PastMasters

PMs TS and MH are now in Lospalos, the capital of Timor Leste’s Lautém Municipality in the country's far north eastern region, known for its traditional Fataluku sacred houses. This memorial is dedicated to the Falintil and features a number of cannon, unfortunately without insignia, dating to the Portuguese colonial period. At the time of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975, Falintil consisted of around 20,000 soldiers. Xanana Gusmão was elected as commander in 1978 and led the resistance efforts leading eventually to the independence of Timor Leste.

Japanese forces occupied Timor from 1942-1945 facing stiff resistance from Australia’s heavily outnumbered Sparrow Force and Timorese fighters. The island of Atauro, now part of modern day Timor Leste, was not occupied. However, a dogfight took place over Atauro resulting in the crash landing of a Mitsubishi Zero near the village of Uaro Ana. All that remains of the plane is the engine shown below. Details of the incident and the fate of the pilot are scarce. Local people apparently thought the pilot was a woman because the person who stepped out of the plane had very long hair. We would like to know more.

Another Yolngu homeland story. Mäpuru is a small town of around 100 in NE Arnhem where, in the 1980s, PM Ian McIntosh would fly to from Galiwin’ku twice a week to work with the Yolngu teachers and children. The homeland has seen enormous change since then. In 2026, Mäpuru’s Yirralka College is characterized by a high level of community engagement designed to meet the aspirations of clan leaders and their families. Then there is Arnhem Weavers, an Indigenous cooperative of master and apprentice weavers who are celebrated for creating vibrant, traditional pandanus baskets and mats. Mäpuru women hand-make textiles entirely from bush materials, using traditional techniques to forage, spin, and naturally dye palm leaves. The community also hosts immersive "Living on Country" workshops, sharing traditional Yolngu worldviews and bush survival skills.

Strongly recommend ‘Homeland Story: Saving Country’, a portrait of Donydji, a small Indigenous community in NE Arnhemland as they battle mining companies and the destruction of sacred sites. One family is featured across three generations, from the traditional elder, Dulutarama, who still knew how to make stone tools, to his grand-daughter, Joanne Yindiri Guyula, who teaches at the Donydji school. The outstanding contribution over the decades of anthropologist and community advocate (and Vietnam Vet) Neville White is highlighted.

This is all that remains of the infamous Portuguese prison on Ataúro Island, off Dili, in Timor Leste. It was used as an isolated prison for convicts and political prisoners from as far away as Portuguese-held Angola in Africa. The PMs also learned that indigenous Timorese clans had once built defensive fortifications here to protect against pirates and slavers. During the Indonesian Occupation, the island was also a place of exile for Timorese resistance supporters and their families.

Bark sheets being transported for mission buildings at Galiwin’ku, 1922-23. And Larrngay and Bungaran outside their Bunbu (dwelling) at Elcho, Nov. 1922.

Fascinating image of young men at Galiwin’ku, Elcho Island, 1922-23. One wonders how they came upon that old English boater (classic summer hat). Some of the men are familiar, being members of the Liyagawumirr clan. But other images from this time show how the mission attracted people from multiple clans, including Djambarrpuyngu, Warramiri, and others.

PastMasters MH and TS came upon these tunnels while searching for remnants of the old Silk Road between Baucau and Venilale in Timor Leste. The Japanese Caves (Fatuk Kuak Hitu), also known as the Seven Caves were dug by forced Timorese laborers during the Japanese occupation of the island in World War II. They were originally used to hide ammunition and war tools and later on served as hideouts for Timorese guerrilla fighters in the 1970s and 80s, including by former President Xanana Gusmao. MH saw similarities here with Darwin’s Stokes Hill Tunnels. The sign is in Tetum, the second language (alongside Portuguese) in Timor Leste, and reads as follows: REMEMBER TO TAKE CARE AND NOT DAMAGE OR DESTROY THIS HISTORICAL PLACE. LEAVE IT AS IT STANDS. HELP US TO VALUE EVERYTHING THAT IS STILL BEAUTIFUL IN OUR WORLD.

PastMasters archaeologists MH and TS are currently on the NE coast of Timor Leste at Com searching for a remnants of the 11th century Chinese sandalwood port, as mentioned in the writings of Zhao Rukuo. The most extraordinary discovery so far has been this pig skull shrine opposite the ruins of an 18th century Portuguese customs house.
According to our colleagues, pig skulls hanging from trees indicate a Tara Bandu, a restricted or taboo area where the animals have been ritually sacrificed for religious purposes.
Zhao Rukuo (1170–1231) was a prominent Chinese trade official, imperial clan member, and writer during the Song dynasty. He is best known for authoring the Zhu Fan Zhi while serving as the Superintendent of Maritime Trade in Quanzhou. This two-volume text serves as one of the most comprehensive records of global trade and geography in the Middle Ages.

There are so many rock art galleries on the Wessels yet to be to documented. The PastMasters have worked hand-in-hand with the Marthakal Rangers of Elcho Island in this work but we have barely scratched the surface. In an addition, many of the galleries that are known require protection, with recent cyclones causing considerable damage. Back in the 40s, naturalist Charles Barrett took this photo from a Wessels cave, a beautiful example of a cargo-laden sea craft and a steamship, but its exact whereabouts is unknown.