Journal From The Spice Islands
September 2014
Everyone’s heard of the ‘Spice Islands’ but even today not many could pinpoint their
whereabouts on a map. For many hundreds of years nutmeg, mace and cloves had been
finding their way to Egypt and Europe from these islands along the Spice Route, the Silk
Route and the Cinnamon Route. Despite the popularity and great demand for the spices,
few people knew where they were being grown.
For centuries the Chinese and Arab merchants had visited these islands trading silks,
cottons, vases, coffee and ivory for nutmeg, mace and cloves. When Marco Polo visited
Southern China in the 1200’s he collected samples of cloves which he believed to be grown
locally. He can be forgiven for this assumption as the crude harvesting techniques used
then involved breaking off the entire clove-bearing branch instead of picking the cloves
individually, as is the technique today.
So Where Are The Spice Islands?
Now known as the Moluccas or Maluku, the Spice Islands are located in Indonesia’s northeast region, between Sulawesi and Papua New Guinea and northeast of Timor. Despite
their relatively small size, for hundreds of years they were the only producers of nutmeg,
mace and cloves in the world. What at first appeared to be a blessing became a lingering
curse under the expanding military greed of Europe.
Once the Spice Islands had been located, Portugal, followed closely by Holland, Spain,
France and England claimed these islands as theirs and only theirs, preventing trade with
all other nations. The Spice Islanders had other ideas as they’d already been trading with
Egypt, Arabia and China for over two thousand years. As Venice increased its stranglehold
on the availability and price of these exotic commodities, Portugal’s answer was to find and
deal directly with the source. This was never going to be easy as trade in those days was
not simply a matter of loading a vessel and sailing from Asia to Europe. Ships were
comparatively small; a vessel would transport the cargo of nutmeg and cloves from the
plantations to a port in Java or Sumatra where the cargo would then be unloaded and sold
onto a merchant there. This journey may have taken a few weeks or longer depending on
the season and thus the prevailing winds. In turn the buying merchants would load it onto
ships that traded with Malacca or Calicut on the Malabar Coast of India. These cargoes
would change hands many times before they reached Aden where they were transported
by camel train through the Arabian Kingdoms (paying heavy taxes along the way) to
Damascus, Antioch and Gaza or through Egypt to Alexandria. The merchants in these
Levant ports would ship them on to Venice, Genoa and Pisa. As much as a year would pass
before a cargo from the Spice Islands reached its destination.
The increase in trade created many prosperous cities and changed the face of the world
forever. By the time the cargoes reached their destination, the original price had multiplied
by up to one thousand times. This profit margin alone provided a catalyst for Europe’s
Golden Age of Discovery.
Today we may be blessed with GoogleMaps but in the
early 1400’s it took the merchants and ship’s captains of
Portugal almost 100 years and many costly, failed
expeditions to locate the Spice Islands. In 1512 the only
two vessels left in Antonio de Abreu’s sorely diminished
armada sailed into the Banda Islands where he presented
gifts to the elders and began his mission of exploration and
trade - a precursor to the coming years of conquest and
plunder.
An early impetus for increased demand in Europe had
been the first Crusades (1096 to 1099). The English armies
were fed on meats that were not only tasty but didn’t turn
rancid quickly. The nutmeg and cloves that were more
readily available in Jerusalem not only helped preserve
meats but distinctly improved the flavour. When the Crusaders returned to England they
wanted to carry on with their new-found culinary preferences. Increased demand only
pushed the price higher fuelling a greater desire for exploration.
The European merchants had no real knowledge of where these spices originated, only that
they came from “somewhere further east”. Even if they knew where the Spice Islands lay,
no Arab or Chinese merchant was going to readily give away that profitable secret to the
European traders and risk losing his cut.
“Whoever is Lord of Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice.“
Tome Pires, apothecary, traveller and author of a landmark book on Asian trade,
the Suma Oriental que trata do Mar Roxo até aos Chins
(Summa of the East, from the Red Sea up to the Chinese)
Visit the Siwalima Museum in Ambon and you’ll see the location, ownership and dates of
the 75 forts that were built in these islands to safeguard European financial interests. At
one point nutmeg and cloves had become more valuable than gold itself. Two fully laden
cargo vessels could carry in value an entire year’s treasury revenue of any major European
country.
