Nusantara,
the largest archipelago on earth has long been the point
where the rest of the world sets their eyes on.
For its richness and natural beauty.
A piece of heaven at the equator listed in history
as the spark that ignited the clashes
of the European nations
which to this day made Indonesia
colonized,
stripped,
and looted through political
and trade agreements.
Which ultimately leaves a nation
and people who never truly enjoyed the blessings of
wealth and prosperity of their own homeland.
When most of the world was still shrouded in darkness,
spices have already been one of
the inseparable parts of human life.
For centuries,
the spice-producing islands
were covered with dense fog.
And only lived in wild imaginations of story tellers.
The Book Nathanief's Nutmeg mentioned
that those islands have such tantalizing aromas
which were sensed far even before they are visible.
The same aroma whiffed from
the Holy Books of Bible
and The Koran
Chinese traders carried the spices hidden
at the bottom of silk piles.
Arabian merchants made up stories
about cannibals and head-hunter savages.
The rivalry between the Portuguese and the Spaniards
in discovering the spice-producing islands.
Brought the world to the greatest diplomatic treaty
the world has ever seen.
The world is divided into two parts according to
the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494).
The western part for Spain
and the Eastern part for Portugal.
Bartolomeu Diaz was sailing in circles
around Cape Hope in 1483
Christopher Columbus was actually trying
to find his way to the Indies
when he got lost and discovered
the American continent in 1492.
In 1497, Britain took part in the search
for the direct route
but John Cabot only managed to reach North America.
While the Portuguese Vasco da Gama
succeeded in arriving to Calcutta a year later.
The fall of the spice trade centered in India
and Malacca to the Portuguese.
Had opened larger windows of possibility for Europe
to find spice-producing islands.
Alfonso deAlbuquerque ordered two fleets
Under the leadership of Antonio deAbreu
and Fransesco Sarrao
to conduct further expeditions to the East.
They sailed from Goa (India) to Malacca.
All the way through Madura,
Bali,
Lombok
and Aru
and finally to Banda.
Within the same year,
other Portuguese fleets also arrived at Ternate.
The discovery of the spice islands of Banda
and Ternate
had worsened the rivalry between
Spain and Portugal.
The feud was resolved with
the allocation of territory. Spanish territory
stretched from Mexico westward
to the Philippines archipelago.
And Portuguese territory stretched
from Brazil eastward to the Moluccan islands
as ruled by the Treaty of Zaragoza.
Less than a century earlier the arrival of the Portuguese
and Spanish in the Spice Islands,
the Dutch and English arrived
and attempted to also claim their power over the place.
This sea line was what later became the start of
the world maritime route to this day.
Making the position of the spice route
as far more important than the silk road.
The end of the crusade marked the beginning
of the 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
heavily sought after.
Europe intends to break
the monopoly of Arab merchants
which had lasted for hundreds of years
by discovering the paradise they had imagined.
After 1500,
no more spices were owned without bloodshed,
as written by the French poet Voltaire.
The spices which were more precious than gold
have driven major world expeditions
to discover new territories.
Even almost 500 years
before the Apollo 11 landed on the moon,
expeditions in search for the spice-islands
still became the single most important journey
for mankind.
The Banda archipelago consists of 11 islands:
Banda Api
Great Banda
Banda Neira
Hatta formerly known as Rozengain.
Ai Island
Run Island
Syahrir island,
formerly known as Pulau Pisang (Banana Island).
The last four islands are inhabited:
Nailaka.
Manukang.
Karaka.
And Batu Kapal island.
Once upon a time,
The sky dropped the nutmeg for the Banda People.
In the legend of the most widely spoken language.
There was a Prince who fell in love
madly with a beautiful Princess
named Cilu Bintang.
The prince was asked to bring 99 pieces of gold.
However, he has not been able to find any,
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 of the forest,
And grow as nutmeg trees.
Banda was mentioned in the Nagara kret agama
in 1365 written as Whndan.
This cluster of volcanic islands
formed by a great ancient eruption
was also mentioned in book 16 and 17 of
Babad Tanah Jawi.
Through the story of a 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 of Banda did not only
sell their nutmegs and maces for a living,
but they were also superior sailors,
buying cloves from Ternate
and selling them in Banda.
