Banda Naira

Cantiknya pulau-pulau di Indonesia timur memang sangat terkenal hingga mancanegara. Sebuah pulau yang terletak di bagian tenggara pulau Ambon, yaitu pulau Neira adalah salah satunya. Kekayaan alamnya berupa buah pala membuat para penjajah mendatanginya.

Pulau ini termasuk dalam Kepulauan Banda dan hanya terdapat satu kota di kepulauan tersebut, yaitu Banda Neira. Untuk dapat mencapainya memang membutuhkan waktu cukup lama, tetapi itu semua akan terbayar saat melihat keindahan pulaunya.

Kota Banda Neira ini tidak terlalu luas. Anda bisa mengitari pulau dengan naik becak, perahu atau ojek. Sambil menikmati keindahan pulau, ada beberapa tempat sejarah yang wajib didatangi salah satunya adalah Istana Mini Banda Neira.

Istana tersebut merupakan tempat tinggal Gubernur Jendral VOC JP. Coen. Bentuk istana tersebut ternyata merupakan cikal bakal bentuk Istana Negara yang ada di Jakarta. Dilihat dari depan, memang sama dengan bentuk Istana Negara tetapi versi mini.

Selain cerita sejarah pemerintahan JP. Coen, di dalamnya juga terdapat cerita misteri. Menurut pemandu wisata, JP. Coen dulu memiliki seorang pembantu yang bernama Spock. Sang pembantu ini merasa tertekan tinggal di pulau terpencil dan depresi. Hal ini membuat Spock bunuh diri.

Masa awal perkembangan uang kertas di Indonesia tak lepas dari pengaruh imperialisme asing (Belanda, Inggris, dan Jepang). Sejak kedatangan bangsa-bangsa asing, terutama para pedagang yang memperkenalkan berbagai jenis mata uang logam asing sebagai alat pembayaran dalam perdagangan dengan penduduk setempat sampai pengedaran mata uang logam khusus berlaku di kepulauan Nusantara 1602-1799, tidak dipergunakan uang kertas. Meskipun kertas telah dikenal di Indonesia pada abad XVII, sumber-sumber tertulis asing terutama dari bangsa Belanda dengan perwakilan dagang dan kekuasaannya Kongsi Dagang Hindia Timur (VOC) 1602–1799 tidak pernah menyebutkan penggunaan uang kertas tetapi uang logam sebagai alat pembayaran utama di kepulauan Nusantara.
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Terkecuali, satu-satunya sumber tertulis Belanda yang melaporkan penerbitan uang kertas darurat oleh penguasa VOC di Pulau Banda pada Tahun 1659, dikarenakan kesulitan uang kecil dari bahan logam. Beberapa waktu setelah pengeluaran uang kertas karton darurat Kota Leiden 1576 dan saham pertama VOC di dunia 1606. Uang kertas Banda 1659 ini mendahului penerbitan uang kertas modern bangsa-bangsa barat: Swedia 1661, Inggris 1694, Norwegia 1695, Perancis 1701.

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Selama masa kekosongan yang panjang (1659-1782) Bank pertama Bataviaasch Bank Courant (1746) dan Bank Van Leening mengeluarkan surat-surat bank dalam berbagai pecahan (1748-1752). Beberapa Tahun sebelum pembubarannya, VOC menyadari perlunya alat pembayaran dari kertas untuk transaksi besar yang dikenal sebagai “Surat Hutang Kompeni” (Compagnie Kredietbrieven) pada Tahun 1782. Instrumen moneter ini sering dianggap sebagai uang kertas pertama di Indonesia. Pada waktu yang hampir bersamaan penguasa VOC di Ceylon (Srinlanka) juga menerbitkan instrumen sejenis pada Tahun 1785 dan seterusnya. Uang “Surat Hutang Kompeni 1782” Ini beredar dalam jumlah hampir tidak terbatas sehingga turun nilainya menjadi 85%. Antara Tahun 1782-1799, VOC mengeluarkan beberpa emisi surat Hutang (Kredietbrieven) dengan pecahan berbeda-beda. Pemalsuan atas surat Hutang 1782 ini merupakan yang pertama kali di Indonesia.

