and are usually deeply meaningful to the culture they come from. Myth:  A story with deep societal meaning, usually dealing with god(s) and explaining the origin of things. Legend:  A story with possible historical origins, though likely inflated over time. ...
Read more