Traditional justice and the ‘court system’ of the Island of Roti

This paper outlines the historical formation of courts on the island of Roti. Drawing on the model of a court convened by the Dutch East India Company, each domain on the island fashioned its own court with local clan representation. In the case of the domain of Termanu, this court functioned from the 18^th century through to 1968. The paper examines the functioning of this court in 1965-66, its procedures, its recourse to precedence and its invocation of a rich array of local knowledge and tradition frequently embodied in poetic phrases and aphorisms. Finally the paper considers the effectiveness of this court in mediation and dispute settlement and the consequences of the dissolution of the court in 1968.