Source (blog-apa-aja.blogspot.com) : Sejarah Uang Kertas Di Negara Kita, Masuk Gan !!

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PADA 8 April 1608, Laksmana Pieterszoon Verhoeven, bersama 13 kapal ekspedisi tiba di Banda Naira. Perintah Heeren Zeventien, para direktur VOC di Amsterdam, sebagaimana ditulis Frederik W.S., Geschiedenis van Nederlandsch Indie, kepada Laksamana Pieterszoon Verhoeven: "Kami mengarahkan perhatian Anda khususnya kepada pulau-pulau di mana tumbuh cengkeh dan pala, dan kami memerintahkan Anda untuk memenangi pulau-pulau itu untuk VOC, baik dengan cara perundingan maupun kekerasan."

Sejak lama Banda dikenal sebagai penghasil utama pala (Myristica fragrans). Bunganya yang dikeringkan disebut “fuli”.  Bunga ini membungkus daging buah pala. Sejak dulu pala dan fuli dimanfaatkan untuk rempah-rempah, yang mengundang bangsa Eropa untuk datang.

Sebanyak 21 kapal layar dari sejumlah negara berlabuh di Banda, Maluku Tengah, Selasa (27/7), dalam rangka reli kapal layar Sail Banda. Sudah lama Banda menyita perhatian dunia. Sekadar bukti, Mick Jagger, vokalis Rolling Stones, serta Lady Diana dan Sarah Ferguson pernah datang untuk memuja panorama alam setempat.

Pemandangan di depan dermaga Pelabuhan Banda Naira itu mengingatkan akan kejayaan Banda masa silam
. Jauh sebelum republik ini berdiri, Banda telah menjadi surga bagi bangsa-bangsa Eropa. Kapal-kapal Portugis, Inggris, dan Belanda bergantian buang sauh di Banda Naira untuk mengenyam alam Banda yang subur dan elok itu.

Kehangatan dan aroma khas pala (Myristica fragrans) 

Banda yang tumbuh subur di tanah vulkanik sulit  ditemukan di belahan dunia mana pun. Kala itu, biji dan fuli (bunga) pala sangat dibutuhkan sebagai bahan pengawet, penyedap, parfum, dan kosmetik.

 Portugis, Inggris, dan Belanda berebut dan bergantian menguasai gugusan pulau yang terletak di tengah Laut Banda, Maluku- berjarak 116 mil (186 kilometer) dari Ambon, ibu kota Provinsi Maluku.

Des Alwi, tokoh masyarakat Banda, dalam buku Sejarah Banda Naira terbitan Pustaka Bayan (2010) mengisahkan, hasil monopoli pala yang harganya lebih mahal daripada emas kala itudigunakan Belanda untuk membangun kota Amsterdam dan Rotterdam.

"Bangsa Portugis yang tiba di Banda 1611 mengira merekalah yang pertama kali menemukan Spice Island (Pulau Rempah). Ternyata bangsa Moro telah berdagang di Banda selama 100 tahun yang lalu. Seperti halnya orang Portugis, ketika bangsa Morobpertama kalinya menginjakkan kakinya di Banda, mereka mengira merekalah yang pertama tiba di pulau ini. Dari dialog dengan orang-orang Cina di Banda, ternyata orang Cina telah berdagang di Banda 600 tahun sebelumnya. Itu berarti sejak awal abad ke sepuluh Banda Naira telah menarik bangsa-bangsa di dunia untuk berkompetisi, di mana buah pala (Myristica fragrans) sebagai komoditas utamanya sudah dikenal sejak masa Romawi."

Ada dua jenis manisan pala, yaitu manisan pala basah dan manisan pala kering. Selain sebagai manisan, daging buah pala juga dapat diolah menjadi jeli, sirop, dodol, chutney, selai, sari buah, wine, dan cider pala.

Ikan Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus) yang merupakan spesies langka menjadi target fotografer dalam dan luar negeri yang mengikuti lomba foto bawah laut "Banda Underwater Photo Rally Competition 2010".
"Saya benar-benar penasaran ingin mengabadikan mandarin fish yang terkenal di dunia dna menjadi ikon pariwisata dunia saat ini," ujar fotografer Aida Kurnia Fitri di Banda Naira, Rabu.

Dia mengaku telah menyelam di perairan Pulau Banda, sejak Minggu (25/4) terutama di perairan antara dermaga Banda dan Pulau Gunung Api, namun belum berhasil memotret ikan karang langka dan dilindungi itu.

Komoditi utama dunia pada abad ke-16 hingga 18 ini telah memecah wilayah Nusantara menjadi bagian jajahan Portugis, Inggris, dan Belanda. Di abad ke-17, Pulau Rhun, pulau kecil di Banda yang kaya kebun pala adalah wilayah jajahan Inggris pertama di luar kawasan Britania Raya (Inggris, Skotlandia, dan Irlandia). Namun sebagian besar wilayah Maluku telah dikuasai Belanda. Keberadaan Inggris di salah satu dari sembilan pulau di Banda itu dianggap mengganggu dominasi Belanda. Perjanjian Bereda  pada November 1674 mengakhiri persaingan rempah-rempah itu. Demi menggenapi monopoli pala, Belanda pun menukar jajahannya di daratan Amerika, New Amsterdam, dengan pulau Rhun milik Inggris. Nieuw Amsterdam, salah satu permukiman kulit putih terbesar di daratan Amerika saat itu, merupakan cikal bakal kawasanManhattan, jantung kota New York. Kini, Manhattan merupakan pusat perdagangan dunia dengan transaksi ratusan miliar dolar AS per jamnya. Sementara Pulau Rhun tetap sebagai penghasil Pala yang terpencil. Kepada setiap turis, terutama dari AS, Des Alwi selalu menceritakan tragedi konyol ini. ''Tahukah Anda, dulu pulau ini ditukar dengan Manhattan. Bisakah kami menukarnya lagi?'' pinta Des. Walau begitu, Banda tetap memiliki kekayaan yang membanggakan, yakni alam dan warisan sejarahnya. Auranya seperti tak pernah beranjak dari zaman kolonial, benteng, dan bangunan kuno yang terjaga hingga kini. Kearifan Banda telah menjaga taman-taman lautnya menjadi salah satu tempat penyelaman terbaik di dunia. Hampir seluruh wilayah Banda adalah surga bawah air. Bahkan di dermaga Maulana Inn. Pesona Banda menarik banyak tokoh dunia untuk menyambanginya. Dari penyelam legendaris Prancis, almarhum Jacques Costeau yang fotonya dipajang di Maulana Inn, Princess of York Sarah Fergusson, juga rocker Mick Jagger. Bahkan sutradara film Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola, ikut terpesona keelokan dan sejarah Banda. Coppola ingin membuat film perang laut berlatar rebutan pala antara Inggris dan Belanda itu. Entah kenapa, rencana itu gagal. Bila Jerry Bruckheimer sudah bosan, sebaiknya dia membuat sekuel ketiga film Pirates of the Caribbean Sea di Banda saja dan kita beri judul The Curse of the Spice Island. Kutukan yang akan selalu memikat kita untuk kembali ke Banda.

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One can reach this islet only in 5 minutes by canoe, from Naira. The top of Banda's active volcano is appr. 600 meters above the sea level. Best for those, who like hiking. From the top, you'll have a very nice view of Naira and the surrounding islands. The last volcano eruption was on May 9, 1988. It forced the inhabitatnts of Naira and Lonthoir islands to evacuate. The ash covered the sky for about one week, and even the Ay Island was invisible.

Kora-kora canoes Race are held in April and October every year. They compete on a quiet stretch of water between Naira and Gunung Api (Volcano).

