Makian is the densest clove ground of the five islands, and in the early Portuguese accounts (from 1512, as we recall) the heaviest producer, its slopes terraced with groves right up to the crater rim (board).
Kie Besi is also the most dangerous of the cones: the campaign board dates its destructive eruption to 1646, which is long after 1200; the earlier record is not known. No chief of Makian can be named for 1200, and the later tradition that places it in the Ternate or Tidore circle is not read back.
Who he is
- Title
- Heads of the island villages (no title known; no king yet)
- 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
- The clove terraces on the cone
- The island's villages
- The crossing to Moti, Tidore and Bacan
Allies and rivals
The other clove islands; Halmahera for food.
How things stand that morning
Not described for 1200.
Wealth
Cloves; no figures.
Military
Not known; boats, spears and shields in the later record. No numbers.
Threats
- A great eruption (the dated record is later)
- Hunger when the sago and rice do not come
Places of note
- Makian: The cone Kie Besi and its villages.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The campaign board and later Portuguese accounts only. The campaign board marks it 'likely'.
"The campaign board" is OMNIA's working map. These notes record where its earlier claims were checked against the sources.
On the map: Near land of the villages, drawn as seeded blocks.
Sources and studies
- Wikipedia, 'Sultanate of Ternate' (read in this pass): the momole of the four villages, the 1257 start of the king list, all dates up to 1500 traditional
- 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.