Ternate - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

TERNATE 56 TOPOGRAPHY AND TRAVEL DESCRIPTIONS
‘mtomo adia ledo. Stay there.
[p. 84]
1 pso 7 pchit 20 nyohalu
2 pelu 8 powal 30 nyohatol
3 tol 9 psio 100 utinco
4 pchot 10 nyohaso 200 utinlu
5 pelim 11 nyohaso lo pso 1000 calanco
6 wonam 12 nyohaso lo pelu
There seems to be some connection between this language and the one spoken at
Weda and Patani, although the people from both these areas cannot understand each other.
Some of the numerals are the same as in the Numfor language.
Our first contact with Makian dates from June 2, 1605, when Cornelis
Sebastiaenzoon dropped anchor at Ngofakiaha and visited several places on the island.
Taking advantage of the departure of the Portuguese from the Moluccas, he took a cargo of
cloves with him. The Sangaji who escorted him encouraged him to settle on the island.
Two years later Paulus van Caerden sailed here. He took the Spanish stronghold at
Tafasoho by storm on July 21, 1608. One hundred and twenty soldiers remained behind
under Captain Apollonius Schoote, acting as chief merchant, assisted by Christiaen Ariaen
den Dorst, first bookkeeper. They were stationed in the forts at Ngofakiaha, Tafasoho, and
Tabalolo, and their duty was to exclude foreign traders and to see to it that the rich yields
of the spices would end up exclusively in the coffers of the Company. 1 The island itself,
however, remained under the rule of the Sultan of Ternate. 2 [p. 85]
The people of Makian have repeatedly resisted the supreme authority of Ternate.
Sometimes they would like to come under the more lenient rule of Tidore, and at other
times they want to come directly under our rule. 3 In 1806 this even led to a provisional
agreement with the then Governor-General Wieling (see “Appendix V”), but this was never
ratified by the Government.
The last time the people rebelled was in 1848 when all attempts at an amicable
settlement failed completely, and punishment from Ngofakiaha followed during the first
1 [p. 84, n. 1] On this occasion the sea suddenly rose to an extreme height and the ships
Walcheren and China were wrecked. De Jonge calls this natural phenomenon a seaquake (1872-
1875, III:66 and 264), but from his description I would agree with Valentijn (1724, Ib:23) that it was
a high swell.
2 [p. 84, n. 2] In the contracts of January 16, 1613, January 26, 1635, and December 27, 1748,
according to the Note of A.L. Weddik, the obedience of Makian to the Sultan of Ternate was assured.
More details about Makian are given in Appendix 12 by Bokemeijer.
3 [p. 85, n. 1] They had already explained this to Matelief (Valentijn, 1724, Ib:227). Bleeker
would like to see Makian under our direct rule (1856, I:219) but neglects to state what the
advantages would be.
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