| Page updated January 15 2009 |
This article is reprinted from the Lion Air Inflight magazine Lionmag of July-August 2009,
text and photographs by Peter Milne |
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The Bandas, Indonesia’s half forgotten Spice Islands. |
| The active volcano of Gunung Api dominates the Banda islands. |
Ask most Indonesians where the Banda islands are located and the chances are you will see a momentary frown followed by a scratching of the head. This is not altogether surprising, as the Bandas are so small that they do not even appear on many maps; for example, The Times Atlas of the World fails to record their presence. The degree to which this miniature collection of seven islands lying some 250km south east of Ambon in the middle of the Banda Sea has been forgotten today is in stark contrast to the Bandas immense value and importance 500 years ago
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The active volcano Gunung Api dominates the Banda Islands (above)
A PELNI ship leaving Bandaneira port (left)
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As the sole source of the world's supply of nutmeg (pala) and mace, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that the Bandas were one of the main driving forces in the development of European international relations and ultimately the early history of colonialism in the East Indies from the fifteenth century onwards. First the Portuguese, then the Spanish and finally the Dutch and the English strove to hone their seafaring technology and map-making skills in order to track down the illusive source of the eastern spices that, up until the fifteenth century, had found their way to European markets only through traders and merchants in the middle east. In Elizabethan days, nut meg 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. 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 and create a monopoly controlling the sale of nutmeg and mace. This goal was achieved by the Dutch East Indies Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, or VOC),founded in 1602 which
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gradually undermined the Dutch presence over the next 20 years. The indigenous Bandanese natives paid a terrible price for resisting the Dutch, almost all were either slaughtered or transported in dreadful conditions by ship to Java, to be used as slaves. One small group of locals managed to escape the Dutch in their long-boats, finally settling on Kei Besar, one of the Kei islands close to PapuaIn the village of Banda Elat the last traces 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 the group. called Run, but they were eventually worn down by starvation and forced to capitulate. However. the English never accepted Dutch sovereignty; at least not until the Treaty of Breda was finally signed on 18 April 1667. This remarkable agreement gave the English control of the small island of Manhattan (then known as New Amsterdam) in return for English acquiescence to the Dutch keeping Run. changing the course of history on the other side of the globe.The economic importance of the Bandas was not to last forever, however with the Napoleonic wars raging across Europe the English returned to the Bandas in the early nineteenth 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, Pinang :-
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Clockwise, Thick face powder is used as sun block and skin care, Banda’s Airstrip is more often used as a children’s playground than by airplanes. A Whiteboard is most suitable for the often changing ferry schedules. |
and Singapore, breaking forever the Dutch monopoly and consigning the Bandar to economic decline and irrelevance. The islands momentarily returned to prominence in the 1930s, when the Dutch exiled two staunch anti-colonialists: Mohammed Hatta, who would later become Indonesia's first vice-president, and Sutan Sjahrir, who would later serve as prime minister.
Despite their illustrious history, the Banda islands today are a quiet half-forgotten backwater, where time seems to have passed the islands by. With a total population of 12,000, no cars, and infrequent transportation links to Ambon, the islands have largely missed out on Indonesia's economic development
Today, the main link to the outside world are two Pelni ships that call at the tiny harbour of Bandaneira every week or two. When a Pelni ship is expected into port, the entire town of Bandaneira comes alive: the harbour is transformed into a thriving mass of activity, as hundreds of passengers and porters struggle to ascend or descend the narrow gangway up the side of the ship. Normally sleepy and quiet the town’s main street becomes one
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continuous string of warungs (foodstalls) as the local women set up shops to sell freshly cooked fish, rice, sago to townsfolk and travelers. This transformation is all the more surprising when it occurs in the early hours of the morning, when the Pelni ships often arrive.
The Bandas are also linked to Ambon by a weekly 14-seater Cessna aircraft, although these flights can be unreliable and are frequently cancelled. 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 and into the sea. But in contrast to the excitement generated at the port in anticipation of the arrival of a Pelni ship, the 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 in the balmy tropical evenings.
Despite the challenges of traveling to the Banda islands, those intrepid travelers who do make the journey are rewarded by experiencing a unique and historic jewel in Indonesia's archipelagic crown. The history of the Banda remains 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 :-
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The grounds of Fort Nassau |
The entrance to Fort Nassau, the first
fort built on Bandaniera in 1607 |
...there is always the challenge of climbing the still active Gunung Api volcano
that dominates Bandaneira
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nutmeg producing islands, Although 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 are over 300 years old and are still used to produce kenari nuts for export to Europe. The kenari nuts are similar in taste to almonds and used to make marzipan. 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 150km to the north. The possibilities for snorkeling are exceptional and the Bandas have some of the most pristine dive-sites found anywhere in Indonesia. Despite this, their inaccessibility means that the islands are rarely visited by diving operators.
Large pods of up to one hundred dolphin are a common sighting in the channels between the islands and can often be followed by boat as they play. The islands are also graced with a number of superb almost-deserted white sandy beaches.
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But one of the pleasures that make the Banda islands so unique is its lack of development. This affords those who make it that far the opportunity to escape from distractions of modernity. There can be few better places to take half a dozen good books in their immense and unique history for tourist, slow internet access — plans are afoot to bring mobile telephone coverage in the near future. If the transport links to and from Ambon could be improved and made profitable then the Bandas are likely to evolve rapidly, as people start to realize and then exploit their immense potential and unique history for tourism. |
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| Lobsters are part of Banda’s abundant harvest from the sea. |
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