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Former VOC Palace
This VOC Palace was built in 1611 by the first Dutch VOC Controller and later used y the first Dutch VOC Governor - General, Jan Pietersoon Coen, in 1621. This ansion faces the Zonnegat strait, with the huge Belgica Fortress in the background on the Tabaleku HV hill. A larger replica of this mansion was built a year later (1612) in Jayakarta, akarta now, and since the Indonesian Independence, it has been used as the Palace of the President of the Republic of Indonesia. In one of the yards and gardens of Naira Mansion, there is a large bronze statue of Stadhouder Willem of the Neteherlands. On the one of the window's glass facing the sea, there is a 19th century inscription carved by a 35 year old Resident Rutger Martens Schwabbing.
The inscription date is September 1, 1831. This gentleman died on April 12,1832 according to the Dutch historical records. There was once a local belief of the Naira's people that the inscription was made by the same man, but after his death, the year was read as 1832. It is still said that the room is "spooky" (kamar spok). You can easily walk for 10 minutes to this spot from the harbour.
Fort Nassau
Nassau Fort, often referred to as the "Beneden Kasteel" was built in the early years of the Dutch settlement in the Banda Islands. Admiral Verhoeven built this fort in 1607-1609 on the remains of a Portuguese fort built a century earlier. Verhoeven never saw the completion of this fort, because he was killed in an ambush by local Bandanese freedom fighters in 1609. This fort is still a ruin now and there was a hidden underground stairway leading to the hilltop of Fort Belgica. Jan Pietersoon Coen, a sailor under the command of Admiral Verhoeven, escaped from the ambush while Verhoeven didn't.
Later in 1621 Coen returned to the Banda Islands as the VOC Governor-General and made his revenge for the 1609 villainy/ massacre. He brought with him 80-100 Japanese mercenaries (some of them well-practiced executioners) in his expedition to the Banda Islands in 1621.
The Banda massacre on May 8, 1621, was held in the area in front of the Nassau fort. Six Japanese swordmen beheaded and quartered 44 orang kaya (chiefs or village elders). Some told that there were only 42 cut into five, because two of them,
House of the Late Dr. Moh. Hatta
Some 50 metres from the VOC Mansion is the house of Dr. Moh. Hatta, who was exiled by the Dutch. Later in 1945 he became the first Vice-President of the Republic of Indonesia, with Ir. Soekarno as the first President. This house is converted to a historical monument / museum and opened to visitors. There is a large ancient earthenware urn in the yard of the house. The urn is half-buried in one corner of the yard.
Fort Belgica
Belgica Fort was built in 1611 by the first Governer-General of the Banda Islands, Pieter Both, who was an energetic and experienced sea captain and merchant. He built Belgica Fort on the spot where Nassau Fort should had been built. This fort was rebuilt and enlarged several times during the Dutch occupation. Today it has been renovated according to its original dimensions and size.
Old Church
This church was bulit in 1852 to replace the Hollandische Kerk which was destroyed by a big earthquake. The ancient church was built in the 1600s and was then the pride of Naira town, which was also destoyed. The Sunday services during the Dutch colonial period of the 17th century were conducted in Dutch in the morning and in Malay in the afternoon.
This church is situated in a 17th century park surrounding the Fort of Nassau. The church has granite gravestones composing the floor, bearing the names of Dutch officials and Bandanese Perkeniers of the former centuries. They were buried under the enormous granite markers, sunk into the floor of the church. There were several old bibles found in this church dating from the 18th century. On the panels of the front door there is still visible the inscription of the old VOC initials.
The old bronze church bell is still used, and it is believed that there are only four bells from that period left in the world.
Bronze Bust of Stadhouder Willem III
The bronze bust of Stadhouder Willem III of the Netherlands was brought to Naira during VOC's golden era. It is found between the Governor-General Mansion and the VOC Authority office / NHM (Nederlandsche Handels - Maatschappij), a semi-private Dutch Trading Company, and successor of the VOC, which took over the VOC personnel, facilities, function, and techniques to manage most of the perkeniers' (plantation) products.
This bust together with the two bronze lions in front of the entrance of the mansion, were thrown to the sea by the citizens during the Indonesia-Dutch conflict in 1950.
Later these items were repaired and placed in their present location. The original location' of the bust was in a park, somewhere near the Naira Church and the Belgica Fort.
The Old Naira Town
Naira town is very different from it was in the old 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The offices of the controleur and the houses of the perkeniers are mostly in ruins today. These buildings have no longer the original huge paving slabs, polished marble, brightly glazed floor tiles, heavy beams, and large shuttered doors and windows. These marble tiles and other home and office furniture are brought from Holland and functioned as ballast on the ship sailing to Banda. These ships returned to Holland laden with spices (cloves, nutmeg, and mace) as trade commodities which also functioned as ballast. Once there was a proper gravel roadway shaded by trees which enriched the beauty of the town of Naira. The trees were cut down in the 1960s, leaving only the trees grew in the residential yards.
The Perken