Being first to establish colonies in the Spice Islands, the Portuguese ‘forts’ were well-built
trading posts rather than defensive military fortifications. This may be why the Dutch took
them over so easily, as they also did in the late 1500’s at Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Negombo
and Galle in Sri Lanka.
None of the new European ‘masters’ seemed prepared to work in conjunction with the
locals. Wherever the Portuguese went, they treated the indigenous population with
military brutality. This gave rise to the locals welcoming the Dutch to help remove the
Portuguese. The Dutch simply replaced the Portuguese as harsh masters. Treachery became
commonplace on both sides; peace treaties and strategic alliances were signed and wilfully
ignored.
Such belligerent activity wasn’t happening only in the Spice Islands. The period 1500 - 1800
was an era of civil war and military conflict and colonial expansion all over the globe Europe, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Asia, the Spanish and Portuguese conquests of the
Inca and Aztec Empires and the new Americas.
Jan Pieterszoon Coen
Indelibly etched into the memory of the Banda Islanders is
the era of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, a Dutch sailor who is
acknowledged as being the founder of Batavia (Jakarta).
Coen rose through the ranks to become Governor General of
the East Indies. In 1609 Coen survived an ambush in the
Banda Islands that killed Admiral Verhoven and 42 Dutch
sailors. Waiting just over a decade to exact his revenge, he
amassed a fleet of 13 vessels and 1500 men including many
Japanese mercenaries and in 1521 arrived at the islands
where he set about massacring 14,000 of the 15,000
inhabitants. Women and children were not spared. Those
who survived became slaves in their own plantations and
were subjected to extremely harsh conditions. A long-term consequence is that the people
of Banda Island today carry the DNA not so much from the indigenous natives of the
region but from the Dutch and Japanese soldiers, the Chinese, Arabic and Malay traders
that visited and the imported slaves that were forced to work here.
The East India Companies
The East India Companies were chartered companies with government-granted trading
monopolies in Asia. They issued joint stock shares to the investors and by their actions
became the first multinational corporations in the world. These were extremely powerful
entities with delegated powers to start wars, negotiate treaties, imprison & execute convicts
and establish colonies.
In the Spice Islands, local growers were forced to accept a considerably lower price than
ever before for their spices and given useless heavy woollen blankets and unwanted goods
from Holland as payment.
Although East India Companies were also established in Britain, Portugal,
France and other European nations, by far the most well-resourced,
innovative and successful was the Dutch East India Company, or Vereenigde
Oostindische Compagnie, (VOC). To give you some idea of just how successful
VOC became 400 years ago, its highest market value (adjusted for inflation)
would be US$7 trillion today - ten times the size of Apple. It was not the European
Governments but the East India Companies that built these 75 forts and suppressed the
locals to protect a lucrative income stream.
I grew up believing the pirates of history to be villainous swashbucklers like Blackbeard
and Long John Silver, or Elizabethan slave traders such as Jack Hawkins but these
legendary figures were mere pickpockets compared with the East India Companies, the real
pirates of the sea, displaying avarice on a much grander scale, killing whoever got in their
way and doing it under the protective laws granted by their governments.
What the Europeans prized so highly:
Used in small amounts to flavour foods, Nutmeg has
essential medicinal properties such as a relief from
bad breath, headaches, stomach ailments and fevers.
It has also been used as aphrodisiac.
How nutmeg first arrived in the Banda Islands
remains a mystery. Unlike the coconut which can
survive a migration in salt water and grow on new shores, the nutmeg is the seed of an
evergreen tree and cannot survive such unfavourable conditions. Successful propagation of
nutmeg also requires a male and a female tree.
Mace
Mace is part of the nutmeg fruit, the red lacy binding that surrounds the nutmeg kernel
itself. Nutmeg and mace are however separate spices. Mace has higher concentrations of
certain essential oils and offers a more intense aroma than nutmeg. Also used to flavour
foods and relieve toothache, other active properties include anti-fungal, anti-depressant,
aphrodisiac, digestive, and carminative (relieves flatulence) functions.
The outer fleshy part of the nutmeg is commonly used to make a delicious nutmeg jam, oil,
soaps, & shampoos, creams, candles, sweets that are non-toxic (nutmeg candy is famous in
the area), non-irritant and non-sensitising.
Cloves
In addition to the sweet aromatic scent they
provide for incense and perfumes, cloves are
universally popular to freshen the breath. As
far back as 200BC Chinese courtiers would
keep cloves in their mouths to freshen their
breath when addressing the Emperor.
