Story of the Exchanged Island
This year marks the 350th year since the signing of the Breda agreement, which saw Run Island in Banda, Central Maluku, exchanged with Manhattan in New York City, the United States. Unfortunately, this legendary piece of history has left only bitter memories. The golden period of the tiny island has vanished and there has never been any effort to recover its past glory.
The motorboat we were traveling on moored at a coral island, right next to a small dock. Not far from there, a house with a sign reading “Manhattan 2 Guesthouse” welcomed us. This is the “Manhattan” in the middle of the Banda Sea.
Run Island is a tiny piece of land at the westernmost part of Banda Islands, Central Maluku regency, Maluku. Even though it is only 330 hectares in size, or around four times the area of Monas Park, the island has a huge story related to its exchange with Manhattan.
The residential area of the people of Run is around 4 hectares, concentrated on the northwest side of the island, along the coastline where incoming boats moor.
The 600-meter-long beach is the only open area through which entry to Run is possible, as most of the other parts of the island are surrounded by steep cliffs.
In the 17th century, two world superpowers at the time, the Netherlands and England, were at war with each other to seize control over Run for its nutmeg. After fighting for dozens of years, the two countries made peace in 1667 through the Breda Agreement.
Article 3 of the Breda Agreement declared that Run Island, which had previously been controlled by England but was occupied by the Dutch, belonged to the Netherlands. England, however, was officially given the rights to the island of Manhattan in the US, which was a Dutch colony but seized by England.
Even though Manhattan is 18 times bigger than Run, the deal hugely benefited the Dutch. Having control over Run allowed the Dutch to finally conquer all of Banda Islands, the only nutmeg-producing islands in the world at the time.
Previously, since 1621, the Netherlands had seized 10 other islands in Banda. The Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) had a monopoly over the spice trade, which was extremely valuable at the time. German records from the 14th century reveal that the price of half a kilogram of nutmeg was equal to the price of seven fat bulls!
Change of fate
However, the fate of the island gradually changed over time. Manhattan, which used to be merely a trading post for animal fur, has transformed into one of the world’s leading cities. The island is a global economic center in the heart of New York City, the most famous metropolis in the US.
Meanwhile, Run appears to have never moved on from the 17th century. Since the decline of the nutmeg trade and the price fall in the 18th century, the island seems to have been forgotten. Like its location, its fate is very much isolated.
Run is now merely a village in Banda district, Central Maluku, located 211 kilometers from Ambon. The journey to Run is usually made from the island of Naira using a boat, the operation of which depends hugely on the weather. The distance between Run and Naira is 31 kilometers.
At the peak of the easterly wind season (June-August) and westerly wind season (December-February), Run cannot be reached by boat. High tide in the deepest waters in Indonesia can reach 4 meters.
On land, the condition of Run is very different to Manhattan. In Manhattan, the traffic is nonstop, while in Run there is not even a single car. Roads on the island are in the form of a layer of cement that is 2 meters wide.
Run village chief Bahasa Lakapota said there were only eight motorbikes on the island. He knows each of the owners by name.
Relying on rainwater
For their daily needs, 1,923 residents rely on rainwater as the main source of clean water. In long dry seasons, the most recent of which happened in 2002, the locals have to get water from Naira.
“At the time, rain didn’t fall for nine months. We had to pay Rp 20,000 for one jerrycan containing 5 liters of water,” Bahasa said.
In 2015, the Maluku provincial administration built boreholes. However, because the water is brackish, the locals cannot use it for consumption.
The night lights that decorate Manhattan are a rarity in Run. Only in the last two years locals been able to enjoy a supply of electricity from individual power providers. Even so, the electricity is turned on only from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. Previously, locals had to own their own diesel-powered generators to enjoy electricity.
“We hope that PLN electricity quickly comes after President Joko Widodo announced the ‘Bright Indonesia’ program. The government should not only provide facilities in the cities. We in remote islands also want to enjoy development,” said Idris, 37, a Run resident.
The island has only one community health center with one midwife and one nurse, but no doctor. Patients with serious illnesses must be taken to Naira, which is 1.5 hours away by motorboat.
If Naira medical facilities are unable to handle the patients, they are referred to Ambon or Masohi, the regency capital, which is five to six hours away by motorboat.
What about education? There is no senior high school on Run. Children who graduate from junior high school must move to Naira to continue their education.
Children who do not have relatives in Naira or do not have the financial means to move there eventually drop out of school. “Last year, out of the 22 junior high school graduates, four children did not continue on to senior high school because of those problems,” said Bahasa, who also acts as the headmaster of the Run state elementary school.
Even though nutmeg is still the main source of income, most of the people of Run also work as fishermen for additional income. However, because there are no freezers, they are forced to preserve the fish with salt.
The insufficient supply of fish has made it difficult for the fishermen of Run to preserve fish. If the fish are not salted, the fish would be sold fresh and sold for a low price.
Run, which used to be fought over is now languishing. It is the same story for the people of many remote islands in the archipelago.
(ABK/FRN/ENG)