Indonesia High Sea

Timor's coastal waters linked an island source of sandalwood with Asian commercial networks. A Chinese account dated 1436 described an island covered with sandalwood and referred to twelve trading ports without naming them. Merchants brought metals, porcelain, textiles and silks for exchange. Contact came at several points along the coast, with intermediary markets playing a part alongside any direct Chinese voyages.

Local rulers participated actively in this trade. A report of 1618 says that people brought sandalwood to merchants but waited for their king to attend before bartering. Maritime commerce consequently depended on relations ashore as well as on visiting ships. European involvement developed within that political environment. Portuguese traders frequented Timor, while their first substantial trading and fortified settlement in the neighbouring area was on Solor rather than Timor itself. These waters therefore connected local producers, rulers and several merchant networks; a valuable cargo did not imply that outsiders exercised uniform control over the island.