Maromak Oan, 'Child of Maromak', is the sacred sovereign at the centre of Wehali, the pre-eminent ritual domain of the southern Tetum. Cosmologically female and identified with the still, life-giving centre of the world, the Maromak Oan is a sovereign who sits and does not act: executive power is delegated to the Liurai and other male officers who move and make war on the sovereign's behalf, while the Maromak Oan remains immobile, silent and hidden, guaranteeing the fertility and order of the realm through sacred presence alone. The office embodies the Tetum principle that ultimate authority is feminine, inward and quiescent, while its masculine agents are outward and active.