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Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright Manage No EE00001985 Country Timor-Leste ICH Domain Oral traditions and representations Social practices, rituals, festive events Knowledge and practices about nature and the universe Traditional craft skills Address Tais is a cultural element that is inherent to all Timorese people. Tais can be found across the territory of Timor-Leste (in all municipalities, namely; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro, Covalima, Dili, Ermera, Lautem, Liquiça, Manatuto, Manufahi, Oecusse and Viqueque). Within the territory, Tais has variety of colors and motifs based on ethnic groups. With regard to Aileu Municipality, culturally, people did not weave Tais, although they have been using Tais in various cultural occasions. However, being inspired by some women weavers who married from other areas, nowadays, the local communities including cultural leaders are getting eager to support weaving Tais in Aileu Municipality as well.

Description | Tais, Timor-Leste’s traditional textile, is a cultural heritage that has been passed from the ancestors, from generation to generation. Tais has an important role in Timorese people’s life, starting from their birth until death. They use Tais to welcome guests, as well as to show their cultural identity and social class. It is also used as an object of value, for example, 'barlake' (dowry) which is given from family of bride to family of groom. Tais is used not only as an element to tighten the relationship between families, but also to pay penalty when people did not follow the rule within the community. Tais is traditional clothes, which has men's style and women's style. In Timor-Leste, Tais has a variety of colors and motifs varying by ethnic groups. These days, cultural creative industry using Tais with respect to the tradition, is also growing. Tais is made from cotton and natural plants are used to dye color. Production of Tais has been mainly done by women, since the past until now. Normally, Tais is woven manually using simple equipment such as 'atis', 'kida', and others. Process of producing Tais is complex and takes long time. Traditionally, Tais has been woven by individuals. However, some family members also contribute to mitigate the work of women weavers, such as in process of preparing cotton, 'kesi futus' (tie-dye) and dying cotton. These days, weavers also began to form groups to facilitate their weaving activities. |
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Social and cultural significance | Tais has been an inherent element within the community since a long time ago. Nowadays Tais still maintain its sociocultural function in Timorese people's life, from their birth until death, for example; when a baby is born people use Tais to welcome the baby; when people get married they hold traditional wedding ceremonies using Tais; and when people die his/her corpse is wrapped with Tais. There are other traditional rituals that use Tais, such as inauguration of sacred houses and 'sau batar' (corn harvest ceremony). In these ceremonies, Tais is used as principal clothes for all participants. It is also used in modern events such as; welcoming guests, attire for festivals and dances, decoration, and others. Tais is used as an object of value, for example, 'barlake' (dowry) which is given from family of bride to family of groom. Tais is used not only as an element to tighten the relationship between families, but also to pay penalty when people did not follow the rule within the community. In some areas, having the knowledge of how to weave Tais is a prerequisite for women before getting married. Tais has cultural meanings related to the origin of each Tais. These meanings are expressed through the color and the patterns each Tais has. These patterns represent cultural meanings and traditional beliefs passed from the ancestors. On the other hand, these patterns are used to identify the different social classes in the communities, as well as to distinguish ethnic groups from one another. |
Transmission method | Historically, knowledge of weaving Tais has been transmitted in traditional ways, where mother weavers weave Tais and their daughters assist their mothers learning the knowledge since they are still kids. This learning process can be seen often in rural areas, where children imitate their mothers weaving Tais, using simple materials such as banana tree's bark, betelnut flower's skin or palm-leaf. Nowadays, traditional transmission of knowledge is still continued. In addition, another method is taken, which weavers transmit their knowledge to the next generation through trainings within weaver groups. Some of the weavers have transmission of knowledge through weaver groups because; firstly, there are some weavers whose children do not like to weave, and on the other hand, there are some youth who wants to learn weaving but they have no one in their family who can teach them how to weave Tais; secondly, when weavers work in groups, they will get more motivated to continue transmitting this tradition to the future; and thirdly, there are advantages for weavers to receive assistance from government and NGOs to facilitate improving the quality of their Tais, to continue transmitting their knowledge to youth, and to advocate the preservation of the tradition. |
Community | Tais is an integral component of Timorese culture. Within communities, Tais is woven predominantly by women, who work as individuals or in groups. There are a large number of weaver groups across Timor-Leste, as listed in section 4.e. including for example, Feto Fitun Fronteira (Oecusse Municipality), Feto Buka Rasik (Bobonaro Municipality), Grupu Hadame Malu (Covalima Municipality), Haburas Cultura (Lautem Municipality) and Dul Madik Ana (Ainaro Municipality). |
Type of UNESCO List | List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding |
Incribed year in UNESCO List | 2021 |
Information source

Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO
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PI00007157
Tebe Lilin Dance and Tais, traditional textile
The Tebe Lilin dance is a traditional dance, practiced in the ancient times, where the coexistence of society was very strict in the activities. Actually the dance still practicing and performing in the occasions of constructing sacred houses at the west part of the country, typically in Covalima Municipality. The dance itself is combined with traditional songs, which expressing the meaningful of life, social interaction and connecting mind within the clan and relationships in the community. -- Tais, Timor-Leste’s traditional textile, is a cultural heritage that has been passed from the ancestors, from generation to generation. Tais has an important role in Timorese people’s life, starting from their birth until death. They use Tais to welcome guests, as well as to show their cultural identity and social class. It is also used as an object of value, for example, 'barlake' (dowry) which is given from family of bride to family of groom. Tais is used not only as an element to tighten the relationship between families, but also to pay penalty when people did not follow the rule within the community. Tais is traditional clothes, which has men's style and women's style. In Timor-Leste, Tais has a variety of colors and motifs varying by ethnic groups. These days, cultural creative industry using Tais with respect to the tradition, is also growing. Tais is made from cotton and natural plants are used to dye color. Production of Tais has been mainly done by women, since the past until now. Normally, Tais is woven manually using simple equipment such as 'atis', 'kida', and others. Process of producing Tais is complex and takes long time. Traditionally, Tais has been woven by individuals. However, some family members also contribute to mitigate the work of women weavers, such as in process of preparing cotton, 'kesi futus' (tie-dye) and dying cotton. These days, weavers also began to form groups to facilitate their weaving activities.
Timor-Leste 2021 -
PI00007155
Tebe Lilin Dance and Tais, traditional textile
The Tebe Lilin dance is a traditional dance, practiced in the ancient times, where the coexistence of society was very strict in the activities. Actually the dance still practicing and performing in the occasions of constructing sacred houses at the west part of the country, typically in Covalima Municipality. The dance itself is combined with traditional songs, which expressing the meaningful of life, social interaction and connecting mind within the clan and relationships in the community. -- Tais, Timor-Leste’s traditional textile, is a cultural heritage that has been passed from the ancestors, from generation to generation. Tais has an important role in Timorese people’s life, starting from their birth until death. They use Tais to welcome guests, as well as to show their cultural identity and social class. It is also used as an object of value, for example, 'barlake' (dowry) which is given from family of bride to family of groom. Tais is used not only as an element to tighten the relationship between families, but also to pay penalty when people did not follow the rule within the community. Tais is traditional clothes, which has men's style and women's style. In Timor-Leste, Tais has a variety of colors and motifs varying by ethnic groups. These days, cultural creative industry using Tais with respect to the tradition, is also growing. Tais is made from cotton and natural plants are used to dye color. Production of Tais has been mainly done by women, since the past until now. Normally, Tais is woven manually using simple equipment such as 'atis', 'kida', and others. Process of producing Tais is complex and takes long time. Traditionally, Tais has been woven by individuals. However, some family members also contribute to mitigate the work of women weavers, such as in process of preparing cotton, 'kesi futus' (tie-dye) and dying cotton. These days, weavers also began to form groups to facilitate their weaving activities.
Timor-Leste 2021 -
PI00007158
Tebe Lilin Dance and Tais, traditional textile
The Tebe Lilin dance is a traditional dance, practiced in the ancient times, where the coexistence of society was very strict in the activities. Actually the dance still practicing and performing in the occasions of constructing sacred houses at the west part of the country, typically in Covalima Municipality. The dance itself is combined with traditional songs, which expressing the meaningful of life, social interaction and connecting mind within the clan and relationships in the community. -- Tais, Timor-Leste’s traditional textile, is a cultural heritage that has been passed from the ancestors, from generation to generation. Tais has an important role in Timorese people’s life, starting from their birth until death. They use Tais to welcome guests, as well as to show their cultural identity and social class. It is also used as an object of value, for example, 'barlake' (dowry) which is given from family of bride to family of groom. Tais is used not only as an element to tighten the relationship between families, but also to pay penalty when people did not follow the rule within the community. Tais is traditional clothes, which has men's style and women's style. In Timor-Leste, Tais has a variety of colors and motifs varying by ethnic groups. These days, cultural creative industry using Tais with respect to the tradition, is also growing. Tais is made from cotton and natural plants are used to dye color. Production of Tais has been mainly done by women, since the past until now. Normally, Tais is woven manually using simple equipment such as 'atis', 'kida', and others. Process of producing Tais is complex and takes long time. Traditionally, Tais has been woven by individuals. However, some family members also contribute to mitigate the work of women weavers, such as in process of preparing cotton, 'kesi futus' (tie-dye) and dying cotton. These days, weavers also began to form groups to facilitate their weaving activities.
