Ternate - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

TERNATE 30 TOPOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL DESCRIPTIONS
since it is said that they only stay at Sidangoli because it is easier for them to earn a
livelihood there. The rich fishing grounds along this part of the coast have certainly
contributed to the decision of these natives to move there. They are mainly engaged in
cakalang (tuna, skipjack) fishing, 15 which [p. 46] pays well since that kind of fish is in great
demand with the Alfurus from the interior. They leave the preparation of sago to the
mountain dwellers, but they do plait the leaves of the sago palms which are in abundance
to form katu (thatch), and they sell these at a profit to the Chinese at Ternate. They also
collect the eggs of incubator birds, both muleu and mamua, which they sometimes take to
the market in the capital in large numbers. 16
Their daily food is sago, with a little bit of vegetable and fish, preferably in the form
of flat baked cakes, huda raro, and rarely as a porridge or popedah, since once they are
baked the cakes do not need to be further cooked at sea. 17 The price of a tuman or fardu
(Ternatese, ruru) varies from forty to fifty cents, [p. 47] each tuman (or fardu) weighing
twenty to thirty catties. In the worst case, one tree can produce twelve tuman, which is
enough for one person to live on for about four months. This means that the cost of
providing for oneself is very low, which is another reason for the lack of enthusiasm for
work, since one of the main necessities of life is so easily obtained. One may disapprove of
this ease-loving attitude if one is used to the difficult struggle for existence in an occidental
15 [p. 45, n. 3] Cakalang is a Thynnus species (Ternatese, ida; Tidorese, delo). It is caught using
small fishes called gosau, found in abundance between the roots of Rhizophores. To keep the gosau
alive, holes are drilled in the proa so that the seawater washes in and out, for they die immediately
in standing water. When the fishermen observe the movement on the surface of the water indicating
the presence of cakalang, they row to that place and throw the living gosau into the water. The
cakalang chase them and the gosau flee to the proa; at the same time the fishermen cast their
fishing rods, baited with dead gosau. After repeated casts, they land a cakalang. Smaller proas with
fewer people catch [p. 46] ten to twenty of these fish, while bigger proas may catch as many as two
hundred. Together with the people of Sidangoli, the inhabitants of the Tidorese kampong of
Tomalou have the reputation of being the most dexterous in catching these fish. To be successful, it
is necessary to use an odd number of fishing rods.
Where there are cakalang there are also deha (tuna). The deha are called tokol or tongkol on
Java. They are often found near Pasuruan and Sidanyu. The natives of the Moluccas, however,
prefer the better meat of the cakalang. (Cf. also Campen, TNLb [“Fishing on Halmahera”].)
16 [p. 46, n. 1] The most frequently occurring species are the Megapodius Forsteni and the M.
Wallacei. The first is called moleo or muleu in Ternatese and is found in the forests, where it makes
small hills of sand and leaves as high as five feet in which the female lays her eggs; the second,
called mamua, has smaller eggs than the moleo, laying them in the sand on the seashore. Both
species have been described best by Wallace (1870-1871, II:159, 160). Van Musschenbroek is not
correct in saying (Bijdragen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van
Nederlandsch-Indië, 4th series, VII:33, n. 1) that in response to questions from the Europeans the
natives identify both species as moleo: he should have understood that natives from islands where
these birds are not found, such as Ternate, do not know the difference.
17 [p. 46, n. 2] The most frequently found sago palm is the Metroxylon Sagus Rottb., called huda
in Ternatese. The sago from Lolodah [as corrected in Errata —Trans.] on North Halmahera is
supposed to be the best. Sago porridge is used especially as food for babies for the first three months
after birth. According to the Aardrijkskundig Woordenboek van Nederlandsche Indië (III:935), the
population of Ternate is also supposed to eat pinang!
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