Seram
Encyclopedia
Seram is an island
in the Maluku province
of Indonesia
. It is located north of Ambon Island
. The chief port/town is Masohi
.
, the highest point of which, Mount Binaiya
, is covered with dense rain forests. Its remarkably complex geology is due to its location at the meeting of several tectonic microplates, that has been described as "one of the most tectonically complex areas on Earth". Seram actually falls on its own microplate that has been twisted around by 80° in the last 8 million years by the relatively faster movement of the Papua microplate. Meanwhile, along with the northward push of the Australian Plate, this has resulted in the uplift that gives north-central Seram peaks of over 3000m.
, including the Eclectus Parrot
, Purple-naped Lory
, Salmon-crested Cockatoo, Lazuli Kingfisher
, Sacred Kingfisher
, Grey-necked Friarbird
and Moluccan King Parrot
.
The mammals found on Seram include Asian species (Murid rodents
) as well as Australasian marsupial
s. The montane area of Seram supports the greatest number of endemic mammals of any island in the region. It harbors 38 mammal species and includes nine species that are endemic or near endemic, several of which are limited to montane habitats. These include the Seram Bandicoot, Moluccan Flying Fox, Seram Flying-fox
, Manusela Mosaic-tailed Rat
, Spiny Ceram Rat
and the Ceram Rat
, all considered threatened.
Saltwater crocodile
s exist within some of the island's rivers, including the Salawai River.
In the eastern part of the island, Manusela National Park
has been established in 1997, covering an area of 1,890 km² (11% of the island).
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Seram was generally within the sphere of influence of Ternate
, although it was often ruled more directly by the Ternaten vassal state of Buru
. Portuguese
missionaries were active there in the 16th century. Dutch
trading post
s were opened in the early 17th century, and the island came under nominal Dutch control c. 1650. In the 1780s, Seram provided a key base of support for Prince Nuku
of Tidore
's long-running rebellion against Dutch rule. From 1954 until 1962 the island's mountain terrain was the scene of an armed guerilla struggle against Indonesian rule by the counter revolutionary Republic of South Moluccas movement led by Soumokil.
(Kabupaten Seram Bagian Barat), capital at Dataran Hunipopu, had a population (2003) of 140,657; and Eastern Seram
(Kabupaten Seram Bagian Timur), capital at Dataran Hunimoa, had a population (2003) of 78,336. The Central Maluku Regency
(Kabupaten Maluku Tengah), with its capital at Masohi
, includes the middle part of Ceram, as well as some other smaller islands.
Seram has been traditionally associated with the animism of the indigenous Alfur (or Nuaulu
), a West Melanesian people who reputedly retained a custom of headhunting until the 1940s. Today, however, most of the population of Seram today is either Muslim
or Christian
due to both conversion and immigration. Seram was affected by the violent inter-religious conflict that swept Maluku province starting in late 1998, resulting in tens of thousands of displaced persons across the province but after the Malino II Accord
agreement tempers cooled. Seram has been peaceful for many years but towns like Masohi remain informally divided into de facto Christian and Muslim sections.
Around 7,000 people belonging to the Manusela
tribe follow Hinduism.
, resin
, sago
, and fish
are important products. Oil
is exploited in the northeast near Bula by CITIC Seram Energy who took over from KUFPEC (Indonesia) Limited in 2006.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the Maluku province
Provinces of Indonesia
The province is the highest tier of local government subnational entity in Indonesia. Each province has its own local government, headed by a governor, and has its own legislative body...
of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It is located north of Ambon Island
Ambon Island
Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of , and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of 2 territories: The main city and seaport is Ambon , which is also the capital of Maluku province and Maluku Tengah Ambon Island is part of the...
. The chief port/town is Masohi
Masohi
Masohi is a town in the central part of the Indonesian island of Seram. It is the capital of the Central Maluku Regency and has been designated as the capital of Maluku province after its move from Ambon, scheduled for 2012. It was the site of a detention camp for political prisoners in the...
.
Geography and geology
Seram is traversed by a central mountain rangeMountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
, the highest point of which, Mount Binaiya
Mount Binaiya
Mount Binaiya is the highest point on the Indonesian island of Seram . At an elevation of , it is one of the one hundred most topographically prominent peaks on Earth....