Cloves are nutrient-rich. From a medical perspective cloves have been used to treat
intestinal disorders, diabetic tendencies and parasitic infestations (cloves are extremely
effective against parasite eggs). They also have antioxidant, anti-septic, local anaesthetic,
anti-inflammatory, rubefacient (warming and soothing) and anti-flatulent properties.
Visiting The Spice Islands
For many years I’ve had an urge to visit the Spice Islands. It may have been a genetic
imperative handed down from my Great Uncle Willie’s seafaring days. Willie was an
engineer from the Clyde who regularly crewed on cargo ships from Hong Kong to
Indonesian waters to trade for spices, rope and timber. Willie’s regular ports-of-call
included Batavia (now Jakarta), Pontianak in West Kalimantan and Ujung Pandang (now
Makassar) in the Celebes Islands (now Sulawesi). He ended his seafaring career as Chief
Purser on the Queen Mary, now a hotel in Longbeach, California.
Most flights today from Bali to the hub city
of Ambon go via Surabaya. Rather than
wait a few hours in a Surabaya transit
lounge we decided to discover the delights
of the city for ourselves. It’s been many
years since I travelled through the Borneo
jungle sleeping on the ground, pulling off
leeches in the morning, or curling up on a
coiled rope to catch some sleep on the deck
of a Portuguese sardine boat before we hauled
Hotel Majapahit, Surabaya
the nets in. I’ve been there and thoroughly enjoyed it, but today I welcome the luxuries of a
decent hotel and a hot shower. We chose Surabaya’s Hotel Majapahit and were so pleased
to have had a chance to stay somewhere with a history and a grandeur that so many other
hotels lack these days.
Staying overnight at the Hotel Majapahit also gave me an opportunity to buy some
equipment for my camera that I would need in the coming weeks. I located and telephoned
a local camera shop to confirm they had what I wanted and jumped into a Bluebird Taxi
driven by my new friend Bambang. With the confidence of an experienced taxi driver,
Bambang nodded when I told him where I wanted to go and said “Yes. Very close, very
close”. It turned out that “very close” to Bambang meant 30 minutes away. Arriving at the
shop the assistant told me that he’d taken my call and yes they had exactly what I wanted
….in their other shop. Bambang confirmed that the other shop was indeed “very close”
and 45 minutes later we arrived there.
Back at the hotel with the new camera
part, I asked Bambang if he would wait
for a few minutes and then drive us to
visit the old Arab Souk in the north of
the city. Bambang knew exactly where
the souk was, or at least he knew
exactly where he thought the souk was.
With a little help from local residents
we located the it and spent an hour in
the many busy alleys, being welcomed
by the shopkeepers
Buying dates in the souk
At 8pm Bambang presented me with a final taxi bill of only IDR340,000 (£17/USD 29).
Exceptional value for almost 4 hours driving!
Ambon, Ambon Island
Images of Fort Amsterdam, North Ambon
There were many highlights to visiting Ambon, the first of which was a chance to visit
Benteng (Fort) Amsterdam on the north coast. Originally built as a trading post by the
Portuguese in 1512 under Francisco Serrao (a cousin of Magellan), it fell into Dutch hands
during the 17th Century. Rebuilt as a defensive post in 1637, it was destroyed by an
earthquake in 1644. They didn’t have much luck as it was rebuilt the same year and again
destroyed in 1674 by another earthquake and tsunami that killed most of the 40 strong
garrison.
The fort saw little defensive action against other predatory European nations. It’s main use
was in containing local uprisings against Portuguese and Dutch rule. It ultimately fell into
neglect. The central blockhuis was recently renovated for the benefit of tourists and the
gardens around it now contain mature palm, mango, tamarind and clove trees.
Contributors to traveller’s websites such as Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor mention the
religious conflict between Muslims and Christians that occurred in the Moluccas between
1999 and 2002. The conflict killed thousands and displaced over half a million people.
Speaking with a retired Indonesian military advisor in Ambon he outlined the usual followthe-money argument behind it. Having lost control over East Timor and Banda Aceh
(Sumatra), the Indonesian military coffers were getting low. As the military machine rakes
in money during a conflict, the long standing distrust between Ambon and Java was
renewed. Insurgents were sent out to destabilise the region by inciting religious intolerance
and horrific fighting broke out, often between neighbours. The result was that the military
got what they wanted but fragile economies such as in the Banda Islands collapsed when
the Indian and Chinese merchants - often the lifeblood of local business - fled the area never
to return.
