Our Shared History With The Moluccas

Looking at this 17th-century French engraving, many might ask about the distinguishing features: Who are the Moluccans? Who are the inhabitants of the Philippines?

On a more profound analogy, one tends to recall the early years of Spanish conquest when both the Moluccas and the Philippines were somehow grouped into one together with other Pacific islands. It was known then as the "Spanish East Indies." This could somehow explain why some books and journals in the 16th to the 17th Century often discussed both archipelagos collectively.

                             "Habitans des Philippines, des Moluques et des Isles de la Sonde". from
                                       Illustrations de Nouvelle géographie / Martineau. Ca 1700.

Early travel books often illustrate inhabitants of the places discuss inaccurately, like this drawing of the people of the Philippines, Moluccas and the Sunda (the Malay Archipelago). The artists have never been to those places at all and most rely on stories relayed to them or tall tales etc. Reminds me of the illustrated Marco Polo book in the Middle Ages where it features Polo having encountered strange beings,  like the wolf-headed people, monsters etc.

Portugal was the first to reach the Moluccas. Magellan had actually spent some years in Melaka (part of Malaysia) hearing some accounts of the Spice islands before coming back to Europe and offering his service to Spain. And when he undertook his voyage in 1519, his immediate aim was head towards the Moluccas and searched a  westerly route. In doing so, he stumbled upon what was then the Philippines. 

 Some historians are in the opinion that Magellan and a couple of Portuguese mariners already knew the existence of our archipelago and were believed to have even visited Mindanao before 1521. But why was the interest about the Philippines not that high? Simple: The Moluccas had something Europeans would die for-- Spices.

Steady interest on the Spice Islands grew ever since it was rumored to be the only source of some of the world's most exotic and expensive spices. European powers sent voyages to find it, they went to wars against each other and on some occasion even concluded treaties, all for the sake of spices. One unusual treaty involves the Dutch giving up to the British its prized possession in North America in exchange for an island group in the Moluccas. This Dutch possession was earlier called  New Amsterdam (Lower Manhattan) which the Brits would later rename ", New York".

What such wealth the Moluccas possessed that the Dutch willingly gave up something that would someday turn out to be big? ( Probably they were saying; didn't "want to be apart of it". With the Brits answering; "If we can make it there, we'll make it anywhere").

Spain was somewhat left out by the Dutch and the Portuguese in the race to colonize the Moluccas. Towards the end of the 1500s, both nations were locked in a battle to gain control of the Spice Islands. In March 1606, Governor-General Pedro Bravo de Acuña led a fleet from Manila to help their besieged ally, the Portuguese. The governor really had his eyes on the island of Ternate. In the battle near the village called Gramalama, the Spaniards were able to drive away the Dutch. One of the aftermaths of the fight, Acuña sent the Dutch collaborating Sultan of Ternate together with some relatives in exile to Manila.

              THE FABLED SPICE ISLANDS/ The Village Gamalama in Ternate. The Moluccas. 17th Century.

The Sultan is often referred to in some historical accounts as "Sultan Zayde." Antonio Morga's "Sucesos" discussed this event. Jose Rizal, in his annotations of the "Sucesos," mentioned that the Sultan was mistreated by the Spaniards in Manila: "He (the Sultan) stayed in a tiny room. And when it rained, all the rain fell on him, and they starved him'......

In the early 1660s, Spain left the Moluccas for good. Manila was under threat from an invasion by the Chinese pirate Koxinga. The Spanish leadership elected to leave Ternate to strengthen the defenses of Manila. Among those who decided to come along with the Spanish forces were groups of Ternate Christians. They settled on a sandy coast in Cavite, which would be later named Ternate.

                     "Ilhas de Maluco" -- 'Islands of the Moluccas', from Livro do Estado da India Oriental 1646, by Pedro Barreto de Resende. From left to right the islands of Hiri, Ternate, Maitara, Tidore, Mare and Makian, with an interesting treatment of perspective which emphasizes the height of the volcanoes that rose to the sea to form each of the islands. The rich volcanic soil counts as one reason why spices abound in that region. Up to now, it is still a region of high volcanic activity.

Maps give us different perspectives. It also answers a lot of questions. The Maluku Islands is about 7 hundred nautical miles from Mindanao. Magellan was a bit off target. It is one of those historical accidents.