Maluku Islands

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Lore & Background

The first people to inhabit the islands were Australo-Melanesians at least 40,000 years ago, with a later migration of Austronesian speakers arriving around 2000 BC. The etymology of the word Maluku is unclear; the first recorded word that can be identified with Maluku comes from the Nagarakertagama, an Old Javanese eulogy of 1365, which mentioned 'Maloko'. One theory holds that Maluku comes from the phrase 'Moloko Kie Raha' in the Ternate language, where 'raha' means 'four' and 'kie' means 'mountain', referring to Ternate, Tidore, Bacan, and Jailolo. Another possibility is that the word originates from 'maloko', a combination of the particle 'ma-' and the root 'loko' in North Halmahera languages, relating to the location of mountains. In August 1511 the Portuguese conquered the city-state of Malacca. Afonso de Albuquerque learned of the route to the Banda Islands and sent an exploratory expedition under António de Abreu, Simão Afonso Bisigudo, and Francisco Serrão. Serrão was shipwrecked at Hitu island in 1512 and established ties with the local ruler. The Portuguese first landed in Ambon in 1513. From 1546, following Portuguese missionary work under Francis Xavier, large Christian communities formed in eastern Indonesia. The Dutch arrived in 1599 and, in the course of the Dutch–Portuguese War, allied with the Sultan of Ternate and conquered Ambon and Tidore in 1605, expelling the Portuguese. The Dutch monopolized spice production and trade through a ruthless policy, including the genocidal conquest of the nutmeg-producing Banda Islands in 1621, the elimination of the English in Ambon in 1623, and the subordination of Ternate and Tidore in the 1650s. The Nuku Rebellion, led by a Tidore prince, engulfed large parts of Maluku and Papua in 1780–1810. British forces captured the islands in 1796–1801 and again in 1810, holding them until 1817 and uprooting many spice trees for transplantation. With the declaration of a single republic of Indonesia in 1950, the Republic of South Maluku was declared and attempted to secede, led by Chris Soumokil. This movement was defeated by the Indonesian army. The Maluku Islands formed a single province from Indonesian independence until 1999, when they were split into two provinces: North Maluku (predominantly Muslim, capital Sofifi) and Maluku (larger Christian population, capital Ambon). Transmigrant programs from Java are thought to be a contributing factor to the Maluku Riots.

Reader's Guide

The Maluku Islands are an archipelago in eastern Indonesia, located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically in West Melanesia, they have been considered a geographical and cultural intersection of Asia and Oceania. The islands were known as the Spice Islands because of the nutmeg, mace, and cloves that were exclusively found there, which sparked European colonial interests in the 16th century. The Portuguese conquest of Malacca in August 1511 led to an exploratory expedition to the Banda Islands under António de Abreu, Simão Afonso Bisigudo, and Francisco Serrão. Serrão was shipwrecked at Hitu island in 1512 and allied with Ternate's ruler, constructing a fortress there. The Dutch arrived in 1599 and, through the Dutch East India Company, conquered Ambon and Tidore in 1605. Their ruthless monopoly included the genocidal conquest of the Banda Islands in 1621 and the elimination of the English in Ambon in 1623. The Nuku Rebellion (1780–1810) co-opted the British, who later captured the islands during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, holding them until 1817. After Indonesian independence, the Republic of South Maluku attempted to secede in 1950. The islands were a single province until 1999, when they split into North Maluku (Muslim-majority, capital Sofifi) and Maluku (larger Christian population, capital Ambon). Transmigrant programs from Java are thought to have contributed to the Maluku Riots.

Did You Know?

• The first recorded word identifiable with Maluku is 'Maloko' from the Nagarakertagama, an Old Javanese eulogy of 1365.
• The phrase 'Moloko Kie Raha' in Ternate language means 'Confederation of the Four Mountains', referring to Ternate, Tidore, Bacan, and Jailolo.
• The Dutch genocidal conquest of the nutmeg-producing Banda Islands occurred in 1621.
• The Nuku Rebellion, led by a Tidore prince, engulfed large parts of Maluku and Papua from 1780 to 1810.
• The Maluku Islands were split into two provinces in 1999: North Maluku (capital Sofifi) and Maluku (capital Ambon).