In 2009 the 34th World Peace Gong was erected
in the Ambon city centre to remind the people
of Maluku of a fundamental need for peace and
security…..and of course to bring the muchneeded tourist trade back to the region. On the
face of the gong, the national flags of all
countries around the world and the religious
symbols of Christianity, Islam, Judaism,
Buddhism, Hinduism and others are printed.
The Banda Islands
The six main Banda islands are Neira, Besar, Hatta, Api, Ai and Run. They are the original
sources of nutmeg. Although nutmeg remains a key export today, the islands also thrives
on tourism. Scuba divers say there is a unique opportunity to observe many species of fish;
more species, according to the naturalist and explorer Alfred Russell Wallace, “….than are
found in all the rivers, lakes and seas of Europe”.
They say that you haven’t been to the Moluccas unless you’ve had at least one flight
delayed. We clearly ‘made it’ as our journey to the Banda Islands was delayed by two days
and our return journey by another day. Arriving on a 16 seater DHC-6-300 with a 10 kg
luggage allowance (they weigh passengers as well) the plane touched down on the island
runway. Looming ahead is the omnipresent Gunung Api (fire mountain). Last erupting in
1988 it continues to spew noxious gases from the summit. Propellor plane enthusiasts
please click on the link (0:32) for the Banda Islands landing.
Before departing for the Banda Islands I’d read in a tourist’s recent blog about his trip to the
islands. He wrote that the local population was so familiar with overseas visitors that they
had become quite indifferent toward them. I found the opposite to be true. Everywhere we
went people smiled, waved and stopped us so they could practice their English. Excited
children shouted “Hello Mister” and “Hello Misses” and laughed with us. The fastest way
to become popular with children is to sit on a village wall and blow up 15 - 20 balloons.
Always remember to take a pump to inflate them! We were made welcome at a local
Muslim wedding and given guest-of-honour front row seats. The event was an
exceptionally friendly affair with everyone wanting to know where we came from and
whether we liked their islands. On a scooter journey to the beach one young lady pulled
over on her scooter having guessed that we’d become lost. “Are you looking for the beach?”
she asked. We smiled and nodded. “Follow me” she urged, beckoning us to follow her on
our scooter until we were back on the right track. “Where are you from?” she enquired
before we parted our ways. “Scotland” I replied, safe in the knowledge that the Scots hadn’t
contributed to the dark history of the area. It’s only conjecture on my part but maybe the
author of that tourist blog I’d read was an unfriendly type himself eliciting the same
response as he was giving out.
Gunung Api (Fire Mountain)
If you ever visit the Banda Islands and someone suggests that you climb the volcano, take
my advice…..don’t make a ‘yes’ decision lightly. The summit is only 667 metres high so it’s
not the height but the steep, unforgiving
path strewn with loose stones and volcanic
debris. I spoke with a member of one
group of two married couples that reached
the top in an early morning climb. One of
the women had become so exhausted from
the exertion, that she’d ‘hit the wall’ losing
her temper and refused to speak to her
husband. Anyone who suffered from such
physical exhaustion will be familiar with
the negative emotions that surface.
Gunung Api from Fort Belgica
Rising to the challenge of the climb we paid a boatman to ferry us across to the island and
started up the path. After 10 minutes of our upward trek, Phylipa elected to wait for me in
a small hut on the lower slopes so I continued upwards on my own. Not recommended!
Phylipa was the sensible one as not long into the journey I realised this was a 5-star assault
course and I was on a survival exercise….by myself.
I estimated that it would take another 45 minutes to the top, half an hour up there taking
pictures and another 45 minutes back down to where she waited. She listened and said: “If
you’re not back in four hours I’ll organise a rescue party”. I smiled and headed upwards. After
an hour I was still some way from the summit. Not only that - I was stopping to regain my
breath every twenty or so paces. Shouldering a bag full of camera equipment was more
then just a burden. About three-quarters of the way up I realised the summit had become
obscured by low clouds and continuing the ascent to take pictures had become pointless.
This was the excuse I needed and with much relief, turned and headed downhill again.
