CONSERVATORY OF A UNIQUE SPICE ROUTE HERITAGE

The Royal staff of Kaitetu

The native inhabitants of Hitu and its neighboring states forged alliances, staging rebellions, and displaying other acts of resistance documented within the local chronicle, Hikayat Tanah Hitu. In the year 1667, the Treaty of Bungaya was formalized, establishing a pact between the Dutch and the indigenous groups across the Maluku Islands, encompassing Hitu. This accord acknowledged the Dutch as the dominant authority over the area, conse- quently bringing an ultimate resolution to the conflict over the domination of the lucrative spice trade.

Apart from the Amsterdam fort and Emmanuel church in Hila, the state of Kaitetu has been the guardian of two significant historical artifacts for more than two centuries. One is a royal staff with the emblem “VOC A” (VOC Amsterdam), considered as a regalia by the king of Kaitetu to this day. This staff was given by an officer from the Amsterdam Fort to the King of Kaitetu in the beginning of the 20th century.

Kaitetu’s Cakalele cloth, Hatuwe clan’s house. Present condition.

Cakalele cloth

Another important remnant from the colonial period of Kaitetu is kept in the Hatuwe clan house. It is a significant 18th c. textile known as the Cakalele cloth. Traditionally, it is worn during the Cakalele dance, a ritualistic war dance and trance performed throughout Maluku to the sound of a conch (bia) to call ancestors (leluhur). Now quite damaged, this potent cloth is regarded as an heirloom in the community. It features a war scene, from the Indian epic Ramayana, with a prominent nine-headed figure, Rawana. He is shown fighting Rama, represented by the other male figure wearing a crown. They are both encircled by flying arrows and a combat occurring between monkeys and other mythical creatures.

Indian 18th century cloth, same scene. Courtesy of Thomas Murray.

The MAHS Kaitetu Data Set

The Maritime Asia Heritage Survey (MAHS) has produced a robust dataset of digital documentation of the Wapauwe Mosque, including architectural drawings, photographs, 3D models, oral histories and other documentation of the building itself, as well as of collections of manuscripts and other artifacts held in the mosque itself and elsewhere in the village of Kaitetu.