The trade grew overwhelmingly out of control
to the extent of chaos and began to create conflicts.
Later came the influence of Ternate and Tidore
which led to the establishment of clans namely
Group of Five and Group of Nine.
Group of Five later to be called Orlima,
Group of Nine which later was called Orsma.
This was the sociological groupings of society
commonly known in the Moluccas.
One of the interesting things is,
there was a group formed
to act 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
by the Unatang council.
In addition the council also determined
equitable price of nutmeg across the islands,
which was agreed by all traders and contributed
to the stability of the nutmeg trade in that region.
In trading, people of Banda
although they transacted with merchants,
in large numbers of transactions
but never used written agreement.
The deals were sealed
with oaths between the sellers and buyers.
Merchants who wanted to buy spices,
nutmeg, mace or cloves
from Ternate
just raised their hand to the sky
and agree before God Almighty
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 of miles away.
Fleets of boats of various types
and sizes sailed back and forth
indicating that spices
were such a highly valuable commodity
Nutmeg in Banda is Myristica fragrans,
the type with the strongest taste and aroma.
And in terms of shape,
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.
So farmers in Banda tend to utilize less male nutmeg
because the think the harvesting time is
too long.
To avoid direct sun,
the nutmeg trees in Banda need protection.
Since nutmeg is susceptible to direct sunlight,
the nutmeg farmers need
to prepare natural shades to protect nutmeg trees,
so they plant walnut trees,
which are larger than the nutmeg trees.
In Banda, nutmeg is an endemic plant
because they match the volcanic soil of Banda
The main requirements for planting nutmeg are
volcanic soil
and sea breeze.
Because if we 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 of volcanic 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 by the volcanic ash in the soil.
That's what makes Banda superior.
There is another location
that is maybe a bit more suitable,
the result is almost the same, that is Banda Aceh.
It has the same combination of
sea breeze and volcanic ash
but the quality is still below Banda nutmegs.
Why is nutmeg so important and valuable?
Long before electricity
and refrigerators were discovered,
nutmeg was the only food preservative,
even Egyptian mummies were
preserved with spices,
one of which was nutmeg.
Nutmeg serves as a food preservative,
aphrodisiac,
sedative,
as a status symbol of the rich.
In the days of war and exploration of the earth
Nutmeg is useful to preserve food during the war
and in the long journey in search for new continents.
There was a saying that goes:
Masters of nutmegs will rule the world.
None of the nutmeg parts are wasted,
we can process all parts of it.
The outer nutmeg flesh
can be used to make syrup,
sweets,
juices,
jams,
and so forth, or snacks and soft drinks.
The seeds are now widely processed for aromatic oil
as one of the ingredients of cosmetics.
Nutmeg is good for skin, you know, as a moisturizer.
Hospitals also need it for medicines
because nutmeg has myristicin content.
It's good as a sedative.
On the outside,
is the mace,
the mace, attached to the nutmeg is good
for food additives,
and needed by large companies for
the aroma of their famous soft drink brands.
So, nutmeg is very functional,
no part is wasted
even the leaves can be processed into oil.
That is the advantage of nutmeg over all other trees,
It's different.
From leaf, to the seed can be processed
to make money.
Now the famous nutmeg
which started journeys
around the globe is now forgotten
and leaves only memories of past glory
A glory followed by a story of great fall from grace
and the emergence of the history of seizure.
Hidden whispers of power and greed.
In the 1500s,
people were fighting over this region of the Moluccas
because of cloves and nutmeg
Spices became a very important commodity
The position of the Moluccas at that time,
including Banda, became important.
Banda as producer of nutmegs,
Ternate & Tidore, with cloves.
The world market was really located here.
The establishment of sultanates
throughout the Nusantara was because of the spices.
The establishment of a 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 discovery of the Banda Islands by the Portuguese,
opened a new chapter of spice trade.
European merchants rapidly broke
the hegemony of Arab traders
who for centuries reaped huge profits.
Huge profits from trading spices
attracted traders from many countries
to the nutmeg-producing islands.
Nutmeg
became one of the most sought after commodities.
For hundreds of years,
nutmeg has become a freely traded commodity
Prior to the arrival of the European nations
nutmeg trees were not arranged in plantation model
but were managed together for collective prosperity
The arrival of Europeans was followed
by abandonment of a barter system,
a monetary system
as a medium of exchange began to be used.
