Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine March 2015 | Page 127

Travel | Saumlaki
coconut palm wine, and Pak Stenley
spilled some sopi on the floor
of his hut before uttering the traditional
words of blessing, followed by
what seemed to be the Lord’s
Prayer in Yamdena.

The bow of the boat was shaped like
a fearsome dragon’s head and the
stern was curved elegantly almost into
a spiral. It was the same sort of shape
that I’d been told had been at the stern
of the stone-boat in Sangliat Dol.

Most of the Tanimbar islanders are
Christian, and there are spectacularly
big churches even in some of the most
humble villages. By the church in the
village of Tumbur I met Isaias Malindar,
another young man who has risen to
high position in his community: at only
29 years old he is the youngest kepala
desa in this province of 70 villages.
Ais, as his friends call him, was clearly
very proud of his village and had also
organised cleaning programmes
and even an art centre where locally
produced crafts could be promoted
and sold. In the art centre we chatted
to one old lady as she deftly weaved
a colourful strip of ikat. These islands
are famous not only for fine ikat but
also for intricate wood carving.

I would be leaving the next morning
and wished I could find space to carry
the dragon boat in my hand luggage.
With its curving scorpion’s tail it
seemed to symbolise the air of mystery
that surrounds so much in the
Tanimbar Islands.

125

Adventures in and around Saumlaki

BANDA SEA
Molu Island •
Maru Island •

Wotap Island •
Waliaru Island •

• Selu Island
Seira Island •

Yamdena •

Ais introduced me to Pak Damianus
Masele, who learned to carve as a small
boy and is now one of the most talented
woodworkers on the island. He’d
recently completed a beautiful figure
of a traditional island god called Tafu,
probably dating back to the time of the
fearsome Tanimbarese headhunters.
Even more spectacular (and involving
two weeks of hard work) was a fragile
Suri war boat with the little ranks of
warriors on the deck.

• Saumlaki

ARAFURA SEA

Saumlaki is the jump-off
point for some of the most
mysterious and least travelled
islands in the country. Fordata
(in the far north) remains one
of the hidden gems but has
become known for a unique
tribal heritage, which to some
extent remains strong. While
Selaru and Waliaru see
occasional visitors, the little
tropical islets of Maru, Molu,
Nuswotar, Selu, Seira, Wotap
(and more than 50 others) still
wait to be explored. Indonesia
Trip Advisors can arrange
overland travel and logistics
in Maluku, as well as elsewhere
in Indonesia.
www.indonesiatripadvisors.com
T. 62 812 8373 487

Haunting carvings –
reminiscent of the stone heads of
Easter Island – are found all over
the Tanimbar Islands.

Saumlaki adalah tempat
singgah untuk mencapai
berbagai tempat misterius
yang jarang didatangi. Fordata
(nun jauh di utara) menjadi
salah satu daya tarik namun
juga terkenal dengan budaya
suku pedalamannya yang
unik, dan masih
dipertahankan. Sedangkan
Selaru dan Wuliaru masih
kerap didatangi pengunjung
musiman yang menuju Pulau
Maru, Molu, Nuswotar, Selu,
Seira, Wotap (dan 50 pulau
kecil lainnya yang masih
menunggu untuk dijelajahi).
Indonesia Trip Advisors (T. 62
812 8373 487) dapat mengatur
perjalanan dan kebutuhan
Anda di Maluku, dan juga di
seluruh Indonesia.