After a few steps it dawned on me - the way down would be considerably more difficult
that the ascent. Finding a way not to slip on the loose stones required sure footholds which
were unstable given my increasing downward acceleration. Bouncing on my rear end was
an inevitable aspect of the return journey; I was repeatedly saved from injury by grabbing
onto nearby branches and trees.
On our return to the water’s edge I asked a woman washing clothes how we could
summon a boat to take us back across the harbour. She gestured that she didn’t know.
After a short period of not-knowing-what-to-do-next, she called for the man at the only
house nearby. He listened to our plight, waded into the sea and re-floated a submerged
dugout inviting us to climb in. Our day was saved by him paddling us across the bay to
the jetty of our hotel.
Hotel Maulana, Banda Islands
Des Alwi was a well-known Indonesian
historian, advocate of independence,
diplomat, film maker, writer and promoter
of the Banda Islands. The adopted son of
Mohammad Hatta, the first Vice President of
Indonesia, Alwi was known as the ‘King of
Banda’ and a friend to everyone. Glance
through the visitor’s book of his Dutch
colonial-style Maulana Hotel to see the
entries of Princess Diana, Mick Jagger,
Jacques Cousteau as well as other
international celebrities and politicians.
Until Alwi died in 2010 the Maulana was the
finest place to stay. Our arrival at the hotel
was greeted by exceptional kindness from
the Manager Dede and crews of the
returning yachts from the annual Darwin to
Ambon yacht race. The wonderful thing I find about many yachtsmen is their ability to
create instant friendships and cement them with the opening of rapid-fire cold beers. When
I discovered that the single ATM machine on the island took only MasterCard (we of course
had Visa) one of the crew who we’d only just met over breakfast handed over one million
Indonesian Rupiah (about 100 Australian Dollars) just in case we needed it. We certainly
did and I gladly repaid it a month later when we reached Australia.
Since Alwi’s death and the area’s simmering religious conflict, the hotel has suffered as has
the local economy. In need of a coat of paint, a new roof and considerable maintenance, the
hotel remains in my opinion still the finest place to stay. There are certainly other island
guest houses offering lower tariffs, smarter rooms, cheaper
food and they go out of their way to get your business, but
they will never compete with the location and view that the
Maulana offers across the harbour to the shores of Gunung
Api. It’s the sort of place that you just want to buy, do up
and remain in for the rest of your life.
Walk between the outdoor breakfast tables, over the small
lawn to the water’s edge and you can dive 20 feet down into
the clear sea. Old Dutch cannons line the waterfront and a
capstan is mounted in the middle of the courtyard to secure
the ropes of the Pelni cruise liners that visit the islands
regularly.
Geology of the Banda Islands
Although the Banda Islands appear as pinnacles of an archipelago in a very deep sea, the
evolution of the area has puzzled geologists for years. Located at the centre of IndiaAustralia, the Eurasia and Pacific plates, the 1000 mile ‘Banda Arc’ comprises newly-formed
oceanic crust enclosed by an inner volcanic arc. The area is an extremely complex setting,
subjected to intense geological pressure where one plate slides under another, thereby
causing a sinking into the Earth's mantle.
This somehow contributes to life underwater as local scuba divers tell me it is possible to
see almost as much with a snorkel and mask a few feet below the surface as with scuba
gear many metres below. The friendly Napoleon Wrasse and a fearsome-looking Giant
Trevally presented themselves as did an abundance of smaller fish that glistened with every
colour imaginable. The occasional small shark would pass but offered neither interest nor
threat to our presence. I hoped they’d already had lunch.
The Forts of Banda
Over the years of occupation, eight (mostly Dutch) forts were built on the Banda Islands, or
seven if you don’t include the old trading post on Run. Being of vital importance to the
nutmeg trade and having wrested it from the Portuguese, the Dutch East India Company
ensured that their lucrative income stream was not going to be threatened.
The major irritant to the Dutch was the English. Of Banda’s main islands, the most
westerly island of Run (sometimes Rhun) found its way into English hands as a result of
strategic agreements after the Napoleonic Wars. Thus the small island of Run became
England’s first colony.
Retaining possession of Run proved difficult for England despite the persistent spoiling
tactics of Nathaniel Courthope and his men. With
only two ships, the Swan and Defense against
overwhelming odds, they held on for six years until
Courthope’s capture and death. (Read Nathaniel’s
Nutmeg by Giles Milton). Rather than continue Run
as a nutmeg-producing island, the Dutch instead
decided to destroy everything under a new
‘extirpation’ policy - destroying everything that
didn’t belong to them as a means of keeping prices
artificially high. OPEC merely copied this approach
to keep oil prices high today!