The Dutch tendency to master and monopolize things
Banda people treated them differently.
They accepted 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
by the Europeans' desire
to force Banda people to sell their nutmegs
or cloves only to the Europeans.
Banda people did not like this.
They were used to free trade.
When the Dutch began to make a logie,
a container of spices made of concrete,
that was when they began to protest.
The conflicts started in 1609.
Jan Pieterszoon Coen
with his massive fleet entered Banda,
his base was on the island of Naira.
The first area conquered was
the most powerful stronghold.
The first day's attacks failed miserably.
He attacked from the front.
At the time of attack,
the sea level at Lontor was receded.
The sea water receded far from the shoreline,
and the harbor is dry
Many Dutch soldiers were trapped and killed.
The next day, the Dutch changed position
to attack from the back.
Then a great battle happened there
and with different weapon technology
they successfully conquered Lontor.
After Lontor was conquered,
other areas started to panic,
they were hopeless and
started to feel that they would also be defeated too.
The Arabs, the Chinese, the Malays
they were united with the Bandas to fight the Dutch.
Then they agreed with the Dutch
to meet and discuss about
the problems that occurred
there was a forced contract of the price,
and forced monopoly of spices.
Then the Dutch came to where
the appointment took place.
But when they arrived,
people of Banda ambushed them.
Vemoeven himself was killed there.
Jan Pieterzoon Coen, one of Vemoeven's 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 later appointed governor-general
and determined to destroy the people of Banda.
The city of Amsterdam which is called the canal chy
Grachtengordel
luxury homes
it is impossible if they say they didn'! get
any money from the nutmeg trade and slavery
You can say that the contributions
from Banda, from the Moluccas were generally
quite large and the people here in Banda
fell victims to VOC policies.
Dutch people then had been educated with the VOC idea,
VOC was a very modern company
They were the resources to develop the technique.
For example, ship technique
or technique of mapping the world,
Amsterdam was the center the VOC at the time,
Their world mapping experts and
their works were spread all over the world.
So were sophisticated VOC ships.
Dutch people knew about it but only a few knew
what VOC really did in Banda,
which was mass slaughter.
Many people are less knowledgeable,
One of the many things that come out
that's what the VOC did in Banda is mass slaughter.
There is a statue of Jan Pieterszoon Coen
in his home town the city of Hoorn.
There is a group of activists
who paint 'Genocide' on the statue.
There were 40 community leaders arrested
and taken to the town.
All remaining Bandanese people
were forced to come
to witness their executions.
Five of the captives were executed by being 'torn apart'.
So, there were 4 horses.
One horse tied up with right hand.
One horse tied up with left hand,
other horse tied up with right foot,
the last horse tied up with left foot.
Then, all horses ran in different directions.
Their bodies were torn apart,
and seen by Bandanese people.
The rest of the captives were executed
by Japanese mercenaries called Shoguns.
These Japanese mercenaries
beheaded all the remaining captives
and most of them came from rich families in Banda.
And since then, there were no more rebellions.
A Dutch historian wrote that Jan Pieterzoon Coen wrote
the history of himself with
the ink made from the blood of Banda people.
The enforcement of power
and the monopoly of spices by European
were always followed by acts of violence
that occur almost in all regions of the archipelago.
The news of Vemovews death spread
along the trade routes
this caused anger and was seen as warning sign
for the Dutch armada in cities as well as fortresses.
This event maybe the way Banda people
protect 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
by cat-eyed people with hair the color of corn.
The vengeful Jan Pieterszoon Coen
vowed to conquer the Spice Islands.
"D0 not be discouraged
do not show mercy to your opponent
for God is with us.
The massacre committed
by Jan Pieterszoon Coen in 1621
was the first genocide ever occurred in Nusantara
which also became
the beginning of colonization and the slavery
Of the 15.000 residents of Banda,
only 1,000 people remained.
Most were killed,
others fled
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 make my happiness?
When will the bell strike the hour!
The moment l will see again the shores of my country,
The bosom of my family that l love and bless.
Chanes Rumpley
A suicide note from a Frenchman, etched into a pane
glass window at the palace previously
owned by a Governor.
Despaired in isolation on Banda Island
and longing for his hometown.
