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Nusantara,
the largest archipelago on eanh has long been the point
where the rest ofthe world sets their eyes on.
For its richness and natural beauty.
Apiece ofheaven at the equatorlisted in history
as the sparkthat ignited the clashes
ofthe European nations
which to this daymade Indonesia
colonized,
stripped
and looted through polkical
and trade agreements.
Which ultimateiyleaves a nation
and people who nevertrulyenjoythe blessings of
wealth and prosperityoftheirown homeland.
When most ofthe world was still shrouded in darkness,
spices have alreadybeen one of
the inseparable pans of human life.
For centuries,
the spice-producing islands
were covered with dense fog.
And onlylived in wild imaginations oistoryiellers.
The Book Nathaniefs Nutmeg mentioned
that those islands have such tantalizing aromas
which were sensed iar even beiore they are visible.
The same aroma whifled from
the Holy Books ofBible
andThe Koran
Chinese traders carried the spices hidden
at the bottom ofsilk piles.
Arabian merchants made up stories
about cannibals and head-hunter savages.
The rivalrybemeen the Portuguese and the Spaniards
in discovering the spice-producing islands.
Brought the wortd to the greatest diplomatic treaty
the world has ever seen.
The world is divided into two pans according to
the TreatyofTordesillas (1494).
The western pan for Spain
and the Eastern pan forPonuguese.
Banolomeu Diaz was sailing in circles
around Cape Hope in 1483
Christopher Columbus was aciualiytrying
to find his wayto the Hindies
when he got lost and discovered
theAmerican continent in 1492.
In 1497, Britain took pan in the search
forthe direci route
but John Cabot onlymanaged to reach NonhAmerica.
While the Portuguese Vasco da Gama
succeeded in arriving to Calicut a year later.
The fall ofthe spice trade centerin India
and Malacca to the Portuguese.
Had opened largerwindows ofpossibilityforEurope
to find spice-producing islands.
Alfonso deAlbuquerque ordered two fleets
underthe leadership ofAntonio deAbreu
and Fransesco Sarrao
to conduci funher expeditions to the East.
Theysailed from Goa (India) to Malacca.
All the waythrough Madura,
Bali,
Lombok
and Aru
and flnallyto Banda.
Within the same year,
otherPonuguese fleets also arrived at Ternate.
The discoveryofthe spice islands ofBanda
and Ternate
had worsen the rivalrybetween
Spain and Ponuguese.
The feud was resolved with
the allocation otterrtory Spanish territory
stretched from Mexico westward
to the Philippines archipelago.
And Portuguese territorystretched
from Brazil eastward to the Moluccan islands
as ruled bythe TreatyofZaragoza.
Less than a centuryailer the arrival ofPonuguese
and Spanish in the Spice Islands,
the Dutch and English arrived
and tempted to also claim their power overthe place.
This sea line was what laterbecame the start of
the world maritime route to this day.
Affinning the position oithe spice route
as far more imponant than the silk road.
The end ofthe crusade marked the beginning
ofthe most speculative era of exploration
ever seen in human history
Its mysterious existence,
the ever-increasing demand,
and the very expensive price
then has made the spice islands
heavilysought aller.
Europe intends to break
the monopolyofArab merchants
which had lasted forhundreds ofyears
by discovering the paradise they had imagined.
Afler1500,
no more spices were owned wkhout bloodshed,
as written bythe French poet Voltaire.
The spices which were more precious than gold
have driven major world expedkions
in discovering new territories.
Even almost 500 years
before theApollo 11 landed on the moon,
expeditions in search forthe spice-islands
still became the single most importantjoumey
for mankind.
The Banda archipelago consists oi 11 islands:
BandaApi
Great Banda
Banda Neira
Hatta fonneny known as Rozengain.
Ay Island
Rhun Island
Syahrir island,
fonnenyknown as Pulau Pisang (Banana Island).
The last fourislands are inhabked:
Nailaka.
Manukang.
Karaka.
And Batu Kapal island.
Once upon a time,
The skydropped the nutmeg forthe Banda People.
In the legend ofthe mostwidelyspoken.
There was a Prince who fell in love
madlywkh a beautiful Princess
named Cilu Bintang.
The prince was asked to bring 99 pieces ofgold.
However, he has not been able to find H,
he picked up 99 goldenish fruits
that he found in the forest
and brought them to the King.
The King got enraged.
He arrested and killed the Prince.
That 99 goldenish fruits were thrown
into the middle ofthe forest,
And grow as a nutmeg trees.
Banda was mentioned in the Nagarakretagama
in 1365 wrkten as Whndan.
This cluster ofvolcanic islands
formed bya great ancient eruption
was also mentioned in book 16 and 17 of
Babad Tanah Jawi.
Through the story 01a prince
who suffered from a terrible dermal condition
and would not heal before
he married a Bandanese woman.
Banda became the center of spice trade
especially nutmeg and cloves at that time.
The people ofBanda did not only
sell theirnutmegs and maces fora living,
but theywere also superior sailors,
buying cloves from Ternate
and sellthemin Banda.
The oven/whelming trade grew out ofcontrol
to the extent 0t chaos and began to create conflicts.