Extirpation: Those clove trees not controlled by the
VOC were uprooted and burned. In the case of Run
every adult male remaining on Run was killed;
women and children were enslaved. Despite
occasional attempts to regain Run by the English, it
remained a barren and uninhabited island.
Entrance: Fort Revenge, Ay Island
But not all was lost…..
The Treaty of Breda 1667, made sure that in return for England relinquishing all further
claims to Run, the former colony was exchanged for a small island on the east coast of the
Americas called Manhattan. Yes, that island.
Banda Besar (Big Island)
The big island is easily reachable by one of the many motorised ferry boats that ply the
harbour. The big island deserves a special mention for three reasons - it’s prestigious
plantation, the Blood Stone and the away football match we watched on Banda Neira (the
small island).
The island has been growing nutmeg for
over 2000 years. Today, a brisk hike up
the hill past the sacred well to the summit
will evidence magnificent sandalwood
trees as well as nutmeg, clove, papaya
and mango trees that are now owned by
the state, but allocated to the many
families living on the island. Many of
these trees are hundreds of feet high and
have stood proud in the plantation for
over 400 years. Standing here in the abundant shade I had a profound sense of history - it
was these plantations that lured sailors from many countries across the world. Because of
the prices paid and demand for nutmeg and cloves, the plantation in those early years must
have been amongst the most valuable real estate on the planet.
The Blood Stone marks one edge of the
plantation. It was on this stone that locals
caught selling nutmeg to anyone other than
the Dutch or breaking any of the harsh
regulations would swiftly lose a hand to a
downward swing of the machete blade.
There’s little left of Fort Hollandia on the
southern hills of the island but what a
strategic view it offered towards the
islands of Ai and Run. No ship would risk
the fire and brimstone that would rain
down should it dare to attack using the
western entrance to the harbour.
We quenched our thirst with an iced
cinnamon tea in a cafe while watching
fifteen minutes of a dubbed Tom Cruise speak fluent Indonesian on the HBO channel.
Beginning our journey back to the main island across the bright blue waters of the harbour
I asked why there were so many people crowding onto the small ferry boats. It turned out
that they were travelling over to Banda Neira for the inter-island football match to be
played that afternoon. Not wanting to miss out on a local event we were welcomed as
spectators, supporting of course the small island where our hotel was located. Banda Besar
(big island) were 2-1 up with about 10 minutes remaining when one of the host players
became a little too physical. A harsh tackle on a visiting player was ignored by the referee
but not the visiting supporters. Boos turned to jeers, stones were thrown at the offending
player, the referee and then the linesmen. Women and children were hurried away as the
conflict escalated and the game abandoned. Another valuable lesson learned from the
West!
Inter-Island travelling
I prefer flying in small propellor driven planes to commercial jets. During a flight over the
jungles of Borneo in the late 1970’s I asked the pilot of a Norman Islander that carried 4
other passengers if he could fly a little lower so I could take some pictures. Loving the
challenge we were soon flying 20 feet above a river with the tops of the trees on both sides
rising above us.
With that in mind I refrained from asking the cabin crew of the Dornier taking us from
Ambon to Ternate under what circumstances a passenger’s small pig in a wicker basket
could be considered hand luggage. Instead I gazed out the window and marvelled at the
tropical islands passing below us. These unspoiled sandy islands and the clear blue seas
surrounding them made me keen to return one day and sail in these waters, joining the
who’s who of sailors before me that includes Sir Frances Drake, Pierre Poivre (yes - Peter
Pepper) the French missionary turned French East India Company entrepreneur, and Juan
Sebastian Elcano (Magellan’s Second in Command), the first European* to circumnavigate
the world. Vasco de Gama and his brother Paulo tried to visit the Spice Islands but only
reached India. Christopher Columbus also gave it his best shot as he was searching for a
new route to the Spice Islands when he beached on San Salvador.
* I write ‘European’ in the previous paragraph as Gavin Menzies in his book ‘1421’
suggests that the Chinese under Admiral Zhang’s expedition may have
circumnavigated the globe 100 years before Magellan’s trip set out.
History Lessons Don't Always Get The Facts Right
To rectify two errors of modern education, Ferdinand Magellan was not the first European
to sail around the world and Christopher Columbus did not discover North America.