The writing was made with his ring,
before he finally decided
to hang himself on a chandelier,
September 1511
The Dutch controlled the fortresses located in
almost all strategic regions.
The 12 fortresses in Banda Neira & Banda Besar
were Fort Dender or Fort Morgenster
Fort Lakui, Fort Salomon or Frt Kuilenburg,
Fort Batavia, Fort Calombo or Fort De Kop,
Fort Oering or Fort Storm,
Benteng Kola or Fort De Pot,
Fort De Post or Fort Kampung Baru,
Fort Belgica, Fort Concordia,
Fort Hollandia, and Fort Nassau
which was initially built by the Portuguese
and then continued by the Dutch.
The existence of the fortresses in Banda
confirmed the importance of Banda
in the 15th to 17th century,
Banda was considered very important.
Actually, the islands are small
lf we see also the size of Belgica
Nassau is also quite large.
That signifies that Banda at that time
was very important
especially there was competition
between Dutch and English.
Banda's position in the history of the world,
the history of world trade at the time, was immense.
The Nassau fortress was named
after '0ranje' family name.
Family name of the Queen and King of the Netherlands,
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 by the Romans 2000 years ago
when they were traveling from Rome
to the north to meet the tribe.
And Julius Caesar and others wrote
that these tribe's members are people
who love freedom
who are willing to fight furiously for independence.
VOC at the time had taken Belgica,
Batavia as a sign of their pride.
Therefore, they took Belgica to be their fort here.
If we see the symptom of slavery in Indonesia,
Banda would immediately appear.
All of the indigenous people of Banda were killed
or fled or were sold as slaves in 1621.
The harvesting of nutmeg
was performed using hard labor,
thousands of slaves were brought from
the Indonesian archipelago
as well as from abroad.
Banda's position in the history of the world,
was the history of world trade at the time
& was immense.
And the war between the Netherlands and Britain
that occurred several times in the 17th century
was also to see who could control
the territories especially the oceans in the world.
VOC desperately did not want
Britain to have a place here
therefore even though Netherlands
and England were allies in Europe, against Spain
but in Banda the Dutch
desperately tried to drive the English out.
So, Nassau is taken from
the family name of Orange,
Belgica as a sign of pride,
and also there is another one,
Hollandia which of course
taken from the name Holland.
While Concordia,
was derived from the word accordance.
After controlling almost the entire
territory of Banda archipelago.
The Dutch, divided the land
into a plantation system called Perk.
Perk or Kebun was overseen
by a landlord known as perkenier
and maintained by slaves who were
imported from many places.
There were 31 perks on Ai Island,
34 Perks in Banda Besar
and 3 Perks in Neira
One of the largest Nutmeg producers
in the Banda archipelago is Rhun Island.
This small island was only 3 km square,
but Captain Nathaniel Counhope of Britain
willingly fought against the VOC in 1616
in order to keep Rhun
who had been occupied by Britain since 1603
The Treaty of Westminster
then ended the two years of Britain and Dutch war
and Rhun was returned to Britain in 1654.
But VOC did not give up.
Nutmeg was too precious.
VOC continued their efforts to take Rhun from the UK.
The Dutch and British dispute in Banda ended
after the signing of the Breda Treaty on July 31, 1667
one of which contained the submission of Rhun Island
from England to the Netherlands.
In return, the British gained 59 km2 of Manhattan Island
which was then deemed to be sufficient
compensation for Rhun Island.
Since then the British spread the nutmeg to Zanzibar.
And also since the discovery of cooling machine
as a substitute for the process of preservation
The glory of nutmeg spice continued to decline
and never again returned to it's golden age.
Forgotten
and abandoned.
Rhun Island that was once fought over
now seems to disappear from the world map.
Nothing more than a neverland
kept away from the hustle and bustle of modern man.
Today
Rhun Island that tells a story of Banda and Nutmeg
that provoked expeditions around the world,
now is lost
and forgotten.
The Dutch made these Banda islands
as a place of exile,
this was because these islands are
located in the midst of the Banda Sea.
They are completely isolated.
If someone was thrown here it is
impossible for them to run anywhere.
New islets are small and easy to 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 many more that we have not found.
Tjipto Mangunkusumo
was a fighter for Indonesia's independence movement
and Soekarno's mentor.
