Mata Musan - the family legacy of the deceased person of Tetun people in Suai, East Timor

According to the customary law of the Tetun people in Suai, if a legally married man dies, his family must claim a valuable inheritance from his wife. In Tetun, they call it Mata Musan, which means "eyeballs"—to remember one's eyeballs or name.

Tetun people in Suai practice a matriarchal system of marriage. When a man marries a woman, he must leave his beloved family and move in with his wife. He belongs to his wife's clan. His wife is the head of the family, and every child belongs to the mother's clan. They call it Mane Sai Ema (boys leave the house) and Feto Tur Uma (girls stay in the house).

In a matriarchal system, only girls have the right to inherit property from their parents and continue their mother's lineage. If you do not have girls in your family, there will be no one to pass on to the next generation. As a result, your family becomes extinct if female descendants die out. So, girls are more important than boys. Mane Sai Ema (boys leave the house) can be defined as the separation of a man from his beloved family when he marries a woman. From the first day of the marriage, he is legally married to his wife and belongs to her clan.

The entire community celebrates the marriage in a traditional ceremony and takes him to his wife's clan. He is now a clan member and will work hard to support his wife, children, and all of his wife's family. If he works hard, he can enrich his spouse's clan.

Because he was separated from his family and belonged to his wife's clan, one of his relatives must apply for an inheritance when he dies. They do this to remember their beloved son, uncle, or brother who has been gone for years. They must therefore take a portion of his wealth to remember his eyeballs—in other words, to remember his name.

When one of the married couples dies, the elders of various Uma Fukun (Sacred Houses) must sit down and figure out how many goods should be given to the deceased family. They will discuss the couple's wealth with the spouse and family. If they have gold, horses, cows, or buffalos during their marriage, the elders must decide whether to give them some gold horses or cows. If the couple is poor and has nothing during their marriage, one of their children must go to the deceased family. When my father passed away in 2012, my mother gave a few gold and two cows to his family.

To sum it up, Mata Musan is a traditional custom of the Tetun people in Suai. The custom has been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years. Not only can daughters inherit their parents' assets, but also their father's family.