Onme – Onme Hai Pah Ma Hai Nifu Tpao Mat Panat Pah Ma Nifu Neo Sufa-Ka’uf. Whatever happens, this land is still our customary territory. And we will protect it for posterity.

The sentence above should have magical power for members of the Atoin Meto Tribe in North Mollo District, South Central Timor District (TTS). In traditional meetings, when discussing the future of the tribe, the pronunciation of the sentence is able to dispel the doubts and pessimism that sometimes surround tribe members. It is like a flame that ignites and burns the spirit.

The sentence is not an empty slogan, but is tired of going through a historic process that will continue to be remembered by members of the Atoin Meto Tribe, also commonly referred to as the Mollo People. The history of the victory occurred when they succeeded in expelling a marble mining company that seized and tore up customary land.