Saturday, 22 January 2011
Banda, the nutmeg treasure islands
 The seven tiny Banda Islands in Maluku, located some 250 kilometers southeast
of the province capital Ambon, have become such a backwater in recent decades
that few people in the country or beyond either know of their existence and of
their major historical importance.
It’s hard to imagine that 500 years ago they probably held a similar kind of
status in international trading importance as the Gulf States do today with regard
to oil. As a result of their commercial value, they became the center of developing
European colonial geopolitical tensions in the 16th century that led to an amazing
land-swap involving one of the Banda Islands and another area of island real estate.
As the only source of the world’s supply of nutmeg and mace in the middle ages,
the Banda Islands were one of the main driving forces behind modern European international
relations and ultimately the early history of colonialism in the East Indies from
the 16th century onwards.
First, the Portuguese, then the Spanish and finally the Dutch and the English
competed to outdo each other in terms of seafaring technology and mapmaking skills.
They were all striving to track down the illusive source of eastern spices that
found their way to the lucrative European markets only via traders and merchants
in the Middle East.
In the Elizabethan days, nutmeg was more valuable than gold by weight, as the
nutmeg nut was believed to be a cure for the dreaded plague that was devastating
populations across Europe at that time. With so much potential wealth at stake,
it was only a matter of time before one of the European powers would subjugate
the Banda Islands in an attempt to create a monopoly controlling the sale of nutmeg
and mace.
In the face of stiff opposition, this goal was eventually achieved by the Dutch
East Indies Company (VOC). Founded in 1602, the VOC gradually undermined the developing
English presence in the East Indies over the next 20 years. The Bandanese natives
paid a terrible price for resisting the Dutch — almost all were either slaughtered
or transported in dreadful conditions to Java and a life of slavery.
One small group managed to escape the Dutch in their long-boats, heading southeast
into the open ocean, and finally settling on Kei Besar, one of the Kei Islands
chain close to Papua. In the village of Banda Elat, on Kei Besar, the last and
probably dying trace of the original Bandanese language can still be found today.
The English had tried to resist the Dutch by holding out on the furthermost island
of Run, but they were eventually worn down by starvation and forced into capitulation.
However, England never accepted Dutch sovereignty; at least not until the Treaty
of Breda was finally signed on April 18, 1667. This agreement gave England control
of the small island of Manhattan (at that time known as New Amsterdam) in return
for English acquiescence to the Dutch gaining sovereignty over Run, thereby changing
the course of history on the other side of the globe.
 But the economic importance of the Bandas was only fleeting. With the Napoleonic
wars raging across Europe, the English returned to the Bandas in the early 19th
century, temporarily taking over control from the Dutch. This gave the English
an opportunity to uproot hundreds of valuable nutmeg seedlings and transport them
to their own colonies in Ceylon and Singapore, breaking forever the Dutch monopoly
and consigning the Bandas to economic decline and irrelevance.
The Islands momentarily returned to prominence in the 1930s, when the Dutch colonial
government exiled two staunch anti-colonialists to the Islands: Mohammad Hatta,
later Indonesia’s first vice-president, and Sutan Sjahrir, a prime minister.
Despite their illustrious history, the Banda Islands today are a quiet overgrown
tropical backwater, where time seems to have passed the Islands by. With a total
population of 15,000, almost no cars, and tenuous transport links to Ambon, the
Islands have largely missed out on the country’s economic resurgence.
Until recently, the main link to the outside world was through two ships operated
by state-run shipping firm PT Pelni that called into the tiny harbor of Bandaneira
every week or two.
When a Pelni ship is expected in port, the normally sleepy town of Bandaneira
comes alive with activity and excitement: the harbor area is transformed into
a thriving mass of humanity, as hundreds of passengers and porters struggle to
ascend or descend the narrow gangway up the side of the ship.
