 Far from the much sought-after and fought-over islands further
north, the widely scattered, mostly small and relatively infertile
islands of southern Maluku have long managed to escape unwelcome
attention of the outside world. No spices were grown here, so the only
trade was limited to marine products, bird of paradise skins, and
sometimes slaves. Even most of this trade was limited to the Aru, and
to lesser extent the Kei Islands, with those further west, from
Tanimbar towards Timor, better known for savage, hostile natives who
were best left alone. Unsurprisingly, when the Dutch finally took
control, missionaries showed the most interest in them, making this the
most Christian part of Maluku.
Sadly, missionary attention also
extended to the fine art of woodcarving that the isolated southwestern
islands have developed, and as it was deemed to form part of
idol-worshipping, most of the splendid masterpieces were destroyed, the
rest shipped out to overseas museums. Ikat weaving and goldsmithing
fared a bit better, though have by now been largely replaced by
products bought from the outside. Even today, this remains one of the
least developed, poorest, least accessible and least visited regions in
all Indonesia.
The most accessible Kei Islands are attracting a tiny though
increasing trickle of visitors with their splendid white sand beaches,
some of the best in the World, but very few people make it beyond
those. A few dedicated naturalists, perhaps inspired by delighted
accounts of Alfred Wallace, make it to the Arus, while anthropologists
and art enthusiasts, hopeful of salvaging whatever is left of the local
cultures and craft traditions, sometimes visit the Tanimbars and the
Southwest. Don’t underestimate the time and effort it takes to tour
most of this part of Maluku – shipping links are poor, facilities
non-existant. If all that sounds appealing, good luck, otherwise you
can still enjoy the beaches on Kei Kecil with relative ease as an
add-on to a trip around Central Maluku.
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