Latercame the influence ofTemate andTidore
which led to the establishment ofclans namely
Group ofFive and Group ofNine.
Group ofFive laterto be called Orlima,
Group ofNine which laterwas called Orsma.
This was the sociological groupings oi society
commonly known in the Moluccas.
One ofthe interesting fads is,
there was a group formed
to ad as a neutralizing force,
to avoid conflict between the groups
and coordinate them.
This neutral group was called Unatang.
All trade-related issues were resolved
bythe Unatang council.
In additionJhe council also determined
equal price ofnutmeg across the islands,
which agreed byall traders and contributed
to the stability oi nutmeg trade in that region.
In trading, people ofBanda
although theytransaci with merchants,
in large numbers oftransactions
but never used wrkten agreement.
The deals were sealed
with oaths between the sellerand buyer.
Merchants who want to buyspices,
nutmeg, mace or cloves
from Temate
just raised their hand to the sky
and agree before GodAlmighty
that the seller is willing to sell
nutmeg for said price to the buyer.
Like the cloves in the north,
nutmeg and mace
were brought around the world
thousands ofmiles away.
Fleets ofboats ofvarious types
and sizes sailed back and forth
indicating that spices
were such highlyvaluable commodity
Nutmeg in Banda is Myristica fragrans,
the type with the strongest taste and aroma.
And in tenns ofshape,
we categorize nutmeg into several types.
Male Nutmeg and Female Nutmeg.
Male Nutmeg sometimes produce
more fruits than the females,
but male trees do not always bear fruits
in a season.
S0 farmers in Banda tend to less utilize male nutmeg
because theythink the harvesting time is
too long apan.
To avoid direct sun,
the nutmeg trees in Banda need proteciors.
Since nutmeg is susceptible to direci sunlight,
the nutmeg farmers need
to prepare natural shades to protect nutmeg trees,
so they plant walnut trees,
which are largerthan the nutmeg trees.
In Banda, nutmeg is an endemic plant
because they match the volcanic soil ofBanda
The main requirements forplanting nutmeg are
volcanic soil
and sea breeze.
Because ifwe plant elsewhere, other than Banda
or on the larger island.
That also contains volcanic soil
such as Central Java, in Ungaran area.
There is a Banda nutmeg cultivation there,
same type ofvolcanic soil.
But the harvest would be different.
Because Ungaran is far from the sea.
Different in Banda,
Banda closer to the sea breeze is also
supported bythe volcanic ash in the soil.
That's what makes Banda superior.
There is another location
that maybe a bit more suitable,
the result is almost the same,that is BandaAceh.
It has the same combination of
sea breeze and volcanic ash
but the quality is still below Banda nutmegs.
Whyis nutmeg so imponant and valuable?
Long before electricity
and refrigerators were discovered,
nutmeg was the onlyfood preservative,
even Egyptian mummies were
preserved with spices,
one ofwhich was nutmeg.
Nutmeg serves as a food preservative,
aphrodisiac,
sedative,
as a status symbol ofthe rich.
In the days ofwar and exploration ofthe eanh
Nutmeg is useful to preserve food during the war
and in the longjourneyin search fornew continents.
There was a saying that goes:
Masters of nutmegs will rule the wand.”
None ofthese nutmeg pans are wasted,
we can process all pans ofit.
The outer nutmeg Ilesh
can be used to make syrup,
sweets,
juices,
jams,
and so fonh orsnacks and sofl drinks.
The seeds are now widely processed for aromatic oil
as one ofthe ingredients of cosmetics.
Nutmeg is good for skin,you know, as moisturizer.
Hospitals also need R for medicines
because nutmeg has myristicin content.
That's good for sedatives.
Onthe otherside,
the mace,
the mace, attached to the nutmeg is good
for food additives,
and needed by large companies for
the aroma oftheir famous sofl drink brands.
So, nutmeg is veryfunciional,
no pan is wasted
even the leaves can be processed into oil.
That is the advantage of nutmeg overall othertrees,
It's different.
From leaf, fmk to the seed can be processed
to make money.
Nowthe famous nutmeg
which staned journeys
around the globe is now forgotien
and leaves onlymemories ofpast glory
Agloryfollowed bya storyofgreat fall from grace
and the emergence ofthe historyofseizure.
Hidden whispers ofpower and greed.
In the 1500s,
people were fighting overthis region ofMoluccas
because ofcloves and nutmeg
Spices became very imponant commodity
The postion otMoluccas at that time,
including Banda, became important.
Banda as producer of nutmegs,
Ternate fidore with cloves.
The wond market was reallylocated here.
The establishment of sultanates
throughout the Nusantara was because otspices.
The establishment ofa large Dutch and
Spanish emporium in Asia was the result oi spices.
On one side, it brought prosperity
but on the other hand it sparked terrible wars.
The discoveryofthe Banda Islands bythe Ponuguese,
opened a new chapterofspice trade.
European merchants rapidlybroke
the hegemonyofArab traders
who for centuries reaped multi folds ofprofits.
Huge profits fromtrading spices
atiracied traders from many countries
to the nutmeg-producing islands.
Nutmeg
became one ofthe most sought afler commodities.