The Banda Archipelago was the original product center of the world-renowned spices, the nutmeg and mace. When the Dutch took it over by force from the Portuguese, they established their perken, the so-called nutmeg-plntations all over these islands. There are about 68 perkens on these islands: 3 are found on Naira Island, 34 on Lonthoir or Banda Besar, and 31 on Ay islet. Before, during and after the Banda massacre in 1621, the original inhabitants of the Banda Islands fled to Seram, Kei and other islands. The Dutch then brought in people from Java, South Sulawesi (Buton) and Central Maluku to work as farmers, picking and collecting, peeling and sorting, drying and loading the nutmeg and mace, under the supervisions of Dutch Perkeniers. Photo courtesy of Kai Muiier So the present day inhabitants of the Banda Islands are a mixture of Dutch, Javanese, Butonese and Central Malukan ancestry. There are still nutmeg trees of over two centuries old which are still producing. These nutmeg plantations on the Banda Islands are still to be seen, some are planted among the tall canary trees to shade and protect the nutmeg trees from the sunrays. Most of these nutmeg plantations are still productive and managed by P.T. Perkebunan Pala Banda. lonthoir Island or also known as Banda Besar, is the largest island in the Banda Islands (appr. 2.800 ha.). It looks like a great wall hiding and protecting the Naira and Gunung Api Islands from the south­eastern winds and waves. This island also has many attractions to offer to the visitor, among others:
Fort Hollandia
This fort was built in 1642 on Lonthoir island facing the Naira's VOC Governor-General's mansion, across the Zonnegat strait. Formerly named Fort Lonthoir, later Dr. Pieter Vlak renamed it Fort Hollandia.
From here one can enjoy a nice view across the Zonnegat Strait to the mansion, and the Belgica Fort on top of the Tabaleku hill on Naira island and even to the villages along the shoreline of Lonthoir.
The fort was built to control the sea traffic passing through the strait between
Naira arid Lonthoir, especially monitor the activities of the nutmeg and mace trade down in the village of Lonthoir. To reach this fort one must walk through the village of Lonthoir and then go up appr. 260 stairs, past one of the perkeniers' recidences, and an old 18th century Dutch cemetery. One of the perkeniers' graves was made for a Bandanese-born Dutch family of the Lantzius perkenier.
The fort is small and is in ruins, but it was built on the hill top, and it is worth to visit for its historical background and for the fantastic view.
"Nona Lantzius" Tomb
"Nona Lantzius" was the daughter of Lantzius, a perkenier. She was born in Naira on April 26, 1874. No one knows her name because the marble plate on her tomb where her name was written has been taken away. On the back of her tomb was a Dutch inscription :
It says that on April 26, 1847 she was born in Naira, passed away on June 29, 1887 in 's Gravenhage (the Neteherlands) after a surgery; buried temporarily there on July 2; on September 29 uncovered and taken to Amsterdam and put on board of the Danish fregat "Glaus"; October 21 departed from Ijmuiden; arrived on February 17, 1888; and laid here on the 22nd of February 1888. Her tomb was made by Laurent Philips & Co., the Hague in Holland and shipped to Lonuioir. The remains of this lady were on board for nearly four months to have her final and eternal rest on Lonthoir island where she was born and grown up. Her grave is known to the Lonthoirs as "Nona Lantzius" (Miss Lantzius).
Perkenier's Residence
Up on the hill, there is an old Dutch perkenier's residence. This building is now used as the office of the local village administration. One can still see the ruins of an old drying house here, where the nutmegs were fire-dried in the rainy season. Old ruined storage buildings are also found here.
One has to climb more than 260 stairs to this walled building. This stair-way was built during the Dutch era, and later rebuilt by the villagers. From here one will have a very nice view up to the volcano and down to the Naira Island.
One of the famous Dutch admiral who came to Banda Islands in 1623, Pieter van den Broecke, had his perken on this island. A large picture of him can be seen in the London Museum today. He married a Bandanese woman and his great-great grandson is still living in Lonthoir, controls his perken. This old man still bears the name van den Broecke, owns a small accomodation facility in Walang Besar village in Lonthoir. One of his great-grand fathers, lieutenant and perkenier Paulus van den Broecke, has his tomb dated 1754 in the church yard of former Ay's Bethlehem Church.
Fort Concordia
Concordia Fort is also known as Fort Wayer, situated in the village of Wayer on the eastern coast of Lonthoir island. During the heyday of the spice trade this fort served as a watchtower for all the perkens in the eastern side of Lonthoir island.
Perigi Keramat
This is a well which is regarded sacred to the inhabitants of the Banda Islands. The well is 7 meters deep situated on a hill, appr. 90 metres above the sea-level. To get there, one has to walk up the same stairway which leads to Fort Hollandia and the Dutch Perkenier mansions, halfway up there is a right turn to the well.At certain times there is a Cleaning Ceremony of the well. The last time it was cleaned in 1989. To clean it, the villagers used a 99 depa (99 local fathoms) white cloth.According to a reliable source in Naira, the cleaning ceremony of the Perigi Keramat is done to commemorate the death of 33 Imams (Moslem leaders). One day, a group of Dutch soldiers and merchants got drunk with a group of villagers. The villagers took them to a rock and dropped them into the sea. Nobody knew what happened to the Dutch soldiers and merchants. Later, someone found the remains of these victims in the sea and made a report to the Dutch authorities in Naira. The Dutch authority was very angry, so they caught the 33 imams and dropped them into this well. The villagers later named the rock from where the drunken Dutch were dropped into the sea, Batu Belanda (Dutch Stone). Because the well was, and still used for drinking water, the local villagers of Lonthoir made a special ceremony to recall the recovering of the remains of the 33 imams and to clean the well. The remains of the 33 imams were taken out of the well, and by using 99 fathoms of white cloth, they cleaned the well. The white cloth is meant to wrap the remains of the 33 imams according to Islamic way of burying.

