Tais is the traditional handwoven textile of Timor-Leste. Used for decoration and to create traditional clothing for ceremonies and festivals, it also expresses cultural identity and social class since the colours and motifs vary according to ethnic groups. Tais is made from cotton dyed with natural plants, and the complex process is traditionally reserved for women, who pass on the skills to the next generation in their communities. 

At the sixteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (15 December 2021), Tais from Timor-Leste was approved for inclusion in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Protection.

As one of the symbols of Timor-Leste’s cultural heritage, Tais is a handicraft product that has high value internationally. As part of the cultural identity of the people of Timor-Leste, Tais plays an important role in various aspects of life, starting from being used to welcome guests, being used as a wedding dowry to being used in burial ceremonies.

Historically, local knowledge about how to weave Tais was passed down from generation to generation in families, from mother to daughter. Tais is traditionally processed manually using different equipment simple. The production process is also quite complicated and takes a long time, starting from spinning the yarn, dyeing the colors until it is ready to be woven by the skilled hands of Timorese women weavers.

However, the practice of weaving is starting to be threatened by several factors, including the growing popularity of modern clothing among the younger generation, the replacement of local materials with other alternative materials produced by the industry, insufficient income from sales of woven fabrics, including the ever-decreasing number of weavers.

According to UN Women’s research on “Weaving a Better Future”, between 2010-2015 the number of weavers in Timor-Leste decreased drastically by 64%.

Preserving the tais weaving tradition has been one of the programs of the Alola Foundation until now. This was implemented considering the reality on the ground, many young women, especially those living in urban areas, began to abandon spinning, dyeing and tais weaving activities. Urbanization and a lack of interest from young women to learn weaving techniques are contributing factors.

Lucia Ximenes, leader of the “Fitun Tais” weaving group from the Quelicai-Municipality of Baucau revealed that she learned tais weaving from her own mother using local motifs. But with the changing times, Lucia Ximenes started adding new motifs which she got from the local custom house. Now, Lucia is one of the senior weavers who has several times had the opportunity to take part in exhibitions at the international level representing Timor-Leste.

Through the Women’s Economic Empowerment program, the Alola Foundation is also developing tais coloring using local materials. Efforts to collect local dyes were carried out in collaboration with dozens of assisted groups spread throughout Timor-Leste. Apart from that, the Alola team also provides training to the tais weaving group. Alola Esperanca is a real example of the Alola Foundation’s efforts in developing tais to enter the international market. 

Alola Foundation is committed to facilitating target groups to be able to participate more in economic activities in various ways, one of which is facilitating the market. The annual Alola fair is a real solution to the obstacles faced by groups of craftswomen/men to sell their products. This Fair as market place for artisan women to promote and showcase local products to customer and direct interact between artisan and buyer. Alola also involve women groups in the government fair incluiding link them to Alola Esperanca Production Center and Shop. Through these fair, the women expected to increase their income to respond family demanded.