For hundreds ofyears,
nutmeg has become a freelytraded commodity
Priorto the arrival ofthe European nations
nutmeg trees were not arranged in plantation model
but were managed together for collective prosperity
The arrival of Europeans was followed
byabandonment ofbaner system
monetarysystem
as a medium ofexchange began to be used.
Dutch's tendencyto master and monopolize things
Banda people treated them differently.
Theyaccepted the Chinese, the Persians,
the Arabs, the Malays, the Indians, the Coromandels,
they accepted them as ordinary merchants
but their service is different to the Portuguese
and the Dutch.
Their discontent was sparked
bythe Europeans' desire
to force Banda people to sell their nutmegs
or cloves onlyto the Europeans.
Banda people did not like this.
Theywere used to free trade.
When the Dutch began to make a logie,
a containerofspices made ofconcrete,
that was when they began to protest.
The conflici staned in 1609.
Jan Pieterszoon Coen
with his massive fleet entered Banda,
his base was on the island ofNaira.
The first area conquered was
the most poweflul stronghold.
The first day's attacks failed miserably.
He attacked from the from.
At the time of attack,
the sea level at Lontor was receded.
The sea water receded far from the shoreline,
and R is dry
Many Dutch soldiers were trapped and killed.
The next day, the Dutch changed its position
to attack from the back.
Then a great battle happened there
and with different weapon technology
theysuccessfully conquered Lontor.
AIler Lontorwas conquered,
other areas staned to get panic,
theywere hopeless and
staned to feel thet theywill also be defeated too.
TheArabs, the Chinese, the Malays
theywere united with the Bandas to fight the Dutch.
Then theyagreed wkh the Dutch
to meet and discuss about
the problems that occurred
there was a forced constmciion ofthe ton,
and forced monopolyof spices.
Then the Dutch came to where
the appointment took place.
But when theyarrived,
people ofBanda ambushed them.
Vemoeven himselfwas killed there.
Jan Pieterzoon Coen, one ofvemoeven men,
was there and he witnessed the event.
About 20 Dutch were killed.
Jan Pieterzoon Coen,
then a sergeant managed to escape to the ship.
He was laterappointed governor-general
and determined to destroythe people ofBanda.
The chyofAmsterdam which is called the canal chy
Grachtengordel
luxury homes
it is impossible iftheysaytheydidn'! get
anymoneyfrom the nutmeg trade and slavery
You can saythat the contributions
from Banda, from the Moluccas were generally
quite large and the people here in Banda
iell victims to VOC policies.
Dutch people then had been educated with the VOC idea,
VOC was a very modern company
Theywere the resources to develop the technique.
For example, ship technique
or technique ofmapping the wand,
Amsterdam was the center olVOC at the time,
Their world mapping experts and
their works were spread! all over the world.
S0 were sophisticated VOC ships.
Dutch people knew about it but onlya few knew
what VOC really did in Banda,
which was mass slaughter.
Manypeople are less taught,
One ofthe manythings that come out
that's what the VOC did in Banda is mass slaughter.
There is a statue ofJan Pieterszoon Coen
in his hometowmthe city ofHoorn.
There is a group of aciivists
who paint 'Genocide' on the statue.
There were 40 communityleaders arrested
and taken to the ton.
All remaining Bandanese people
were forced to come to Fon Nassau
to witness their executions.
Five ofthe captives were executed with 'tom apart'.
So, there were 4 horses.
One horse tied up with right hand.
One horse tied up with lefl hand,
other horse tied up with right foot,
the last horse tied up with lell foot.
Then, all4 horses ran in different direciion.
Their bodies were tom apan,
seen byBandanese people.
The rest ofthe captives were executed
byJapanese mercenaries called Shoguns.
These Japanese mercenaries
beheaded all the remaining captives
and most ofthem came from rich families in Banda.
And since then,there were no more rebellions.
ADutch historian wrote that Jan Pieterzoon Coen wrote
the historyofhimselfwith
the ink made from the blood ofBanda people.
The enforcement ofpower
and the monopoiyofspices byEuropean
were aways followed byacis ofviolence
that occur almost in all regions ofthe archipelago.
The word ofvemovews death spread
along the trade routes
this caused anger and seen as warning sign
forthe Dutch armada in cities as well as fortresses.
This event maybe the way Banda people
proteci themselves from
the Dutch's monopolistic attitude.
The Bandanese became rejectful
to European immigrants,
for it was prophesied that one day
the islands would be dominated
bycat-eyed people wkh hairthe colorofcorn.
The vengeful Jan Pieterszoon Coen
vowed to conquerthe Spice Islands.
D0 not be discouraged
do not show mercyto your opponent
for God is with us.”
The massacre committed
byJan Pieterszoon Coen in 1621
was the first genocide ever occurred in Nusantara
which also became
the beginning ofcolonization and the slavery
Ofthe 15.000 residents ofBanda,
only 1 .000 people remained.
Most were killed,
others Iled
and some were taken to Batavia
to become slaves.
And to this day,
it is hard to find indigenous
people of Banda archipelago.
When will come the time that will iorm my happiness?
When will the bell strike the how'!
The moment lwill see again the shores ofmycountry,
The bosom ofmyfamilythat llove and bless.
Chanes Rumpley
Asuicide note from a Frenchman, etched into a pane
glass window 01a palace previously
owned bya Governor.
Despaired in isolation on Banda Island
and longing forhis hometown.
The writing was made with his ring,
before he finallydecided
to hang himself on a chandelier,
September 1511831
The Dutch controlled the fortresses located in
almost all strategic regions.
The 12 fortresses in Banda Neira &the Banda Besar
were Fort Dender orFon Morgenster
Fon Lakui, Fort Salomon or Fon Kuilenburg,
Fon Batavia, Fon Calombo orFon De Kop,
Fon Oering orFon Storm,
Benteng Kola orFon De Pot,
Fort De Post orFon Kampung Baru,
Fon Belgica, Fort Concordia,
Fort Hollandia, and Fort Nassau
which was initiallybuilt bythe Ponuguese
and then continued bythe Dutch.
The existence 0H2 fortresses in Banda
confirmed the importance ofbanda
in the 17th to 13th century,
Banda was considered veryimponant.
Aclually, the islands are small
lfwe see also the large size ofBelgica
Nassau is also quite large.
That signifies that Banda at that time
was veryimponant
especiallythere was competition
between Dutch and English.
Banda's poskion in the history ofthe world,
the historyofwond trade at the time,was immense.
The Nassau fortress was named
afler '0ranje' family name.
Familyname ofthe Queen and King ofthe Nethenands,
stands for Oranje-Nassau.
Belgica's name is taken
from the tribe name, Belgen.
As for Batavia,
the name was taken from the Bataven tribe
encountered bythe Romans 2000 years ago
when theywere traveling from Rome
to the north to meet the tribe.
And Julius Caesarand others wrote
that these tribe's members are people
who love freedom
who are willing to fight furiouslyfor independence.
VOC at the time had taken Belgica,
Batavia as a sign oftheirpride.
Therefore, theytook Belgica to their fort here.
Ifwe see the symptom ofslaveryin Indonesia,
Banda would immediately appear.
Aller the indigenous people olBanda were killed
orfled or sold as slaves in 1621.
The harvesting ofnutmeg
was pedormed using hard labor,
thousands ofslaves were brought from
the Indonesian archipelago
as well as fromthe abroad.
Banda's poskion in the history ofthe world,
the historyofworld trade at the time
was immense.
And the warbetween the Netherlands and Britain
that occurred several times in the 17th century
was also to see who could control
the territories especiallythe oceans in the world.
VOC desperateiydid not want
Brkain to have a place here
therefore even though Netherlands
and England were allies in Europe, against Spain
but in Banda the Dutch
desperateiytried to drive the English out.
So, Nassau is taken from
the familyname olOrange,
Belgica as a sign ofpride,
and also there is anotherone,
Hollandia which ofcourse
taken from the name Holland.
While Concordia,
was derived fromthe word accordance.
Afler controlling almost entire
territoryofBanda archipelago.
The Dutch, divided the land
into a plantation system called Perk.
Perk or Kebun was overseen
bya landlord known as perkenier
and mn byslaves who were
imponed from manyplaces.
There were 31 perks onAi Island,
34 Perks in Banda Besar
and 3 Perks in Neira
One ofthe largest Nutmeg producers
in the Banda archipelago is Rhun Island.
This small island was only3 km square,
but Captain Nathaniel Counhope ofBritain
willinglyfought against the VOC in 1616
in orderto keep Rhun
who had been occupied byBritain since 1603
The Treaty of Westminster
then ended the two years ofBritain and Dutch war
and Rhun was returned to Brkain in 1654.
But VOC did not give up.
Nutmeg was too precious.
VOC continued their eflons to take Rhun from the UK.
The Dutch and Brkish dispute in Banda ended
aller the signing ofthe Breda Treaty on July31 , 1667
one ofwhich contained the submission ofRhun Island
from England to the Nethenands.
In retum,the British gained 59 km2 ofManhattan Island
which was then deeemed to be sufficient
compensation forRhun Island.
Since then the British spread! the nutmeg to Zanzibar.
And also since the discoveryofcooling machine
as a substkute for the preservation process.
The gloryof nutmeg spice continued to decline
and neveragain returned to Rs golden age.
Forgotten
and abandoned.
Rhun Island that was once fought over
now seems to disappear from the world map.
Nothing more than a nevenand
kept awayfrom the hustle and bustle ofmodern man.
Today
Rhun Island that tells a storyofBanda and Nutmeg
that provoked expedkions around the wand,
now is lost
and forgotien.
The Dutch made these Banda islands
as a place ofexile,
this was because these islands are
located in the midst ofBanda Sea.
They are completeiyisolated.
If someone was thrown here it is
impossible forthem to run anywhere.
New islets are small and easilyto control.
Actually the exiles to Banda were so many
we can read the list of names
on the Parigranti monument
among others ma Kusuma Sumantri,
Cipto Mangunkusumo,
Sutan Sjahrir,
Muhammad Hatta.
Even the Kyais from Banten, Kalimantan
and even Palembang were all recorded.