 The town’s main street, Jl. Pantai, becomes one continuous food stall, as local
women set up shop to sell freshly cooked fish, rice, sago and vegetables to travelers
and townsfolk alike. This transformation is all the more curious when the ship
docks in the early hours of the morning, when most residents would be fast asleep
in their beds. The Bandas were also linked to Ambon by a weekly 14-seater Cessna
aircraft, although the flights were at best unreliable. However, a new small airline
using similar aircraft has started operating a twice-weekly service between Ambon
and Bandaneira, and this has the potential to transform tourism on the Islands
in the years ahead — assuming that the new air service manages to hold its own.
So small is Bandaneira that the airstrip runs from one side of the island to
the other. In fact, a short extension to the island has been constructed to ensure
that arriving aircraft do not run off the end of the runway into the sea.
But in contrast to the excitement generated by the port in anticipation of the
ship’s arrival, a small airfield remains a sleepy place – cows graze unconcerned
by the side of the airstrip, small girls ride their bicycles up and down the tarmac
and couples sit and chat by their motorcycles on balmy tropical evenings. Those
travelers who do manage to make the journey to the Bandas are rewarded by experiencing
a unique and historic jewel in Indonesia’s archipelagic crown.
The history of the Bandas remain much in evidence, especially in the architecture
of the main town, Bandaneira, and the five decaying fortresses that are found
on the three more important nutmeg-producing Islands of Bandaneira, Banda Besar
and Pulau Ai. There can be few towns in the world where rusting 18th century canon
lie forgotten in the main street. Many of the original nutmeg plantations also
remain, although they are far less intensively managed today than in the heyday
of the colonial era.
In colonial times, the small indigenous nutmeg trees were found to produce more
nutmeg if they were shaded by taller trees. As a result, the plantations today
are protected by huge kenari trees, many of which must be more than 300 years
old and are still used to produce kenari nuts. For those energetic enough, there
is the challenge of climbing the still active Gunung Api volcano that dominates
Bandaneira. The volcano’s peak affords exceptional views across the Islands and
even as far as the coast of Seram, almost 150 kilometers to the north.
The possibilities for snorkeling are exceptional and the Bandas have some of
the most pristine dive-sites found anywhere in the country. Despite this, their
inaccessibility means that the Islands are only really accessible to live-aboard
diving operators based in Ambon. Large pods of up to 100 dolphins are a common
sighting in the channels between the Islands and can often be followed by boat
as they jump and play. The Islands are also graced with a number of superb almost-deserted
white sandy beaches.
A pleasure that makes the Banda Islands so unique is their relative lack of development.
This affords those who make it that far the opportunity to escape from the pressures
of a busy world and relax away from the distractions of modernity. There can be
few better places to take half a dozen good books, or perhaps today a Kindle,
in order to catch up on some reading.
Getting there
There are now four Indonesian airlines that fly at least once daily to Ambon,
the main jumping point for Bandaneira. Just this year, a new twice weekly air-link
has started to be run by Nusantara Buana Air (NBA). They fly a return trip on
Wednesday and Saturday mornings, the flight taking about 50 minutes. Tickets can
be arranged through PT Travel Alief in Ambon, Tel. (0911) 3331 765.
Alternatively, two ships by state-run shipping firm PT Pelni sail to Bandaneira
from Ambon once every fortnight. The fastest Pelni ship takes about five hours
to sail from Ambon to Bandaneira.
When to go
It is possible to go to the Banda Islands all year round, but the seas are calmest
and the skies clearest from April to June and from September to November.
Where to stay
Most people stay in Bandaneira. There are several small guesthouses, including
Vita (0911) 21332; Mutiara (0911) 21344; and Delfika (0911) 21027. The only hotel
is the rather pricey Hotel Maulana (0911) 21022. Pulau Ai and Pulau Banda Besar
(at Lonthoir) also have modest guesthouses.
Getting around
The main island of Bandaneira is easily walkable, although becak (pedicab) and
ojek (motorcycle taxi) can make things easier if required. Public boats serve
the other main Islands, but guesthouses also arrange boat charters with snorkeling
stops for up to Rp 500,000 (US$55.5) for a day trip to Run, Neilaka and Ai. Diesel
boats are cheaper than outboards, but slower and noisier.
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