LONG ago a Portuguese vessel encountered a storm in the Sawu Sea, East Nusa Tenggara. The ship did not make it through, but the men aboard managed to escape with their lives and landed on an island. As they came ashore, one local man, a farmer, passed by and got surprised at the sight of white-skinned Caucasian men hauling themselves out of the sea. The farmer was so overwhelmed by the unexpected sight; he could not answer when one of the Portugu