Sadan Sorun Tolu Kamanasa

In 2014, when the Indonesian construction company Waskita Karya started to build the current Covalima airport, they faced difficulties with the local community's Adat or traditional beliefs. When they began to clear the land, community leaders from Kamanasa, Suai Loro, and Raimea told them not to cut or bulldoze some of the trees around the area. The elders believe these trees are Lulik (sacred) and have a spiritual connection with Fehan's ancestors in the past. They call these trees Sadan Sorun Tolu Kamanasa, which means three branches of Kamanasa. The ancestors used these trees as a meeting place.

In 2015, a Timorese journalist, Malilaka, wrote a long article about how Sadan Sorun Tolu Kamanasa affected the airport's construction. He interviewed some elders about how important the trees are for the Kamanasa, Raimea, Suai Loro, and Betano communities. Below are some of the main points in his article.

According to traditional leaders, some trees around the airport are Ai Lulik (sacred trees). The ancestors of Kamanasa, Suai Loro, Raimea, and Betano, used the trees for sacred gatherings to commune with ancestral spirits and the supernatural. They called these trees Sorun Tolu Kamanasa, which means three branches of Kamanasa. These trees represent the villages of Loro Mane Kawaik, Suai Loro, Loro Mane Klaran, Raimea, and Loro Mane Ikun Tiris, Betanu. Kamanasa is the leader. So, the trees serve as an invaluable link between these people's past and present. It is a cultural legacy left by their forefathers. The trees have a powerful spiritual connection with Mother Earth. The ancestor and Mother Nature are one; therefore, you cannot separate them (Malilaka 2015).

The Sadan Sorun Tolu Kamanasa are sacred trees passed down from generation to generation until the present day. Because these trees are holy, you cannot cut them down. If you cut down the trees, Mother Nature will behave furiously by sending a disaster like a tsunami to destroy what you have constructed in the village of Kamanasa. One of the elders told Malilaka metaphorically and said, "ohin ita bele tesi aban ita han masin", meaning we can cut the trees today, and tomorrow we will eat salt. It is a serious warning. We will die tomorrow if we cut these trees today (Malilaka, 2023). Logically, that makes no sense, but it is a traditional belief, so you should respect their views. A tsunami will not happen without an earthquake or volcano. In this respect, science and supernatural faith do not go hand in hand; it is like oil and water — they do not mingle.

Respecting the beliefs of Suai Loro, Kamanasa, Raimea, and Betanu is essential. Most importantly, we should preserve the trees as cultural heritage for future generations. If, for some reason, these sacred trees must go, we must replace them by planting other trees to remember the past.