In fact, there are manymore that we have not found.
Tjipto Mangunkusumo
was a flghterfor Indonesia's independence movement
and Soekamds mentor.
Togetherwith Douwes Dekker and Ki Hajar Dewantara,
theyare known as the triad of
founders of lndische Panij,
a political organization that came up
with the idea 01a government
carried out by the people
not the Dutch.
His radical attkude caused Tjipto Mangunkusumo
to be exiled to Banda Neira in 1923
and spent 11 years there.
Ma Kusuma Sumantriwas exiled to Banda in 1930.
Iwa was a figure who built his people from manysides.
Indonesisch Vereniging is an organization
hat lwa followed during his lifetime in the Nethenands,
on his proposal also,
the organization was renamed
the lndonesianAssociation,
and he became chairman at the time.
Iwa was the one who changed the word Declaration
Proclamation.
Unlike Hatta, Syahrirwas verycheerml.
Syahrirwas a pioneer and revolutionary
of Indonesian independence.
Along with Hana, Cipto and ma.
Theyhave succeeded in shaping
the basic concept of a unitarystate.
AIler Indonesian independence,
Syahrir became the founder of
the Indonesian Socialist Pany
and was appointed first prime minister of Indonesia.
The prominent ones are aciualiyHatta and Sjahrir.
Sjahnr is closer to the younger generations,
and he is more approachable, so to speak.
Wnile Hatta is a bit quiet and veryiocused on his work.
D0 not expect othernations to appreciate our country,
ifwe ourselves like to deceive our fellow countrymen,
destroying,
stealing the wealth ofMother Eanh
Bung Hatta was a very disciplined person.
In fad, if he had returned from the Kastil plantation.
They know what time it was.
S0 the Banda people knowing hours from Bung Hatta
0h, Bung Hatia had passed.
They knew R was 5 pm.
Here they built school.
Then the Banda children were educated,
theywere taught oniy
history lkeracy, and geography.
Although his aciivities were opposed
bythe colonial government
his attempt to instill nationalism
to the souls ofBanda people neverreceded.
Name: Riski Jamaludin Home address: next to the subdistrici office.
Mister... Mister Glasses
Hana and Sjahrirwere exiled
to Banda in 1936 to 1942
and made the life ofthe Banda people as a study
forthe formulation 01a new entity
known later as Indonesia.
The rise and fall ofthis countryis heavilydependent
on its own people.
As unity and empathy fade.
Indonesia is merelythe name
01a string ofislands on the map.
The birth ofthis colonysocietywas
the start oftodays open Banda society
The composition ofsocietythat is made up
ofvarious ethnickies,
religions, races, and national ethnic groups
gives a great influence on the formation
01a unique society
According to Hatta,
Banda was like a miniature nation
consist ofvarying ethnic groups and
religious background.
And according to him
Banda then becomes one strong united tribe.
This Indonesian miniature idea was applied byHatta
bygiving Indonesian names to
the villages in Banda Neira.
Sjahrir liked young people.
Each had their own football team,
Sjahrir had his own football team, so does Hatta
Each had their own boat.
Sjahrir had his own boat, and so did Hatta.
On these islands where colonialism was born,
the Indonesian concept of nationalism bomed.
There was a storythat Hatia painted his boat
red and white paint.
When asked bythe Dutch, he said
'yes ififs sailing on the sea,
this will look FHLWhRG and blue,
the color ofthe Dutch flag!”
Ham's monumental work is
the independence of Indonesia,
a cooperative based economy,
establishing a national army,
anti-corruption,
the fights torthe truth torthe nation and its people.
In his exile, Hatta wrote down
his thoughts and stmggles
at the Sin fit P0 Newspaper
and the Pemandangan daily
Even to express love to Rahmi,
he wrote the book 'The Nature of Greek Thought'
He wrote during his time at Digul and Banda
asthe dowry
Throughout the 77 years ofhis life
Hatta collec1ed30,000b0oks.
'I'd volunterto go to prison, as long as there are books.
Because with books I am free.'
To commemorate them,the people ofBanda named
the island ofRosengain as Hatta Island.
And Pulau Pisang as Syahrir Island.
Ifwe're talking about Indonesia,
Banda is Indonesia.
All tribes are in Banda.
The type of societythat exists in Banda
is a societywith high level ofhospitality.
Their level ofmutual cooperation is also high.
So, in our life we respeci each other
and build mutual tolerance.
D0 not seduce or force ourofflcers to break the rules.
Presenting the Banda Islands as an experience today
is to present an area rich
in historical and culturalvalue.
Awond herkage zone
that represents the spirit otcenturies otexploration.
Mygreatgrandfather,
were among the exiles were banished
BantenJuban, Jogja and Solo.
Mygreatgrandfather came from China
and arrived in Banda more or less in 1910.
Intended to trade.
When we speak about Banda people today
the tribal context in Banda Naira will be lost.
Because all of us in Banda Naira today
come from various places in Indonesia
were dumped byDutch colonists
to Banda Naira as slaves orprisoners ofwar
to manage the plantations ofnutmeg
built bythe Dutch at that time.
During the Dutch colonization time,
the numberot Chinese people were the highest.
