Travelogue: Pala

Text by Vera van Buuren

This text is an excerpt from a travel diary from our trip to Indonesia in the spring of 2024.

The blue boat we leave the small harbour on contrasts nicely with the green of the tropical island. Yesterday we arrived on Banda Neira, the largest of a tiny group of islands south of Ambon. On the average world map, you can't even find the dots of these Spice Islands with a magnifying glass. Banda Neira is the island where Sander's great-grandmother was born, and where we continue the search for their family history.

Banda's history is one of cruelty, pain and sorrow, but the people of Banda speak with unparalleled pride about their ancestors and the struggles they fought. Once, Banda was the only place where ‘pala’, nutmeg, grew, and a fortune was made from it by the Dutch colonialists. However, the inhabitants of Banda paid the highest price; that of their lives. Jan Pieterszoon Coen ordered a massacre of the inhabitants in 1621, and only a small number of people survived this genocide.

Our guide Agil, who takes us to Banda Besar and Pulau Ai and Run, tells us in great detail about Banda's history. With reverence he talks about ‘pala’ and the medicinal properties this spice is said to have. Agil shows us a bulb that has been peeled open. Inside is a black fruit, enveloped in a red membrane with the sweet smell of coca cola - mace. There, inside the fruit, sits the precious spice; nutmeg. It is hard to imagine that such a small fruit has had such a big impact on world history.

Later, Agil respectfully talks about the Gunung Api, mountain of fire, which protects the archipelago from tsunamis and other evils. To honour and keep the volcano happy, Banda residents regularly bring offerings to the sacred cave on Banda Besar, which is connected to the Gunung Api. The archipelago may be predominantly Muslim, but this superstition plays an important role in daily life.

The rest of the day we swim among colourful fish, beautiful coral reefs, sharks and turtles. We have lunch on the beach of Pulau Run, where we drink mace tea and eat fish spiced with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Spices run like a connecting thread through Banda's history and daily life. As we sail back in the orange light of the afternoon sun, the sea reflects the horizon, making it seem like we are in an endless ocean. No beginning, no end. Where does history begin, and where does it end?

Sander Coers is part of Der Greif X Grisebach: “New Positions”.

Check out his Artist Feature POST.