Together with Douwes Dekker and Ki Hajar Dewantara,
they are known as the triad of
founders of lndische Panij,
a political organization that came up
with the idea of a government
carried out by the people
not the Dutch.
His radical attitude caused Tjipto Mangunkusumo
to be exiled to Banda Neira in 1923
and spent 11 years there.
Ma Kusuma Sumantri was exiled to Banda in 1930.
Iwa was a figure who built his people from many sides.
Indonesisch Vereniging is an organization
that was followed during his lifetime in the Netherlands,
on his proposal also,
the organization was renamed
the Indonesian Association,
and he became chairman at the time.
Iwa was the one who changed the Declaration
Proclamation.
Unlike Hatta, Syahrirwas very cheerman.
Syahrir was a pioneer and revolutionary
of Indonesian independence.
Along with Hana, Cipto and ma.
They had succeeded in shaping
the basic concept of a unitary state.
After Indonesian independence,
Syahrir became the founder of
the Indonesian Socialist Pany
and was appointed first prime minister of Indonesia.
The prominent ones are actually Hatta and Sjahrir.
Sjahnr is closer to the younger generations,
and he is more approachable, so to speak.
While Hatta was rather quiet and very focused on his work.
D0 not expect other nations to appreciate our country,
if we ourselves like to deceive our fellow countrymen,
destroying,
stealing the wealth of Mother Earth
Bung Hatta was a very disciplined person.
In fact, if he had returned from the Kastil plantation.
They know what time it was.
So the Banda people knowing time from Bung Hatta
0h, Bung Hatta had passed.
They knew it was 5 pm.
Here they built school.
Then the Banda children were educated,
they were taught only
history literacy, and geography.
Although his activities were opposed
by the colonial government
his attempt to instill nationalism
to the souls of Banda people never diminished.
Name: Riski Jamaludin
Home address: next to the subdistrict office.
Mister... Mister Glasses
Mister... Mister Glasses
Hana and Sjahrirwere exiled
to Banda in 1936 to 1942
and made the life of the Banda people as a study
for the formulation of a new entity
known later as Indonesia.
The rise and fall of this country is heavily dependent
on its own people.
As unity and empathy fade.
Indonesia is merely the name
of a string of islands on the map.
The birth of this colony society was
the start of todays open Banda society
The composition of society that is made up
Of various ethnicities,
religions, races, and national ethnic groups
gives a great influence on the formation
of a unique society
According to Hatta,
Banda was like a miniature nation
consisting of various ethnic groups and
religious backgrounds.
And according to him
Banda then becomes one strong united tribe.
This Indonesian miniature idea was applied by Hatta
by giving 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 did 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 boomed.
There was a story that Hatia painted his boat
red and white paint.
When asked by the Dutch, he said
'yes if its sailing on the sea,
this will look red, white and blue,
the color of the Dutch flag!
Hatta's monumental work is
the independence of Indonesia,
a cooperative based economy,
establishing a national army,
anti-corruption,
the fights for the truth for the nation and its people.
In his exile, Hatta wrote down
his thoughts and struggles
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
as the dowry
Throughout the 77 years of his life
Hatta collec1ed 30,000 b0oks.
'I'd volunteer to go to prison, as long as there are books.
Because with books I am free.'
To commemorate them, the people of Banda named
the island of Rosengain as Hatta Island.
And Pulau Pisang as Syahrir Island.
If we're talking about Indonesia,
Banda is Indonesia.
All tribes are in Banda.
The type of society that exists in Banda
is a society with high level of hospitality.
Their level of mutual cooperation is also high.
So, in our life we respect each other
and build mutual tolerance.
D0 not seduce or force our officers to break the rules.
Presenting the Banda Islands as an experience today
is to present an area rich
in historical and cultural value.
a World Heritage zone
that represents the spirit of centuries of exploration.
My great grandfather,
was among the exiles were banished
BantenJ uban, Jogja and Solo.
My great grandfather 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 by Dutch colonists
to Banda Naira as slaves or prisoners of war
to manage the plantations of nutmeg
built by the Dutch at that time.
During the Dutch colonization time,
the number of Chinese people were the highest.
There were more than 30 families,
now there are only 7 or 8 families left.
Only the elderly people were left.
