HISTORY OF EAST TIMOR
One day, a boy came across a baby crocodile struggling to make his way from the lagoon to the sea. As he was very weak, the boy took pity on him and carried him in his arms to the sea.
The crocodile was very grateful and promised to remember the boy’s kindness. He told the boy that should he ever want to travel, he should come to the sea and call, and the crocodile would help him.
After a while, the boy remembered the crocodile’s promise, and went to the edge of the sea and called out the crocodile three times. The crocodile told the boy to sit on his back and over the years he carried the boy on many journeys.
But, although the crocodile and the boy were friends, the crocodile was still a crocodile, and felt an irresistible urge to eat the boy. However, this bothered him and he decided to ask the other animals for advice. He asked the whale, the tiger, the buffalo and many other animals, who all said, “The boy was kind to you, you can’t eat him”. Finally, he went to see the wise monkey. After hearing the story, the monkey swore at the crocodile and then vanished.
The crocodile felt ashamed and decided not to eat the boy. Instead he took the boy on his back and together they travelled until the crocodile grew very old. The crocodile felt he would never be able to repay the boy’s kindness, and said to the boy, “Soon I’m going to die, and will form a land for you and all your descendents”.
The crocodile then became the island of Timor, which still has the shape of the crocodile. The boy had many descendants who inherited his qualities of kindness, friendliness and sense of justice. Today, the people of Timor call the crocodile “grandfather”, and whenever they cross a river, always call out, “Crocodile, I’m your grandchild – don’t eat me!”