There were more than 30 families,
now there are only? or 8 families leil.
Onlythe elderly people were lefl.
The children have gone to school
and do not want to go back home anymore,
everybodylwes outside ofBanda.
Previouslythere were many people in Banda,
now it is less.
This temple is more than 200 years old.
Nobodywants to take care 01R,
lneed to find ways to do small maintenances,
just to keep it from crumbling to the ground.
S0 the people ofBanda, before the colonial era,
before the arrival ofPonuguese and Dutch,
theywere very pluralist
because there were alreadysettled
Persians,Arabs, Chinese.
The Chinese were the ones who first came here,
2000 or3000 B.C they have come to Banda.
They call this land Wentan, it means Banda.
Their influence is verystrong,
until now ouriraditions and religion in Banda
is influenced byChinese culture,
for example chinese Ilag
in almost in everyold mosque
there is a flag originaliy from China.
S0 it was repaired and theymade Ilags
shaped like fish tail ifs Chinese influence.
Then there was the Chinese writing
hat they themselves did not understand.
In mihrabs (prayer niche) of mosques
there were also reliefs
hat describe Chinese influence,
for example: dragons.
The King's Kora-kora (Moluccan boat) fleets,
including Lautaka, Selamon, Wher, Rosingin
used dragons as symbols.
Later on, came the influence from
Persians and the Arabs.
Afler Banda was completeiyempty
and had no more residents,
then VOC orthe Netherlands brought people from
Java, Sumatera, Kalimantan, Sulawesi
and various places in Indonesia.
This was what then made Banda
as the onlyplace in eastern Indonesia
had multicultural and multiethnic.
The people ofBanda today
are composed ofvarious ethnic groups.
Whethertheywere forciblyimponed as slaves,
some were contraci laborers, some were exiles.
There are three kinds ofsocieties brought here.
The indigenous Banda, still about 15% 0115000.
Then there were mixed marriages between them.
This mix marriages have been
going on for so long, hundreds ofyears.
Finally, the identityoftheir indigenousness,
their initial identity, began to fade.
Then theyhave a new identity as Banda people.
This is what I call
the second generation ofBanda people.
The first generation was up to 1621,
aller that there was a new generation
ofBanda which went on to this day.
Today,you can feel strong acculturation
that we can see in the cakalele dance.
The cakalele dance Rselfdepicis
the entire cultural blend ever entered
and intersecied with Banda Naira itself.
The hat Rselfis a war hat
used byPonuguese troops.
They lost and surrendered to the King
and that hat was finally
worn and juxtaposed on
the heads ofthe cakalele troops themselves.
Then we go funherto cakalele clothes,
whythe clothes are dominant in red.
The Chinese believe that red is the colorofluck.
Yellow is the colorthat came from India.
Because at that time Banda also
had contaci wkh the kingdom ofMajapahit.
In year ...m0re orless,
until flnallythe Princess ofBanda
was married to the last King of
the Majapahit kingdom.
Talking about Banda people today,
theyseem to forget the cultures
and the pride ofthe Banda people,
such as the cultures that came from
the land ofJava orSumatra
orKalimantan, some ofthe cultures have been lost,
such as way-mg golek is alreadylost.
N0 more people can playthe gamelan,
no more people can play
Javanese musical instmments
and cultures from Sumatra they began to disappear.
People no longerplaythe big tambourine
with the attractions,
lhad seen before.
There is also debus, which has no regeneration.
They preterto enjoy night entertainments,
spend time with TV and intemet
ratherthan learning the history
and culture ofBanda.
I LOVE WIDOW
FUNGKYMN/IA
Forthe people ofBanda today
the former splendor ofarchaeological sites,
monuments, and great historical stories
are onlyseen as strings ofshadows ofthe past.
I climbed trees, got down, splk the fruits,
son the good fmits and put them in the perk.
Iwas paid 300 Rupiahs for 1000 fruits.
Now lmake Suami, sell them
and collect the money I made forschool fees.
Suami is made of cassava.
Buyone sack, peel, split, make into suami and sell.
In allernoons like this,
I steamed five or six and lcarrythem around,
selling byyelling, 'Suami... Suami!” like that.
Although nutmeg remains an imponant pan
which predicied to increase in demand.
The facflhat the bad post-harvest management
mastery ofthe results
and the difficult access makes Banda nutmeg
no longer the primary choice.
We ollen receive explanations
from the agricultural service
that Banda nutmeg has no contest.
Even compared to Grenada orSri Lanka.
Still Banda nutmeg is the best.
However,
but it depends on how we manage it.
Ifwe use the post-harvest
like our parents did,
there may not be anyproblem.
But R is different now.
Just the waythis post-harvest managed
that makes the quality of
Banda nutmeg decrease a little.
The nutmeg is placed direcflyin the curing site.
It is dehydrated there and
the process need a verylong time.
These nutmeg farmers do not have
any curing place now,
so they are just relying on the sun.
It takes onlyflve days so theyassume it is dried,
then they continue to sell immediateiy,
mayoe due to their economic needs,
hastilysold.
We know ifthe nutmeg is not completeiydry,
fungus will grow on it.