The children have gone to school
and do not want to go back home anymore,
everybody else outside of Banda.
Previously there were many people in Banda,
now it is less.
This temple is more than 200 years old.
Nobody wants to take care of it,
I need to find ways to do small maintenances,
just to keep it from crumbling to the ground.
So the people of Banda, before the colonial era,
before the arrival of the Portuguese and Dutch,
they were very pluralist
because there were already settled
Persians, Arabs, Chinese.
The Chinese were the ones who first came here,
2000 or 3000 B.C they have come to Banda.
They call this land Wentan, it means Banda.
Their influence is very strong,
until now our traditions and religion in Banda
is influenced by Chinese culture,
for example Chinese flag
in almost in every old mosque
there is a flag originally from China.
So it was repaired and they made flags
shaped like fish tail as if Chinese influence.
Then there was the Chinese writing
that they themselves did not understand.
In mihrabs (prayer niche) of mosques
there were also reliefs
that 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.
After Banda was completely empty
and had no more residents,
then VOC or the Netherlands brought people from
Java, Sumatera, Kalimantan, Sulawesi
and various places in Indonesia.
This was what then made Banda
as the only place in eastern Indonesia
had multicultural and multiethnic.
The people of Banda today
are composed of various ethnic groups.
Whether they were forcibly imported as slaves,
some were contract laborers, some were exiles.
There are three kinds of societies brought here.
The indigenous Banda, still about 15% 115,000.
Then there were mixed marriages between them.
This mix marriages have been
going on for so long, hundreds of years.
Finally, the identity of their indigenousness,
their initial identity, began to fade.
Then they have a new identity as Banda people.
This is what I call
the second generation of Banda people.
The first generation was up to 1621,
After that there was a new generation
of Banda which went on to this day.
Today, you can feel strong acculturation
that we can see in the cakalele dance.
The cakalele dance itself depicts
the entire cultural blend ever entered
and intersected with Banda Naira itself.
The hat itself is a war hat
used by Portuguese troops.
They lost and surrendered to the King
and that hat was finally
worn and juxtaposed on
the heads of the cakalele troops themselves.
Then we go further to cakalele clothes,
why the clothes are dominant in red.
The Chinese believe that red is the color of luck.
Yellow is the color that came from India.
Because at that time Banda also
had contact with the kingdom of Majapahit.
In year ...more or less,
until finally the Princess of Banda
was married to the last King of
the Majapahit kingdom.
Talking about Banda people today,
they seem to forget the cultures
and the pride of the Banda people,
such as the cultures that came from
the land of Java or Sumatra
or Kalimantan, some of the cultures have been lost,
such as way-mg golek is already lost.
No one can play the gamelan,
no more people can play
Javanese musical instruments
and cultures from Sumatra they began to disappear.
People no longer play the big tambourine
with the attractions,
had seen before.
There is also debuts, which has no regeneration.
They pretend to enjoy night entertainments,
spend time with TV and in the met
rather than learning the history
and culture of Banda.
I LOVE WIDOW
FUNGKYMN/IA
For the people of Banda today
the former splendor of archaeological sites,
monuments, and great historical stories
are only seen as strings of shadows of the past.
I climbed trees, got down, pick the fruits,
sort the good fruits and put them in the perk.
I was paid 300 Rupiahs for 1000 fruits.
Now I make Suami, sell them
and collect the money I made for school fees.
Suami is made of cassava.
Buy one sack, peel, split, make into suami and sell.
In afternoons like this,
I steamed five or six and I carry them around,
selling by yelling, 'Suami... Suami! like that.
Although nutmeg remains an important part
which is predicted to increase in demand.
The fact that the bad post-harvest management
mastery of the results
and the difficult access makes Banda nutmeg
no longer the primary choice.
We often receive explanations
from the agricultural service
that Banda nutmeg has no customers.
Even compared to Grenada or Sri Lanka.
Still Banda nutmeg is the best.
However,
but it depends on how we manage it.
If we use the post-harvest
like our parents did,
there may not be any problem.
But here is different now.
Just the way this post-harvest managed
that makes the quality of
Banda nutmeg decrease a little.
The nutmeg is placed directly in the curing site.
It is dehydrated there and
the process needs a very long time.
