The Peter Trust Logo

The Peter Trust logo depicts the stylised rendition of a crocodile which often features as a motif in East Timorese art work e.g. in the woven cloth known as tais. A traditional story tells of the origin of East Timor in this way…

Timor came from the Crocodile

Long ago a boy saw a baby crocodile fighting for his life while the sun was shining fiercely. The crocodile was trying to get from the lagoon to the sea but it wasn’t very strong and was moving very slowly. The boy took pity on him and carried the little creature to the sea.

The crocodile was grateful and promised that he would repay that kindness. He said that if the boy ever wanted to travel he could go to the sea and call ‘Crocodile, crocodile’ and he would come to him.

Time passed. The boy remembered the crocodile’s promise. He went to the sea and after the third call the crocodile came. They were like two old friends meeting after a long time, very happy to see each other. The crocodile told the boy to sit on his back and took him on a journey. They travelled like this many times.

Eventually the crocodile became old and said: ‘Ah! my friend, the good deed you did me cannot be repaid. I am obliged to die, but I will change into a land where you and your descendants will live from my fat, as payment for your kindness.’

That crocodile became Timor island, which is the shape of a crocodile, and the Timorese people are descendants of that boy. People there are always kind. They welcome others and have a sense of justice to people, and they tell this legend to explain it. They call crocodiles ‘Abo, Grandfather’. When they cross a river they always call ‘Crocodile, I am your grandchild, do not eat me’.

A recent story
(From East Timor national daily newspaper Suara Timor Lorosae, 11 December 2007)

‘A crocodile has attacked a 13 year-old boy at one of the riverbanks in Lospalos. The crocodile bit the boy while he was fishing with two of his friends, and pulled him into deeper water. One of the boy’s friends showed respect to the crocodile and said: ‘Abo, why do you do this to us? Please set him free, we all respect you as well’. The crocodile released the boy who is now recovering in hospital.’