The Banda Islands (Lonthor or Banda Besar, Neira, Ai, Run, Rosengain and Hatta) are the only place in the world where the nutmeg tree grows in quantity, and they have almost no food of their own; Kei sends it (board).
The English Wikipedia page describes the orang kaya system, in which each village is governed by its council of rich men (with no king over them, as we recall the page and the sixteenth-century reports), and a rock shelter on Pulau Ai with an occupation of about eight thousand years (the work of Lape). The nutmeg (the seed) and the mace (the red lace round it, worth more by weight, board) leave in the boats of Javanese, Malay and other traders and in Bandanese boats of their own; 'Wandan' is among the eastern places of the Nagarakretagama (1365). The orang kaya as a system is recorded from the sixteenth century; whether it already governs in 1200 is inference.
Who he is
- Title
- Councils of the 'orang kaya' (rich men) of each island village (the title is from the sixteenth-century reports)
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not known
- Family
- not known
- Confidence
- low
No source names a chief of this place for 1200. Every title in this record (datu, to manurung, kolano, momole, orang kaya) comes from traditions or reports written down centuries after 1200. No source names any chief of this place for 1 January 1200.
What it holds
- Nutmeg and mace on Lonthor, Neira, Ai and Run
- The island harbours of Neira and Lonthor
- The boat trade with Kei and the Seram Laut islands for food
Allies and rivals
Kei (food, boats), the Seram Laut islands and the Aru traders; Javanese and Malay shipmasters.
How things stand that morning
Not described for 1200. The trade in nutmeg and mace is certain (the spice reached the far west of Eurasia long before); who sails it from Banda is not shown.
Wealth
Nutmeg and mace; no figures.
Military
Not known; boats, spears and shields in the later record. No numbers.
Threats
- An eruption of Gunung Api in the middle of the group (the dated record is later)
- Famine if the food boats from Kei fail
Places of note
- Banda Neira: Harbour island.
- Lonthor (Banda Besar): The largest island, the deepest groves; 17 km inside the 130 E frame edge.
- Pulau Ai: Rock shelter of Lape; nutmeg island.
Where the sources disagree
- The campaign board entry id lonthor-banda-besar sits 17 km inside the frame edge (130 E); the eastern coast of the island is close to the line.
- The Wikipedia page on the Banda Islands is cited as read; the orang kaya system is described there for the later centuries.
Evidence: A sixteenth-century system read back, a 1365 name and the geography; the campaign board marks Lonthor 'likely'.
"The campaign board" is OMNIA's working map. These notes record where its earlier claims were checked against the sources.
On the map: The islands of the group, drawn as seeded blocks.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, 'Banda Islands' (read in this pass): the orang kaya system, Lape's 8,000-year rock shelter on Pulau Ai
- Wikipedia, 'Nagarakretagama' (read in this pass): the cantos 13 and 14 lists of Borneo and the eastern islands, written 1365
- The OMNIA board (September 2026) note for this place: a lead only, not a source
- Background knowledge of Southeast Asian history (Wolters; Hall; Bellwood; Scott; Junker; Reid), recalled and not re-read in this pass
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.