These nutmeg farmers do not have
any curing place now,
so they are just relying on the sun.
It takes only five days so they assume it is dried,
then they continue to sell immediately,
maybe due to their economic needs,
hastily sold.
We know if the nutmeg is not completely dry,
fungus will grow on it.
These fungi distinguish
the quality of nutmeg then and now.
If nutmeg is dehydrated through curing or dry oven
can reach 95% to 100% dehydration,
to the extent there is no water content whatsoever.
But if we just put them under the sun
for a short time,
they think it is already dried but
actually there 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 intact.
It is not easily wrinkled.
What makes me jealous or hungry,
the Nutmeg is so good, the curing is so good
but there is no difference in price
with the nutmeg that is not dry enough.
That sometimes makes me feel very jealous.
After Japan went away,
the government took over
all of these assets or plantations
that had been previously managed by the 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,
Soekharno took over
and then handed to
the Provincial Government of Maluku.
Then the Maluku Provincial Government
is working with
the Banda Heritage Foundation.
But that too did not work
because of its 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.
Later they gave the money to the company
But gradually the company went bankrupt.
It is proven that with the system,
company did not get any results
because there are big traders
in Surabaya who control the market.
If the 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 company loss.
If within 1 year you yield 1.2 Billion,
even after you pay all the employees,
there is still so much left,
but why a loss?
The fact is employees are not paid,
there are debts of Billions of Rupiahs,
where did all the crops g0?
Nothing?
That means corruption.
When the harvest was abundant,
suddenly the price is decreased.
And when we ask them
about how come the price is decreased,
they said Surabaya determined the prices.
Who are these Surabaya people?
How can they just dictate the price?
The price supposedly depends on the exporter,
to whom we sell the product
lf the exporter has high price
then automatically we will
give higher price to the farmers as well.
It all depends on
the price mechanism from the higher level.
Imagine how abundant the nutmeg crops are,
but how little we get ...the money
There is no hope for these nutmegs.
Nothing.
I don't even know how to answer.
We are working hard to live tomorrow,
and work tomorrow to stay alive the next day
That goes on every day for a year.
I feel pity for the people, these farmers.
Because in Banda Besar, 60% to 70%
livelihood of these inhabitants are nutmeg farmers.
It should be up to the farmers,
to whom they want to sell their harvest.
Up to them, its their harvest.
Despite having a pluralism charmer
the people's lives in Banda are not completely free
from the tenor of intolerance
and horizontal conflicts.
911999,
when religious conflicts hit Maluku.
Banda which for hundreds of years
was built on a multicultural foundation
was also part of the sad story.
I did not expect at all to see for myself
this kind of riot happening in the Moluccas.
And the impact eventually reached Banda.
At one time, happened to be...
There was a party,
there may have been alcoholic drinks involved,
and there was a fight on the island of Hatta
and there were casualties.
And it was then rumored
that someone was killed because of religious conflict.
The chaos was big in Banda.
Until there were a lot of burnings in the city of Naira.
And I was sitting with my daughters,
we watched the fire in the city of Naira.
I did not think
that the incident will reach our place.
Stones were thrown from all sides.
I finally secured my family
in an empty house that I considered safe,
I kept telling them
'just lock everything from inside, nothing will happen.
Then I went back home
to retrieve the documents I left behind.
Suddaby they started to come close
and surrounded the house.
The doors were broken open,
slammed here and there.
So I was in a panic.
So I jumped out of the window.
I was about to be hacked but because it was dark,
I could still save myself.
And there happened to be an empty house again,
well, not empty but all of the people were outside.
Without them knowing, I hid under the bed,
I could not hide my whole body,
because there were these objects below the bed,
broken glasses, and all.
I had a bad feeling.
There was a sweeping.
People shouting in the streets
a lot of people,
Find Pongky! Kill him!
He is not Indonesian! He is a Dutchman!
Kill him! Pull out his eyes!
Chop him up like 'bakasang'!
I thought to myself, this is it.
It turned out they did not see my legs protruding.
They left the house and still shouting.
Five minutes later I got out.
I heard there was a new sweeping there,
I dug a hole in the sand
and I lay there buried myself under the 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.
I got out of the sand.
Hid behind a school in the plantation area,
and went into the plantation area.
Until night time.
