In spite of the argument of Sareng Orin Bao (1969) who adduces a variety of evidence favoring this interpretation, it remains uncertain whether this was in a fact a traditional usage, or at any rate one that was known throughout Flores".

[16] The most recent evidence shows that Homo floresiensis likely became extinct 50,000 years ago, around the time of modern human arrival to the archipelago.

The first Portuguese visit took place in 1511, through the expedition of António de Abreu and his vice-captain Francisco Serrão, en route through the Sunda islands.

When the Dutch attacked the fortress of Solor in 1613, the population of the fort, led by the Dominicans, moved to the harbor town of Larantuka on the eastern coast of Flores.

This group was observed by William Dampier, an English privateer visiting the Island in 1699: These [the Topasses] have no Forts, but depend on their Alliance with the Natives: And indeed they are already so mixt, that it is hard to distinguish whether they are Portuguese or Indians.

Lima Lopes did so without the consent of Lisbon and was dismissed in disgrace, but his agreement was not rescinded and in 1854 Portugal ceded all its historical claims on Flores.

This was a strong incentive for Japan to get hold of the rich colonies of South East Asia,[19] and its Operation "S" targeted the Lesser Sunda Islands – including Flores.

According to Paul Webb (1986), this is because Florenese Christians were "too many to ignore": nearly half the population of Flores was Catholic and the Japanese, who could not afford to increase the size of their small occupation forces on the island, allowed European priests and sisters to stay at their posts rather than risking a general rebellion.

[18] On 12 December 1992, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale killed 2,500 people in and around Maumere, including islands off the north coast.

[12] The island before modern human arrival was also inhabited by the giant stork Leptoptilos robustus and the vulture Trigonoceps.

The Flores back-arc thrust is of particular interest to researchers as it is believed to accommodate the transition between the Sunda Trench in the west and the subduction of the Australian plate in the east.

In the centre of the island in the districts of Ngada, Nagekeo, and Ende, there is what is variously called the Central Flores dialect chain or linkage.

At least six separate languages are identifiable: from west to east, Ngadha, Nage, Keo, Ende, Lio, and Palu'e, which is spoken on the island with the same name off the north coast of Flores.

Djawanai (1983) precises that Ngadha somewhat deviates from Austronesian norms, in that words do not have clear cognates and the grammatical processes are different;[36] for example, the Austronesian family of languages makes an abundant use of prefixes or suffixes (which form new words by adding extensions either before or after root-words, such as [per-]form or child[-hood]), whereas the Ngadha and Keo languages use no prefixes or suffixes.

[38][39] It is similar to that in Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara;[40] and is reflected in the spiderweb disposition of the rice fields around Cancar (16 km west of Ruteng): started as a pie centered on the point where buffaloes are sacrificed, the allotments originally shaped as pie slices were later divided transversally by the heirs.

Forth (2009a) precises that it manifests itself as a tendency to link people and plants (and animals) in particular ways, and not as a totalizing form of analogical classification such as described by Lévi-Strauss.

[57] indigo grows in the temperate zones at middle elevations;[54] It is the most commonly used plant base for blues and black dyes.

[57] Morinda citrifolia (mengkudu,[58] keloré in Lamalera[59]), extensively used in the archipelago as a source of red dye, does not grow well on Flores and, according to Hoopen, is scarcely used here.

[54] But its use is reported in N'Dona (just east of Ende), where it is mixed with various mordants including candlenut (kemiri, very oily nut).

[58] Barnes also reports its use in the villages of Ili Mandiri, East Flores[60] – and describes at length the arduous process for its preparation and application.

[h][61] At Ile Mandiri (East Flores regency) and Loba Tobi[i] a beautiful yellow dye was obtained by boiling the wood chips of the 'yellowwood' tree, known locally as kajo kuma.

[61] Another export (from Flores and Adonara) in the same domain was a hardwood tree called kajo kuma, literally 'yellow wood', which gives a yellow dye.

[69] Green warp stripes are most likely to be found in textiles produced in the area of Sikka Natar, and from Lamalera on Lembata island.

[70] At Nita Kloang in the region of Krowé[f] (Sikka regency) a green dye is made from the edible leaves of the Indian Coral tree (dadap), which may include such species as Erythrina variegata, E. subumbrans, E. indica and E. fuspa).

[69] The earliest aniline dyes may have reached Indonesia in the 1880s, and brought to Flores by the Dutch steamers that serviced Ende and Larantuka.

[67] People of the Iwan geté[f] region produce a very distinctive ikat cloth: the widest bands (called ina geté) bear such motifs as lizard (teké), a circular motif seen on some antique plates (pigan uben), spinning wheel (jata selér) and pineapple flower (petan puhun).

One characteristic of this ikat is the very intense blue, seen nowhere else in the archipelago; this comes from the high concentration of indigo due to long and repeated steepings of the cloth into the tincture.

Horses (jara) are a frequent one, as they are a sign of high social rank; this ties up with the fact that decorated cloths were traditionally worn only by respected clan members.

These crater lakes are in the caldera of a volcano, and fed by a volcanic gas source, resulting in highly acidic water.

In recent years, local tourist firms around Kelimutu have begun promoting cycling tours around Flores, some of which take up to five or six days depending on the particular program.