Of Nutmeg and Forts
Indonesian Pride in the Banda Islands’ Unique Natural and Cultural Landscape
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12647978 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Frank Dhont (0000-0003-1210-4141, National Cheng Kung University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 83-98 |
| Publication date | 2022-03-30 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | eTropic electronic journal of studies in the tropics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1448-2940 • E-ISSN: 1448-2940 |
| Publisher | James Cook University (PUBLISHER • AU) |
| DOI | 10.25120/etropic.21.1.2022.3864 |
| OpenAlex | W4226468197 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 15 |
This paper discusses the natural and cultural uniqueness of the Banda Islands in Indonesia, with a particular focus on the tiny islands' historical role as the sole source of nutmeg. Taking as its point of departure the Indonesian government's 2015 proposal to recognize the Banda Islands as a UNESCO World Heritage site, this article investigates the islands' features and their historical meanings, and explains the entanglement of the islands' tropical geography and Bandanese cultural heritage. Particular focus is given to the way in which the Bandanese people, and later the Dutch colonials, used and exploited the Banda Islands' natural resource of nutmeg, and how the Bandanese culture was shaped and reshaped through this process. The paper maps the transformation of this nature-culture landscape involving natural resources and their cultivation over the centuries; it additionally explores the various Dutch forts that were erected to defend the colonial spice trade and how these structures later became heritage treasures of the Banda Islands in the 21st century. The paper argues that the process through which Banda’s natural uniqueness created Bandanese culture also nearly caused its downfall, and the resurrection of indigenous Bandanese civilization necessitated an inclusive identity that incorporated Dutch colonial fortresses as reminders of the dark era of colonialism. The natural and cultural entanglement of the Bandanese landscape has created a sense of cultural pride
Archaeology · Civilization · Colonialism · Cultural heritage · Cultural landscape · Ethnology · Geography · Indigenous · Indonesian · Natural (archaeology · Natural landscape · Natural resource · Political science · Pride · History · Law · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Ecology
Die Muskatnuss ihre Geschichte, Botanik, Kultur, Handel und Verwerthung sowie ihre Verfälschungen und Surrogate. Zugleich ein Beitrag zur Kulturgeschichte der Banda-Inseln
The Nutmeg's Curse
A History of Early Modern Southeast Asia, 1400–1830
Description of the Coasts of East Africa and Malabar
Puisi Lisan Masyarakat Banda Eli Ketahanan Budaya di Maluku setelah Perang Pala
Slavery and cultural creativity in the Banda Islands
De Europeërs in den Maleischen Archipel; Zevende gedeelte, 1606-1610
Political dynamics and religious change in the late pre-colonial Banda Islands, Eastern Indonesia
Beschrijvinge van de Eijlande Banda
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |