Queens of timor

Abstract

Scholarship on East Timor commonly depicts indigenous socio-political arrangements in terms of a dualistic division of power between a "feminine" ritual sphere and a "masculine" political sphere. Originating in anthropological works, this conception has also informed most historical research on East Timor during the nineteenth century as well as discussions about the rights and political position of women in Timor today. Challenging this paradigm, this article demonstrates that during the nineteenth century there was a proliferation of ruling queens in Portuguese Timor. The article presents data on the number and distribution of these queens and proposes an analytical framework within which to situate feminine leadership in what has long been considered to be the "masculine" sphere of worldly affairs.