Mate Bein (Ancestral Ghost)
In Tetum cosmology of East Timor, Mate Bein are the ancestral ghosts who occupy a central role in the spiritual world. Unlike malevolent spirits, these ghosts are the transformed souls of the deceased who become agencies for life-affirming fertility after proper ritual action. The soul of a person (klamar mate) transitions through ritual into an ancestral ghost that bestows fertility, sustains life across generations, and maintains the sacred balance between the human and spirit worlds. They are deeply connected to the concept of lulik (sacred potency)