Low islands on the edge of the shallow Arafura sea, and in the campaign board's reading the richest sea-product ground in the archipelago: pearls and pearl shell off the banks, tortoise shell, trepang gathered off the reefs and dried, and bird-of-paradise skins brought over from the Papuan mainland.
The season is short and the whole trade is run out of Banda and the Seram Laut islands (board). Aru is also where the known circuit stops: the Makassar trepang voyages to the Australian coast and any traffic through the Torres passage are documented only from about 1700, and there is no evidence at all for them in 1200 (board). These are not the Aru (Haru) of north-east Sumatra, whose name appears in thirteenth-century and later sources.
This place lies past the 130 E edge of the sheet and cannot be drawn; it is recorded here for the campaign with its coordinates and has no map part.
Who holds it
- Title
- Headmen of the place (no one named)
- Since
- not pinned
- Born
- not known
- Family
- not known
- Confidence
- low
No source names anyone who holds this place for 1200.
Lord in 1200
No chief is named for 1200.
What the town holds
- Pearl banks and reefs
Allies and rivals
Nothing is recorded; neighbours are the villages and ports along the same coast.
How things stand that morning
Not described for 1200.
Wealth
Pearl shell, tortoise shell, trepang (the dates of these trades are not shown).
Threats
- A poor monsoon or a failed season
- Raiders from the next coast
Council
No council or court is recorded; headmen and elders decide (inference).
Fairs and markets
Not known; the trade follows the monsoons.
Militia
Not known. No numbers.
Walls and castle
No wall or fort is recorded.
Trade and crafts
Pearl shell, tortoise shell, trepang (the dates of these trades are not shown).
Places of note
- Dobo (Aru): Trading town of the Aru islands (a later name), about 134.2 E.
Where the sources disagree
- Not the Aru (Haru) of Sumatra, in the west of the sheet.
Evidence: Geography and the campaign board 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: Off the frame: no map part.
Sources and studies
- 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.