Jang Amba Tong pe Pala: The Nutmeg Story of North Maluku

The Nutmeg Story of North Maluku

When we talk about Ternate and also Tidore, there will be stories about nutmeg. Nutmeg, at first glance, looks like duku, but bigger. Young nutmeg is clad in greencoloured skin, and becomes yellowish when ripe, a beautiful colour that is pleasing to the eye. When peeled, the nutmegs are a little pale but looks mouth-watering to taste. However, don’t try to eat it right away. It is sour.

Behind the sour taste, nutmeg hides a precious treasure. In fact, nutmeg was sought and hunted by European nations for centuries. Nutmeg is even considered to be one of the main markers of an important period in world history, the age of discoveries or centuries of discovery and exploration.

Almost all parts of the nutmeg have economic value. The contents are processed into sweets or syrup and then marketed. The nutmeg is clad in a “flower” called mace which looks pretty and shiny, red when it’s ripe and when the fruit is split open. The mace or the flower that wraps around the seed, and is red, is the most expensive part. The nutmeg seed turns shiny black when dried in the sun. It is commonly found in Indonesia as a food ingredient. Nutmeg is also called black pearl.

Dong Ambe Tong pe Pala

Nutmeg and mace have survived for centuries as the most expensive commercial products in the world trading market. Nutmeg and mace can indeed be turned into various processed products such as pharmaceutical ingredients, cosmetics, food seasonings and even perfume mixtures. In fact, nutmeg is believed to have properties that are so potent that it can cure many kinds of ailments. There are rumours that the deadly black death pandemic that attacked Europe at the end of the 14th century died down because of the healing properties of nutmeg.

Nutmeg in Ternate and Tidore

Although nutmeg is a well-known plant that was first found on Banda and has a long history, in its subsequent developments, nutmeg spread to almost all islands in Maluku. Ternate and Tidore are also part of the distribution area of nutmeg in Maluku. Although nutmeg in Ternate and Tidore is not as popular as it is in Banda, it still grows and develops until now. The Europeans nations also fought for the control of the nutmeg supply in Ternate and Tidore.

In his writings, Gufran Ibrahim “found linguistic evidence about the authenticity of nutmeg and cloves, saying that the name nutmeg in the regional languages of Ternate and Tidore is gosora”. The nutmeg variety that lives at the foot of the Gamalama mountains (in Ternate) and Kie Matubu (in Tidore) is a native of the land of Maluku which is also similarly sought after by the Europeans. Its seeds and mace are the most sought-after spices. Cloves grow in the northern part of Maluku. Meanwhile, nutmeg develops in its southern soils. So valuable was nutmeg, the Dutch and the British exchanged Manhattan Island, which was then called Nieuw Amsterdam, with Run Island. We all know that modern-day Manhattan Island is known as New York, the centre of the world’ economy.

Nutmeg and mace that are starting to come off the seeds, nutmeg fruit and nutmeg seed, nutmeg that is still on the tree.

Photo: Directorate Cultural Development & Utilization

Photo: Directorate Cultural Development & Utilization

Nutmeg and History

Photo: Directorate Cultural Development & Utilization

Photo: Directorate Cultural Development & Utilization

Perhaps, if there was no nutmeg, people would not know Banda Island, the best nutmeg producing island in the world. European nations alone were willing to sail thousands of nautical miles for the sake of the black pearl. They even founded the first multicultural colony in Banda. A cosmopolitan area. Long before there was Jakarta in Batavia.

Nutmeg could even convince the European powers to go to war with each other. The Netherlands (VOC) had a strong desire to monopolise the nutmeg trade. The Dutch sent troops in large numbers to attack the Portuguese on the island of Banda. Then they fought against the British. Then one of the darkest incidents in the archipelago, but perhaps also one of the least told, the massacre of the native Banda people, took place. A genocide occurred. The incident was immortalised as a Banda Eli’s legend in the form of an oral tradition of South Maluku. It is known as one of the saddest songs ever.

Behind the nutmeg trade lies centuries of history of the archipelago. Like pepper and cloves, nutmeg is like a beautiful angel who attracted many men to fight for it. The Portuguese, just like a knight who came to win the claim to a beautiful maiden, were the first foreigners to come specifically to trade nutmeg with Banda’s local residents. But their arrival was followed by many other rivals. The Spaniards, the British and the Dutch also wanted to take part. The British, and later the Dutch, were the nations with the strongest desire to take over the control of nutmeg in the Banda Islands from the Portuguese.

Portuguese in Ternate and Spain to Tidore

Our parents often talk about the origins of the Portuguese entering Ternate. Ternate historians, such as Adnan Amal, Des Alwi and others, said that when the Portuguese first arrived in Ternate, its Sultan (king) welcomed them with open arms believing the foreigners could become a good ally and would be willing to help them to attack the Sultanate of Tidore.

As time went by, they found out that the real reason for the Portuguese to come to Ternate was to control the spice trade. The ruler at the time, Sultan Tabariji, later became a victim: he was exiled to Goa (India). Sultan Tabariji was later replaced by the young Sultan Khairun. The Portuguese underestimated Sultan Khairun and intervened in all affairs of the Sultanate of Ternate.

Khairun did not want to cut off cooperation with the Portuguese who settled in Ternate so that an atmosphere of stability and peace was maintained. However, the Portuguese took advantage of this by inviting the Sultan to visit their fort. Sultan Khairun, without suspicion, immediately came to the Portuguese’s fort with only a few guards. On February 25, 1570, at Fort Nostra Senhora Del Rosario (now better known as Fort Kastela), Sultan Khairun was killed by Portuguese soldiers on the orders of Governor Lopez de Mesquita.

News of Sultan Khairun being assassinated spread and sparked rioting, anger and even courage among the Ternate people. Sultan Baabullah, the son of Sultan Khairun, who succeeded his father, was angry with the Portuguese for killing his father. He was also angry that the Portuguese had a monopoly on their spice trade. Sultan Baabullah had a strong desire to drive the Portuguese out of Maluku.

Before the Portuguese and the Spaniards arrived in Ternate and Tidore, there had been a war between these two sultanates. This war also pushed the Portuguese and the Spaniards to become their allies. The Portuguese chose Ternate as an ally. Meanwhile, the Spaniards align themselves with Tidore to confront Ternate and the Portuguese. Just like the Portuguese, the Spaniards came to Maluku to control the spice trade of nutmeg and cloves. However, the Spaniards had some trouble because when they arrived, the Portuguese already had a monopoly on the region’s spice trade. Their only choice was to go to war with the Portuguese and Tidore.

Nutmeg had set a long history not only for Ternate and Tidore but also for Indonesia. This fruit was not only popular with European nations, but also with other countries from Asia such as India, Arabia and China. Various countries came to the Indonesian archipelago, including in North Maluku just because of its spice. There is a saying among the Ternate people that say, “Jang Ambe Tong pe Pala” which means “Don’t take our nutmeg”. (Sukran Ichsan: Researcher at Rumah Sinergi Research and Consulting)

The atmosphere of a traditional market in Ternate today, with sellers of vegetables, fruits and local spices.

Photo: iamjoray https://www.shutterstock.com/g/iamjoray