The Banda Archipelago was the original product center of the world-renowned spices, the nutmeg and mace. When the Dutch took it over by force from the Portuguese, they established their perken, the so-called nutmeg-plntations all over these islands. There are about 68 perkens on these islands: 3 are found on Naira Island, 34 on Lonthoir or Banda Besar, and 31 on Ay islet. Before, during and after the Banda massacre in 1621, the original inhabitants of the Banda Islands fled to Seram, Kei and other islands. The Dutch then brought in people from Java, South Sulawesi (Buton) and Central Maluku to work as farmers, picking and collecting, peeling and sorting, drying and loading the nutmeg and mace, under the supervisions of Dutch Perkeniers. Photo courtesy of Kai Muiier So the present day inhabitants of the Banda Islands are a mixture of Dutch, Javanese, Butonese and Central Malukan ancestry. There are still nutmeg trees of over two centuries old which are still producing. These nutmeg plantations on the Banda Islands are still to be seen, some are planted among the tall canary trees to shade and protect the nutmeg trees from the sunrays. Most of these nutmeg plantations are still productive and managed by P.T. Perkebunan Pala Banda. lonthoir Island or also known as Banda Besar, is the largest island in the Banda Islands (appr. 2.800 ha.). It looks like a great wall hiding and protecting the Naira and Gunung Api Islands from the south­eastern winds and waves. This island also has many attractions to offer to the visitor, among others: