The remote province of Southeast Maluku extends from Wetar, off the eastern tip of Timor, to the Aru Group, only 240 kilometers from the underbelly of Irian Jaya. The territorial waters of the region are immense, totaling 320,470 square kilometers, while its land area is only 28,000 square kilometers. In all there are 287 islands and islets, 199 inhabited, stretching in a long chain along the edge of the Arafura Sea between Australia and Pupua.
Most of the islands are hilly to mountainous, some are volcanic in origin, others feature extensive marshlands and lowland swamps. The economy of the region centers on fishing, logging (kayu besi), forest products and pearls. The main town and principal trading and shipping center for the province is Dobo on the small island of Wamar.
It was in the Arus that the great naturalist Sir Russell Wallace wrote for the first time his thoughts on the faunal differences he’d observed during seven years of travel through the Indonesian archipelago. He and Darwin jointly announced to the world their Theory of Evolution in London in 1858, but because Darwin had emphasized human evolution he received the lion's share of credit/blame.
Isolated from the main currents of Indonesian culture and economy, Maluku Tenggara is a forgotten place: difficult to get to, difficult to travel in. Tourism is nil. The only hotel worthy of the name in the whole group is Hotel Vanesya, Jl. Kapitan Maliengi (tel. 21071) in Dobo, charging Rp75,000 for a/c doubles, Rp100,000 for a/c with mandi.
In outlying areas, avail yourself of the camat and village heads for assistance and guides. Accommodations and transportation are expensive or nonexistent. Yet travel here is ultimately rewarding, because, as a direct result of their inaccessibility, native customs, crafts, dress and traditions are still very much alive.
Enigmatic Islands
No group of islands exemplifies this extreme isolation than the unusual Arus. Located in the middle of the Banda Sea, this faraway group consists of several large islands surrounded by many small closely packed isles. Composed of low-lying limestone formations, the islands share a similar topography to the neighboring Kais. Most of the Aru's 21 islands are flat and swampy, their extensive marshes broken by narrow marine channels and low hills. Lying about 640 kilometers southeast of Ambon and only 240 kilometers from the western coast of New Guinea, the Arus probably once formed part of that giant island.
Between the islands are deep, narrow channels known locally as tanah besar, or "big land.” The numerous islands and islets on the Great Aru Bank to the east are called belakang tanah, or "beyond the land." These saltwater straits have given rise to numerous and beautiful waterfalls. Essentially an unknown region, forests here cover the interiors, growing directly out of limestone rock with very little topsoil; there are also endless white sand beaches.
Fauna
On the Arus the fauna of Asia and Australasia meet. There are small game, deer, cuscus, wallabies, kangaroos, crocodiles, monitor lizards, an amazing variety of insects, and wonderful birdlife: lories, rainbow lorikeets, parakeets, cassowaries, and the great black palm and yellow-crested cockatoos living on the kanari nuts other birds are unable to crack. Two species of bird of paradise reach full plumage in the courting season, May through September. Under unremitting pressure from human settlement, birds are now scarce on Wamar. Wildlife on the Belakang Tanah islands is said to be the least disturbed. In the 19th century Sir Russell Wallace was able to collect all manner of fascinating and unusual wild things on a walk from Dobo to Wangil; today you’re never out of sight or sound of spitting motorbikes, groaning trucks and village life.
History
For centuries Dobo has been a famous native trading station. Chinese traders arrived from as far away as Goram and Makassar; pirate Malay perahu from the Sulas would occasionally attack and burn villages. To guard their spice monopoly, the Dutch finally built a fortress on Pulau Wokam in 1659. Dutch trade declined in the second half of the 18th century, and the Makassarese and Buginese quickly filled the vacuum. In 1882, the Dutch reopened trade with the establishment of an administrative settlement in Dobo, and by 1904 had regained control over the islands. Today trade is mainly again in the hands of the Makassarese and Buginese. Dobo was one of the few places in the Indies where Japanese were numerous before 1941, engaged primarily in pearl production. In the 1960s the Arus played a strategic role in the war of liberation in Irian Jaya. In Dobo you can see a commemorative column to Yos Sudarso who perished in the battle of Trikora.
Getting There
There's only one airstrip on the Arus, in a small village south of Dobo called Bendjina, where a Merpati plane lands twice a week from Ambon via Langgur on Kai Kecil for around Rp850,000. Another way to reach the Arus is by the Pelni ships the Bukit Siguntang and the Tatamailau out of Ambon and Tual (Kai Islands), the latter continuing on to Pupua.
The regular port of call for ships in the Arus is Dobo on Pulau Wamar. Pelni ships have canteen where you can buy meals, sandwiches, candy and drinks. Still, carry boiled water and snacks. Buy your ticket either on the boat or at the Pelni office on the dock in Ambon. From Tual (Kais) to Dobo take the weekly overnight vehicle ferry KPM Kormomolin, usually leaving in the afternoon and arriving in Dobo early the next morning.
Coasting vessels also call at Dobo from Kaimana in Pupua.
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Copyright@2005 PakBill
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