Everything a household needs, made from what grows within walking distance — and the carvers keeping the old forms alive.
Why this channel
What you will learn here
It is the most accessible souvenir category and the easiest way for visitors to put money directly into a village.
Four short filmed conversations with the people who know this subject first-hand are being produced for this page by Stays of Timor. Each is two to three minutes — honest, local, and recorded in Timor-Leste.
The interviews
Four conversations, four angles
🎥Interview coming soon
Interview 1Working in wood
Carving house posts, figures and everyday tools with hand tools.
🎥Interview coming soon
Interview 2Lontar, pandanus and the woven household
Baskets, mats, containers and hats — the plant materials of daily life.
🎥Interview coming soon
Interview 3Bamboo: the fastest material on the island
Building, fencing, cooking, instruments and containers.
🎥Interview coming soon
Interview 4Selling the work: markets, middlemen and fair price
How a craft object travels from a village to a hotel gift shop.
In pictures
Craft & Livelihood
Carving at EASEL ArtsMarket day, AileuBoats at BaucauBamboo house, Ataúro
Photos: Ministry of Tourism & Environment, Timor-Leste
Part of the Timor Information Channels — 28 subjects, told by the people who know them. Produced by Stays of Timor.
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