Lifau

Lifau lies on the north coast of Timor in the land of Ambeno. Its anchorage became a meeting place for Timorese rulers and Portuguese-speaking traders seeking the island's sandalwood. In the late seventeenth century it was still a small coastal settlement, but its position made it a base for the Topass families whose influence extended into the interior.

Traders from Larantuka established themselves at Lifau around 1640. Portuguese officers received sandalwood and provisions through relationships with local rulers, adapting established Timorese practices of tribute and exchange. Lifau later became the seat of Portuguese governors, who had to contend both with the powerful Topass families and with the Dutch at Kupang. After years of conflict, the Portuguese administration abandoned Lifau in 1769 and moved its headquarters east to Dili.