Timor-Leste 2021 -
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Tais, traditional textile
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Timor-Leste 2021
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DI00000553
Interconnectedness of Culture and Craft (Tais) in Timor-Leste
Ceremonial cloth known as tais (traditional handcraft) has been woven in Timor-Leste for generations. Weaving traditions are considered key social functions for strengthening familial bonds. Textiles handcrafts are an invaluable expression of traditional knowledge and East Timorese culture. The designs and techniques to produce textiles have been handed down matrilineal lines recording a woven narration of the culture, lore, paradigms, and stories of Timor-Leste’s history. Traditional textile cloths are traditionally given by one Timorese woman to another as a mark of respect or symbol of repentance. From Timorese ancestors’ time, a woman learns how to make tais so that when she gets married, she can make tais for ceremonies or to sell in the barter market. Meanwhile tais led important role for Timorese children, and the local knowledge has been transmitted across generations. In Timor-Leste, transmitting weaving knowledge from mother to daughter is interwoven within a cultural system of collaboration and respect, where women, men, and young people work together to share cultural practices in a way that benefits the entire community. Tais place a significant value on the process of feto-sa and umane in Timor-Leste’s cultural context (relationships between two families having marriage, and they establish a bond of obligation between the marrying families). Tais were also used on occasions such as funerals and kore-metan ceremonies (funeral anniversaries usually held one year after death). Both dyeing and weaving are intimate social processes, usually done by a group of women. Women who are isolated in villages both socially and economically usually work together as team to work on obtaining a common goal. This reflects a broader social structure in Timor-Leste, where people once built their societies on a system of connectedness and community, a set of values and beliefs surrounding kinship, ceremony, spirituality, and weaving. The weaving, wearing, and use of the textiles are essential to the Timorese sense of being and was a way of asserting their differences in the past. Waving Techniques The designs and color used to make a tais vary. For instance, in eastern part of Timor-Leste tais is mainly woven from cotton using a combination of plain weave and ikat techniques. Ikat is a dyeing technique used to pattern textiles that employs resist dyeing on the yarn prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric. In ikat the resist is formed by binding individual yarn threads or bundles of yarn with a tight wrapping applied in the desired pattern (ikat means “to bind” in the Indonesian language). Long, narrow panels of cloth often take months or years to complete. Concern with the dyeing process, usually the giant pestle is used to pound leaves and bark for a new batch of natural dyes. In the western part of the country, weavers have used a tapestry weaving technique called mnaisa to weave small sections of belts for the past four years, which is the overall process of using natural dyes. In tradition, the colors chosen for any one cloth depend on the occasion and where it will be worn. In the villages, weavers use endemic plants to color hand-spun cotton; however, the lack of raw material for dyeing and increasing availability of polyester fibers and synthetic dyes are changing the way tais is made. The practice of the weaving traditions have declined dramatically due to globalization and post-conflict isolated conditions in Timor-Leste. The lack of participation of young peoples on the weaving process and the lack of the society awareness and government support to enact ICH as a priority national action plan has created challenges on pursuing safeguarding implementation. Photo 1 : The Kingcraft, Tais weaving in Timor-Leste Ⓒ i0.wp.com/thekindcraft.com Photo 2 : Baucau weaver, East part of Timor-Leste Ⓒ Abraão Ribeiro Mendonça
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DI00001304
The Impact of Tais in Timor-Leste: Culture with Unlimited Space
Ceremonial cloths known as Tais have been woven in Timor-Leste for generations. From the time of the Timorese ancestors, women have learned how to make Tais for use in traditional ceremonies, such as weddings. It is seen as important for women to transmit this knowledge for the future generations, and thus the technique has been passed down from mother to daughter for centuries. The weaving tradition is considered a key social function as it strengthens familial bonds. For Timorese, Tais is strongly connected with local tradition and its weaving is seen as not only a local practice but part of the national identity. The designs and techniques record a woven narration of the culture, lore, paradigms, and stories of Timor-Leste’s history.
Abraão Ribeiro Mendonça (Culture Preservation Officer, USAID’s Tourism For All Project) 2022