treating boat symbolism and ancestor worship, conceptual dichotomies come continually to the fore. Heaven and earth, sea and land, man and woman, hotness and coolness, represent poles whose coming together is thought to be of essential importance to the functioning of man, society and the cosmos. In Part III, this dualistic way of thinking is expressed succinctly in the discussion of jewellery, textiles, earthenware and plaited objects.
The descriptive parts are preceded by a historical sketch of Maluku Tenggara (Part I) in which attention is devoted to both the prehistoric, as well as the more recent, past.
The coastline of the island of Marsela, Babar archipelago.
THE LAND AND ITS INHABITANTS
Administrative Divisions
Maluku Tenggara consists of a number of separate groups of islands. The biggest of these are the Aru, Tanimbar and the Kei archipelagos, all lying in eastern Maluku Tenggara. Under Dutch administration these three groups of islands were known collectively as the Southeast Islands; the other islands were known as the Southwest Islands. These names refer to the position of the islands with respect to the island of Banda (Central Moluccas), which at that time was of great economic importance. The distinction made between eastern and western Maluku Tenggara in this book corresponds to the original administrative dividing line.
Nowadays the district of Maluku Tenggara is divided into eight sub-districts (kecamatan). Five of these— Pulau-pulau Aru (Aru islands), Kai Besar (Greater Kei), Kai Kecil (Lesser Kei), Tanimbar Utara (North Tanimbar) and Tanimbar Selatan (South Tanimbar)— lie in eastern Maluku Tenggara. Pulau-pulau Babar (Babar islands), Kepulauan Leti (Leti archipelago) and Pulau-pulau Terselatan (the Southern Islands) lie in western Maluku Tenggara. Tual, in the Kei islands, is the capital of the Maluku Tenggara district.
Administratively speaking, the islands of Teun, Nila and Serua belong to the district of Maluku Tengah (Central Moluccas) but because of their great cultural similarities with the more southerly islands, in this book they are regarded as being part of the southeastern Moluccas.
Natural Conditions
The landscape of Maluku Tenggara is extremely varied. Some islands are mountainous, with peaks of 400 metres on Wetar, 650 metres on Moa and 868 metres on Damer. Others, such as the Aru islands, the highest point of which is only 70 metres above sea level, are fairly flat. Green, forested islands lie close to bare rock formations. Rugged, rocky coastlines, plunging steeply into the sea, contrast with beautiful white sandy beaches. A savannah-like landscape, featuring here and there tall Mi-palms (Borassus sundaicus) is characteristic of the interior of most of the islands. Kayuputih-forests (Melaleuca Leucadendron L) also appear. The coral-rich coasts are girdled with coconut palms (Cocus nucifera).
The Kei islands, paradise on earth.
Geologically speaking, two types of island, corresponding with the same number of "island arcs," can be distinguished. What is known as the Outer Banda arc stretches from the Leti archipelago in a northeasterly direction through Luang, Sermata, the Babar, Tanimbar and Kei islands and then runs in a northwesterly direction through to Seram (Central Moluccas). The islands in this arc consist of coral and are dry and fairly infertile. Fossilized shells can be found on the high coral rocks, which indicates that these are areas of geological upheaval. The highly-remarkable, layered terraced forms found on some of the islands were created by successive upheavals.
Many smaller islands in this arc are largely deforested and have a dry, almost parched aspect. The alang-alang (Imperata arundinaced) which covers the ground colours the landscape almost red during the dry season. The larger islands are more richly forested and have more water. The sago palm (Metroxylon rumphii) can also grow in these islands.
The Aru islands lying to the east of the Outer-Banda arc also consist of elevated coral but are very different in appearance to the other eastern islands of Maluku Tenggara. Their vegetation consists of mangrove swamps and palm forests. The six main islands—unique in the world— are separated from each other by long, narrow straits.
A smaller, more westerly-lying series of islands forms the Inner-Banda arc. This runs from Wetar through Roma, Damer, Teun and Nila to Serua, and then northwards through Banda (Central Moluccas). The islands in this arc are of volcanic rocks and in most of them the soil is much more fertile than it is in the coral islands. The earth under Teun, Nila and Serua is still moving and in 1978, the government considered it necessary to move the population of these islands to Seram (Central Moluccas).
The flora and fauna of Maluku Tenggara, like the whole of Maluku, form a transitional zone between Southeast Asia and Australasia. It is for this reason that scientists have long felt drawn to this part of Indonesia. The fauna of the Aru archipelago is particularly unusual. The presence of the kangaroo, the bird of paradise and the cassowary in these eastern islands is evidence of their close affinity with New Guinea. In contrast, the fauna of, for example, the western island of Wetar, shows clear Asian characteristics, although the large mammals of West Indonesia do not live here.
The climate of the region is dominated by the monsoons, whose season and direction is determined by the position of the continents of Asia and Australia. The powerful westerly monsoon blows from December to April and this may bring severe storms, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. After a short transitional period the second rainy season, in which the less powerful easterly monsoon blows, follows from April or May until August The hot, dry season begins in August and lasts until November. Following a second transitional period, the rains of the westerly monsoon break again in December.
The Economy
Maluku Tenggara is a fairly poor region with limited economic opportunities. The population exists largely by agriculture and fishing. In addition, goods are exchanged with inhabitants of other islands.
The population is very dependent on climactic circumstances in all its economic activities. In agriculture, the main food crop is generally planted twice a year—just before the westerly and easterly monsoons. On most islands this is maize. On Aru and Damer sago is the principal foodstuff. The staple that is supplemented by rice, sorghum, root vegetables and pulses and small quantities of green vegetables and fruit.
Failure of the harvest is not an unusual phenomenon on the small, dry, eroded coral islands. Hunger is an almost annual occurrence. The inhabitants of the more fertile islands exchange food for goods such as homemade plaited work. Rice is also obtained from Chinese traders, but money is required for this. Money is obtained by selling copra, shells and other products of the sea to Chinese shopkeepers. Old and new homemade textiles are also offered for sale. Money can also be earned by pearl diving around the Aru islands and by working on Ambon and Seram (Central Moluccas).
The sea always yields a great deal, although the catch is also dependent on the seasons. During the easterly monsoon, for example, a village on the east side of an island cannot harvest much from its fishing grounds.
February and March is the mating season of a little seaworm (Polychaeta). On certain nights coastdwellers trek with torches and lamps to the reef, where the surface of the water is covered with these little creatures. Bucketfuls are scooped out of the water with nets and then eaten roasted or fried.
During the hot season, the fish harvest is a celebration! The wind has died away and sometimes the reef is almost completely dry. The women and children spear fish and collect shells. The men, as elsewhere, set their bamboo fish traps out in deeper water and fish from their canoes. Sometimes a large sea animal is caught—a dugong (sea cow) or a turtle, sometimes even
