Central Timor Mask 19th/20th century Tetum Central Timor In the 1970's there was a large bush fire in central Timor. When it was finally controlled, around forty masks were found in the aftermath. This is one of the masks, which were kept in secret animist altars and hiding places. These were the last old masks to come out of Timor. These are similar to Eastern Flores masks. The masking area of East Flores is adjacent to Central Timor and there is some obvious artistic interaction. This one, though, is definitely from Timor and is in the style the literature classifies as Tetum. Until the fire, no masks of this age were found in central Timor after the 1930s. This is an authentic and rare piece. Photos | Island Asia Index