These fungi distinguish
the qualkyof nutmeg then and now.
Ifnutmeg is dehydrated through curing ordryoven
can reach 95%to 100% dehydration,
to the extent there is no water content whatsoever.
But ifwe just put them underthe sun
fora short time,
theythink it is alreadydried but
actuallythere is still water content inside
which causes fungus.
That fungus will produce aflatoxin,
a type of poisonous chemical.
And in the market, nutmeg has incredible endurance.
It could reach 20 years and remains intaci.
It is not easilywrinkled.
What makes me jealous orhun,
the Nutmeg is so good, the curing is so good
but there is no difference in price
with the nutmeg that is not dryenough.
That sometimes makes me feel veryjealous.
Afler Japan went away,
the government took over
all ofthese assets orplantations
that had been previousiymanaged bythe Dutch.
Taken over.
Nationalization.
So, it's gone.
Until the government authorizes PNP 28,
the national plantation company
to manage this nutmeg.
The time leading up to the reforms,
Soehano took over
and then handedkto
the Provincial Government ofMaluku.
Then the Maluku Provincial Government
is working wkh
the Banda Herkage Foundation.
But that too did not work
because ofits bad management system.
It is proven that when the nutmeg plantation
was taken over by PT Banda Permai,
a joint venture between the Provincial Government
and the Banda Heritage Foundation,
the lands have been divided into blocks.
Laterthey deposit the money to the company
But graduallythe companywent bankrupt.
It is proven that with the system,
company did not get anyresults
because there are big traders
in Surabaya who controlthe market.
Itthe nutmeg plantation is giving good result,
then it is profit, not loss.
Just like a company it is not lost but embezzling.
There is no companyloss.
Ifwithin 1 year you yield 1.2 Billion,
even afleryou payall the employees,
there is still so much leil,
butwhya loss?
The fad is employees are not paid,
there are debts ofBillions ofRupiahs,
where did all the crops g0?
Nothing?
That means corruption.
When the harvest was abundant,
suddenlythe price is decreased.
And when we ask them
about how come the price is decreased,
theysaid Surabaya determined the prices.
Who are these Surabaya people?
How can theyjust dictate the price?
The price supposedlydepends on the exporter,
to whom we sell the product
lfthe exponerhas high price
then automaticallywe will
give higher price to the farmers as well.
It all depends on
the price mechanism fromthe higherlevel.
Imagine how abundant the nutmeg crops are,
but how lktle do we get ...the money
There is no hope for these nutmegs.
Nothing.
Idon'! even know how to answer.
We are working hard to live tomorrow,
and work tomorrow to stay alive the next day
That goes everydayfora yearlong.
I feel pityfor the peopleJhese farmers.
Because in Banda Besar, 60%to 70%
livelihood ofks inhabitants are nutmeg fanners.
It should be up to the farmers,
to whom theywant to sell their harvest.
Up to them, its their harvest.
Despite having a pluralism charmer
the people's lives in Banda are not completelyfree
from the tenor ofintolerance
and horizontal conflicts.
911999,
when religious conllici hit Maluku.
Bandamhich forhundreds ofyears
built on a multicultural foundation
was also pan ofthe sad story.
Idid not expect at all to see for myself
this kind ofriot happened in the Moluccas.
And the impact eventualiy reached Banda.
At one time, happend to be...
There was a party,
there maybe alcoholic drinks involved,
and there was a fight on the island ofHatta
and there were casualties.
And it was then rumored
that someone was killed because otreligious conflict.
The chaos was big in Banda.
Until there were a lot burnings in the city of Naira.
And lwas sitting wkh mydaughters,
we watched the flre in the city ofNaira.
I did n01 think
that the incident will reach our place.
Stones were thrown from all sides.
I finallysecured my family
in an emptyhouse that lconsidered safe,
I kept telling them
'just lock everything from inside, nothing will happen.”
Then lwent back home
to retrieve the documents llell behind.
Suddemytheystaned to come close
and surrounded the house.
The doors were broken open,
slammed here and there.
S0 lwas in a panic.
S0 ljumped out ofthe window.
Iwas about to be hacked but because itwas dark,
I could still save myself.
And there happened to be an emptyhouse again,
well, not empty but all ofthe people were outside.
VWthout them knowing, I hid underthe bed,
I could not mywhole body,
because there were these objects below the bed,
broken glasses, and all.
I had a bad feeling.
There was a sweeping.
People shouting on the streets
a lot ofpeople,
Find Pongky! Kill him!
He is not lndoensian! He is a Dutchman!
Kill him! Pull out his eyesl!
Chop him up like 'bakasang'!”
lthought to myself, this is it.
It tumed out theydid not see mylegs protruding.
Theygot out ofthe house and still shouting.
Five minutes later I got out.
Iheard there was a new sweeping there,
I dug the sand
and llaythere buried myself underthe sand
with only my face on the surface, covered with leaf.
I stayed there until 3 am.
At 3 in the morning it happened to be raining.
Igot out ofthe sand.
Hid behind a school in the plantation area,
and went into the plantation area.
Until night time.
At that night,
lwanted to know the condition ofmyfamiiy.
So,there happened to be
a relative ofmine who lived in the area.
