Rice dumpling pouches (ore hina)

Small woven-palm pouches for cooking rice dumplings are called ore hina. Ore hina play an important function as part of a lipal fa'i (taditional wedding ceremony). Americo Marques Cabral, of aldeia Codo, in Lautem sub-district, describes the way ore hina is used in a lipal fa'i ritual: 'There is a ritual to opening the ore hina; it must be done carefully and with caution. Ore hina must be opened only by certain people, who must be one man and one woman. Not a single grain of rice is allowed to fall out, and knives cannot be used to open the ore hina. If a grain of rice falls out it is a sign that the couple will experience troubles in the home, there will be sadness...' Ore hina can only be made in preparation for a wedding, and cannot be made for other events.

To make ore hina, yellow palm leaves are woven into a small pouch that is filled with dry rice, and then boiled. As it boils the expands, filling the pouch. The rice becomes compressed into a dumpling, sometimes called packed rice (ketupat in Indonesian). Maria da Conceicao from aldeia Nanfoe, sub-district Lospalos, describes the four different weaving types for ore hina: ore ratu, ore macua, ore are, and ore ceherana.

Photo: Americo Marques Cabral collecting leaves collected for ore hina in aldeia Codo, Lautem sub-district.

Photo: Maria da Conceicao from aldeia Nanfoe, sub-district Lospalos, weaving ore hina.