The cultural practices of Timorese societies that are intricately embedded within their natural surroundings have been periodically disrupted during the Portuguese and subsequent Indonesian occupation. During these periods of unrest, people were denied, or to some extent, discouraged to express their ritual life, initiate their own traditional resource management and conservation efforts, as well as maintain social cohesion. However, they survived these stages of volatile political landscape, punctuated by multiple episodes of mobility, forcible relocation to new territories, and series of resistance underlying this dark past. Furthermore, the brutality of their history has not prevented them from reviving traditions with such fortitude after the Independence. Post-conflict Timorese agrarian societies regenerate an ancient customary practice known as the tara bandu to forward their land claims pending a national agrarian policy that recognizes communal land rights. Beyond the performance of an ancient ceremony lies the potential of this cultural practice and the strength of the symbol for effective community decision-making, collective action, and enforcement system. In the words of a peasant leader, tradition may not always be good but it may also hold possible solution to complex community conundrums.