He was shocked when he saw me.
He ran to me and hugged me.
He whispered, he said that
all my lamilywas butchered, all dead.
Hell mywhole bodyweak instantiy, lcollapsed.
I asked for three cigarettes,
he gave me three cigarettes with the matches,
and lretumed to myhiding place.
Not far, about 20 meters walking I realized
that theydid come to the house and attacked.
Ah, lthought myfamilyis gone.
All deadJhen whafs the use ofme living?
They might as well kill me now.
My mind was made up at that time.
So, lwent back to myrelathle's house.
When lreached his house again,
I saw there were a lot of people.
Determined to die, I yelled at them.
Who are you looking for?”
Looking forme? This is Pongky!”
Ah when they heard me,
immediatelytheysurrounded me
in the shape ofa horseshoe whh me in the middle.
Theytold me to take oflmyshin, ldid.
I prayed silently
I asked God to forgive me
and the rest of my family
lwas readyto die.
Right before lclosed myeyes,
I saw them stepping towards me with their machetes,
and suddenlyl heard this single voice shouted.
It was the securityofficerfromthe army
He saved me.
He held myhand
while aiming his gun to the people surrounding me.
Shouted to them not to move.
Thafs it. lwas saved.
Tracing the dark streets ofBanda and today's nutmeg
is an attempt to retrieve the tonner glory.
Leam how the fall occurs
for a betier possibility in the future.
Myname is Shaflra Boflen.
Now lwork in Babalagun hotel.
Previously I went toAmbon for college
and came back here in 2014.
Iwant to do something forBanda.
I still think ifit is not us young people,
then who else?
Because lhave so manymends
who studied in college,
but theywent awayinstead of going back here.
Iam sure flve years in the future,
there will be more people in Banda than it is now.
I hope in the future more younger generation
learn funher about history
Because it teaches us
who we were in the past, how we are today
and what will happen to us in the future.
S0 leam about who we are.
We leam and must keep learning.
And I also wish
forthose Banda cultures to resurface again,
revived again,
Because the Banda culture shows
the identity of Banda
in the past, in the present and in the future.
My name is Mita.
My full name is Miryannka Alwi
but people oflen call me Mita.
While I stayin Banda,
lam helping myfamilytake care ofourhotel.
I also have a Colorful Generation Foundation.
We teach children to be creative
as well to know more about their environment,
to increase funherawareness that we need trees,
and we reallyneedthe sea.
Banda can be developed as a ske for cultural visits.
I know we have beautiful natural sceneries,
marine resources are very good,
but lthink more people can go to Banda
to see the historical sites.
Ihope visits to Banda can happen more regulany.
I reallydo notwant Banda to be the second Bali.
VWth hundreds ofthousands ofpeoplejustvisiting,
walking around,
without anyunderstanding ofwhat they see
because all you can see here,
the perkenier houses, the fortress,
the churches, theyare so unique.
Lespeciallyhope culturaltourism can be developed.
Apparently, we have historygreatness,
have a great culture have a kind society
have a familiarand open society
and therefore they have high expectations
ofBanda in the future.
These expeciations, among others,
have been realized bythemselves,
which is to make Banda as Worid Heritage.
Banda maygo forward to be modem society
but we must staylike this.
We must live wlhin our cultural value system,
we are mutuallyrespecting one another,
these relationship ofintimacy needs
to be continuously maintained,
we do not want to be a modem Banda
but the societyis ruined.
The government should no longer build big buildings,
just enough to restore colonial buildings
and make offices there.
We had two esplanades,
two green open areas which are fields,
we call them Lapangan Raja and Lapangan Cipto.
These two big fields are now gone,
no longer being green areas.
Theyare now filled with government offices
that do not depici the old cRyofNaira at all.
There is a school there, prosecutor's offlce
as well as a MinistryofReligious
Affairs office and so on.
Nothing is lefl.
It used to be an open green space.
There was the statue ott/Wlliam Ill
and there used to be enough place
forpeople to relax there.
There is also offlce ofthe subdistrict head,
the village head's house in the place that
used to be an open space.
Well theywant the future Banda
to maintain its authenticity
To remain 17th centurycolonial cky.
ATALE FOR DIEN TNVIAELA
lam Pattiradjawane
Whom the gods watch over,
lalone.
Iam Pattiradjawane
Foam ofthe sea.
The sea is myblood.
Iam Pattiradjawane
When lwas bom
The gods brought me an oar
lam Pattiradjawane
guarding the nutmeg groves.
Iam fire on the shore.
WhOEVET COITIES HEBI'
Must call myname three times.
In the night-iime quiet, seaweed dances
To the sound ofmydmm,
Nutmeg trees become maidens' bodies
And live till dawn.
Dance!
Be nappy!
Forget everything!
But take care not to make me angry.
L'll kill the nut trees,
stiffen the maidens,
Fllbring downthe gods!
L'm in the night, in the day
In the rhytm ofthe seaweed and in flre
That roasts the island...
lam Pattiradjawane
Whom the gods watch over,
lalone.
ChairilAnwar
'Forgeting a nation's historical past,
will only bring the demise ofifs future.'