Having forged a route around the tip of South America in 1520, Magellan and most of his
crew survived the arduous journey across the Pacific to the Philippines where he unwisely
upset the natives of Cebu by insisting on becoming their ‘Governor’ and demanding a cut
of their trade. Understandably they killed him for his arrogance, ending his journey there.
Despite being credited with its discovery and celebrated for it annually, Christopher
Columbus never set foot on the North American continent. His landfall was only in the
Caribbean. This was, in itself, a significant achievement which I would genuinely honour,
were it not for the fact that Columbus then set about the systematic slaughter of the islands’
population. By doing so he could declare the land as uninhabited and thus lay claim to it in
the Pope’s name. What Columbus should be remembered for is the introduction of the
pineapple to Europe which he first tasted on Guadeloupe in 1493. Although unlikely that
Columbus appreciated their valuable health-giving qualities, this delicious fruit had
properties that the indigenous population used to treat infections and inflammations.
What a vastly different world this would be if the explorers and subsequent migrating
Europeans honoured the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas, Africa, Australia and
New Zealand instead of de-populating them.
Ternate and Tidore
Ternate’s waterfront from Fort Tolukko towards the Island of Tidore
The twin clove islands of Ternate and Tidore have been at loggerheads with each other for
hundreds of years. The result? One of the most continuous theatres of tragedy in the
Moluccas. The rulers of Tidore would invite the Spanish to build forts in order to gain an
advantage over Ternate. The rulers of Ternate would in turn invite the Portuguese to build
forts on their island to restore the balance of power. Rivalry, treachery, subterfuge, intrigue
- they had it all. These islands even merit a mention in Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’:
“Close sailing from Bengala, or the isles of Ternate and Tidore
whose merchants bring their spicy drugs…..”
We had one day to see as much of Tidore as we could so we took a boat over early.
Arriving by taxi at the wrong section of Ternate’s port, willing fingers pointed us to where
the fast boats to Tidore were waiting. The 15 minute journey across the water began
moments after we boarded. Stepping onto the jetty at Tidore, bustling taxi drivers and
sellers of everything from kretek (clove) cigarettes to sweet cakes offered their services and
wares. But it was transport that we needed. After haggling over prices we settled for a
strange combination of motorbike-tricycle with a two-seated passenger platform on the
front to take us the 20 or so miles to the old Spanish forts of Soa Siu (1527) and Tahula
(1610). This arrangement ensured us a welcome breeze throughout our journey there and
back.
Scrambling up to, and around forts is hot work, especially these two forts with their steep
access and long pathways just to get to the entrance. Whenever I stand inside a fort or on
the ramparts, I try to have a sense of what it would have been like as a soldier back then, far
from their homeland and families, suffering high
temperatures yet having to wear an unsuitable European
military uniform, with a chance of being injured or killed
in battle, crushed during an earthquake and living
amongst a population that continually resisted their
presence. In the larger forts there were sometimes
officers’ wives present. When officers of one country
were killed in battle, the newly-widowed wives were
spared on condition that they married an officer from the
victor’s forces.
What a truly appalling choice to have to make.
Before we returned to Ternate, our motor-trike driver took us over some rough terrain to
where in 1993, the Spanish Embassy laid a memorial stone to the epic journey around the
world of Juan Sebastian Elcano and his crew:
In memory of Juan Sebastian Elcano and the crews of
ships ‘Trinidad’ and ‘Victoria’ which landed in this island
of Tidore on November 8th 1521 and set out its course for
Spain on December 18th 1521 to accomplish the first
circumnavigation of the globe.
Elcano had previously been a bankrupt and a mutineer but this extraordinary
circumnavigation elevated him to temporary hero status for which he was awarded a Royal
pension and his own Coat of Arms bearing the images of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.
History then forgot him as many people will still tell you that Magellan was the first person
to sail around the world.
Back at the waterfront in Ternate no taxis were immediately visible so we started walking
back. Within minutes two young men (not taxi drivers) on their scooters saw us and pulled
over. For the sum of £1.00 / USD 1.65 each, we were taken back to our hotel on the slopes
on yet another volcano - Mount Gammalama.
