The Australian War Memorial has acquired four traditional woven Tais cloths made by a remarkable women’s weaving collective in Timor-Leste. The cloths represent the East Timorese people’s path to independence.
The colourful Tais were created to represent the shared history between the East Timorese people and the Australian Defence Force during the Australian-led Peacekeeping mission, INTERFET, between 1999 and 2000.
“The acquisition of these beautiful Tais allows the Australian War Memorial to tell the story of the Australian-led deployment to Timor Leste. But most importantly, it also allows us to consider the impact of the conflict on the East Timorese people and to see it through their eyes, and expressed in their culture,” Director of the Australian War Memorial, Matt Anderson, said.
“The four Tais were selected for their significant cultural values and ritual uses. They will help us to reflect on the resilience and strength of the East Timorese people.
“We are honoured to have these items in our collection and to be better able to tell the story of the causes, conduct and consequences of successive Australian deployments to Timor Leste in a way the Australian public can both understand and appreciate.”
Following an official handover ceremony at the Australian Embassy in Dili in July 2023, the Tais have now arrived in Australia.
They were crafted by the LO’UD Cooperative, a small non-profit organisation run by rural women living in a remote area on the southern tip of the island. The Tais reflect the diverse voices in the Memorial’s collection that represent the ADF’s role in peacekeeping in the region.
“LO’UD’s journey is Timor’s journey, their experiences mirror the nation’s, and their Tais reflect the nation’s culture and spirit,” President of ETWA, Deb Salvagno, said.
“The weaving of Tais cloths has a deep cultural significance, because the work is highly symbolic of the remarkable bravery and resilience of the resistance movement that was present in Timor-Leste during the Indonesian occupation.”
Before independence, many East Timorese were killed, and as many as 500,000 were displaced from their homes. About half of these left the territory, in some cases under threat of violence.
The acquisition of these Tais cloths is a testament to the Memorial’s ongoing commitment to honouring the shared history of Australia and its neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region.
Ilda da Cruz, LO’UD Cooperative Coordinator, Timor-Leste said: “Tais express Timor-Leste’s diverse cultures and are our most enduring cultural art form. The Tais designs are from Iliomar, but they represent the women of our nation to the people of Australia.”
East Timor Women Australia – ETWA: https://www.etwa.org.au/