At that night,
I wanted to know the condition of my family.
So, there happened to be
a relative of mine 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 Family was butchered, all dead.
Hell my whole body was weak instantly, I collapsed.
I asked for three cigarettes,
he gave me three cigarettes with the matches,
and l returned to my hiding place.
Not far, about 20 meters walking I realized
that they did come to the house and attacked.
Ah, l thought my family is gone.
All dead. Then what's the use of me living?
They might as well kill me now.
My mind was made up at that time.
So, I went back to my relative's house.
When I reached his house again,
I saw there were a lot of people.
Determined to die, I yelled at them.
Who are you looking for?
Looking for me? This is Pongky!
Ah when they heard me,
immediately they surrounded me
in the shape of a horseshoe with me in the middle.
They told me to take off my shoes, I did.
I prayed silently
I asked God to forgive me
and the rest of my family
I was ready to die.
Right before I closed my eyes,
I saw them stepping towards me with their machetes,
and suddenly I heard this single voice shouted.
It was the security officer from the army
He saved me.
He held my hand
while aiming his gun to the people surrounding me.
Shouted to them not to move.
That's it. I was saved.
Tracing the dark streets of Banda and today's nutmeg
is an attempt to retrieve the former glory.
Learn how the fall occurs
for a better possibility in the future.
My name is Shaflra Boflen.
Now I work in Babalagun hotel.
Previously I went to Ambon for college
and came back here in 2014.
I want to do something for Banda.
I still think if it is not us young people,
then who else?
Because I have so many friends
who studied in college,
but they went away instead of coming back here.
I'm sure five years in the future,
there will be more people in Banda than it is now.
I hope in the future more younger generation
learn further 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.
So learn about who we are.
We learn and must keep learning.
And I also wish
for those 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 often call me Mita.
While I stay in Banda,
I am helping my family take care of our hotel.
I also have a Colorful Generation Foundation.
We teach children to be creative
as well to know more about their environment,
to increase further awareness that we need trees,
and we really need the sea.
Banda can be developed as a site for cultural visits.
I know we have beautiful natural sceneries,
marine resources are very good,
but I think more people can go to Banda
to see the historical sites.
I hope visits to Banda can happen more regularly.
I really do not want Banda to be the second Bali.
With hundreds of thousands of people just visiting,
walking around,
without any understanding of what they see
because all you can see here,
the perkenier houses, the fortress,
the churches, they are so unique.
I especially hope cultural tourism can be developed.
Apparently, we have history of greatness,
have a great culture have a kind society
have a familiar and open society
and therefore they have high expectations
of Banda in the future.
These expectations, among others,
have been realized by themselves,
which is to make Banda as a World Heritage site.
Banda may go forward to be modem society
but we must stay like this.
We must live within our cultural value system,
we are mutually respecting one another,
these relationship of intimacy needs
to be continuously maintained,
we do not want to be a modern Banda
but the society is 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.
They are now filled with government offices
that do not depict the old citt of Naira at all.
There is a school there, prosecutor's office
as well as a Ministry of Religious
Affairs office and so on.
Nothing is left.
It used to be an open green space.
There was the statue of William Ill
and there used to be enough place
for people to relax there.
There is also office of the subdistrict head,
the village head's house in the place that
used to be an open space.
Well they want the future Banda
to maintain its authenticity
To remain 17th century colonial city.
ATALE FOR DIEN TNVIAELA
l am Pattiradjawane
Whom the gods watch over,
I alone.
I am Pattiradjawane
Foam of the sea.
The sea is my blood.
I am Pattiradjawane
When I was born
The gods brought me an oar
I am Pattiradjawane
guarding the nutmeg groves.
I am fire on the shore.
Whoever COITIES HEBI'
Must call my name three times.
In the nighttime quiet, seaweed dances
To the sound of my drum,
Nutmeg trees become maidens' bodies
And live till dawn.
Dance!
Be happy!
Forget everything!
But take care not to make me angry.
I'll kill the nut trees,
stiffen the maidens,
I'll bring down the gods!
I'm in the night, in the day
In the rhythm of the seaweed and in fire
That roasts the island...
I am Pattiradjawane
Whom the gods watch over,
I alone.
Chairil Anwar
'Forgetting a nation's historical past,
will only bring the demise of its future.'