The End Of An Era
The quest for dominance in the Spice Islands had lasted for hundreds of years, made
fortunes for many merchants and brought misery and death to many families. In the
1750’s, Pierre Poivre collected and smuggled seeds and young trees out of the Spice Islands,
planting them in the French colony of Mauritius. At first the trees failed but repeated
efforts succeeded. In the 1840’s growers in Grenada followed suit and the Dutch monopoly
ceased Prices came tumbling down; the VOC and other East India Companies went
bankrupt and the Spice Islanders could return to their almost forgotten way of life.
Ending on a botanical note, Ternate has more peaceful reasons
to be remembered - the flower Clitoria Ternatea and the world’s
oldest Clove Tree known as Afo. Clitoria Ternatea was first
described and named in 1678 by the German-born botanist
Georg Eberhard Rumpf (1628–1702) for its similarity to the
clitoris.
Clitoria Ternatea
In his popular Spice Islands blog, author Ian Burnet writes: “Owing to its similarity to a
human body part, it was often used in traditional medicine to treat female sexual ailments
and also as an aphrodisiac. The Portuguese, who were the first Europeans to reach Ternate,
called it ‘fula criqua’ or the flower of creation, as in human creation. Taken from the
northern Moluccas, this exotic cultivar is now grown all over the tropical and sub-tropical
world. Commonly called the blue-pea, the butterfly-pea or the cordovan-pea, it is often
grown as an ornamental plant —and you may have one in your own garden”.
Afo: Nature’s Downfall of the Dutch Monopoly
Afo
The clove tree that experts believe is the oldest in the world is
known as ‘Afo’. For 400 years it has been rooted onto the slopes
of Mount Gammalama, Ternate. A living testament to Nature
defying an Empire, this tree not only survived several
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions; more importantly it survived
the years of extirpation under the Dutch. Once standing 40 metres
tall and 4 metres around the trunk, today it remains a treasured
sentinel. What is left of Afo today is surrounded by a protective
wall as the locals, not appreciating its place in their history, once
mistakenly hacked several branches off for firewood. This tree
played a noteworthy role in the downfall of the Dutch East India
Company as it was from this tree in 1770 that Pierre Poivre took many clove seeds. You
might be tempted to say “Peter Pepper picked a peck of….clove seeds”. Well it was these
seeds, transported to Mauritius and Zanzibar to start new plantations, that effectively
ending the VOC’s trade monopoly.
So when you’re next planning a meal, think about adding nutmeg, mace or cloves to your
recipe. The French Cook (1653), The Court and Kitchen of Elizabeth (1664) and The Accomplished
Lady’s Delight (1675) contained recipes using these spices. Any good wassail punch recipe
contains nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. These herbs shouldn’t just be for boosting the
flavour of Christmas drinks; they should be positioned at the front of your kitchen
cupboard and added to what you eat and drink throughout the year. When you use them,
think of the centuries of history it took for these spices to have even found their way into
your home.
Graeme Dinnen
www.resourcesforlife.net
www.toothwizards.com
With thanks to (and definitely great reading)
Spice Islands by Ian Burnet (paperback version as the collectors hardback is £100+)
East Indies by Ian Burnet (paperback & hardback are about the same price)
Ring of Fire An Indonesia Odyssey by Lawrence & Lorne Blair (paperback)
Nathaniel’s Nutmeg by Giles Milton (hardback)
1421 by Gavin Menzies (paperback)
…… and you can watch the BBC film Spice Islands (58:50)
With thanks to the photographer on TripAdviser who’s picture of Afo I used. I hadn’t
quite finished downloading all my pictures from the trip when our car was broken into
(Valparaiso, Chile) and everything stolen including cameras and laptops. A valuable for
me lesson here!
As a post script it is worth mentioning that absolutely everywhere we travelled in
Indonesia there was an overwhelming presence of plastic flotsam. Whether in Bali or the
Banda Islands people were keenly aware of the issue but only a few individuals were doing
anything positive about it. One teacher in Banda Neira told us that he devotes time during
class to educate his youngsters about the long term impact and even takes them out to
collect rubbish from around their school. One man was spotted buying coffee while
waiting for a ferry from Bali to Lembongan Island. When he’d finished drinking it, the
packet containing sugar, the plastic spoon and even the polystyrene cup were casually
tossed into the sea.
Back in Bali I would regularly visit the Sea Turtle Project on Kuta beach at 4:30pm when
recently hatched turtles are released into the sea. For every thousand baby turtles released,
only one makes it to adulthood. Their main enemies? Man and plastic.