, is covered with dense rain forests. Its remarkably complex geology is due to its location at the meeting of several tectonic microplates, that has been described as "one of the most tectonically complex areas on Earth". Seram actually falls on its own microplate that has been twisted around by 80° in the last 8 million years by the relatively faster movement of the Papua microplate. Meanwhile, along with the northward push of the Australian Plate, this has resulted in the uplift that gives north-central Seram peaks of over 3000m.
Ecology
Seram island is remarkable for its high degree of localised bird endemism. From the 117 species of bird on the island, 14 are endemicEndemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
, including the Eclectus Parrot
Eclectus Parrot
The Eclectus Parrot, Eclectus roratus, is a parrot native to the Solomon Islands, Sumba, New Guinea and nearby islands, northeastern Australia and the Maluku Islands...
, Purple-naped Lory
Purple-naped Lory
The Purple-naped Lory, Lorius domicella is a monotypic species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is forest-dwelling endemic to the islands of Seram, Ambon, and perhaps also Haruku and Saparua, South Maluku, Indonesia. It is considered vulnerable, the main threat being from trapping for the...
, Salmon-crested Cockatoo, Lazuli Kingfisher
Lazuli Kingfisher
The Lazuli Kingfisher is a species of bird in the Alcedinidae family.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and plantations .It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* BirdLife International 2004....
, Sacred Kingfisher
Sacred Kingfisher
The Sacred Kingfisher is primarily a woodland kingfisher that occurs in mangroves, woodlands, forests, and river valleys of Australia, Lord Howe Is., Norfolk Is., New Guinea, N...
, Grey-necked Friarbird
Grey-necked Friarbird
The Seram Friarbird , also known as the Grey-necked Friarbird, is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.-References:* BirdLife International...
and Moluccan King Parrot
Moluccan King Parrot
The Moluccan King Parrot, Alisterus amboinensis, is a parrot that is endemic to Peleng Island, Maluku and West Papua in Indonesia. It is sometimes referred to as the Ambon King Parrot or Amboina King Parrot, but this is potentially misleading, as it is found on numerous other islands than Ambon...
.
The mammals found on Seram include Asian species (Murid rodents
Muridae
Muridae is the largest family of mammals. It contains over 600 species found naturally throughout Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. They have been introduced worldwide. The group includes true mice and rats, gerbils, and relatives....
) as well as Australasian marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
s. The montane area of Seram supports the greatest number of endemic mammals of any island in the region. It harbors 38 mammal species and includes nine species that are endemic or near endemic, several of which are limited to montane habitats. These include the Seram Bandicoot, Moluccan Flying Fox, Seram Flying-fox
Ceram Fruit Bat
The Ceram fruit bat or Seram flying fox is a species of megabat in the Pteropodidae family. It is endemic to the mountainous forests of two Indonesian islands, Buru and Seram, including the Manusela National Park on Seram. They were present on the nearby Ambon Island but probably not anymore...
, Manusela Mosaic-tailed Rat
Manusela Mosaic-tailed Rat
The Manusela Mosaic-tailed Rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Indonesia. It lives in the rainforests on the island of Seram in Indonesia. Specimens of it weigh 66.5g and have a head and body length of 118-135mm and a tail length of 126–140mm.-References:*...
, Spiny Ceram Rat
Spiny Ceram Rat
The spiny Ceram rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is found only in Indonesia and is named after the Indonesian island of Seram.-References:* Baillie, J. 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
and the Ceram Rat
Ceram Rat
The Ceram Rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is found only in Indonesia.-References:* Baillie, J. 1996. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
, all considered threatened.
Saltwater crocodile
Saltwater Crocodile
The saltwater crocodile, also known as estuarine or Indo-Pacific crocodile, is the largest of all living reptiles...
s exist within some of the island's rivers, including the Salawai River.
In the eastern part of the island, Manusela National Park
Manusela National Park
Manusela National Park is located on Seram island, in the Maluku archipelago of Indonesia. It is made up of coastal forest, swamp forest, lowland and montane rainforest ecosystem types. Mount Binaiya at 3,027 meters, is the highest of the park's six mountains...
has been established in 1997, covering an area of 1,890 km² (11% of the island).
History
Most central Moluccans consider Seram to be their original ancestral home and it is still known colloquially as Nusa Ina (Mother Island).In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Seram was generally within the sphere of influence of Ternate
Ternate
Ternate is an island in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia. It is located off the west coast of the larger island of Halmahera, the center of the powerful former Sultanate of Ternate....
, although it was often ruled more directly by the Ternaten vassal state of Buru
Buru
Buru is the third largest island within Maluku Islands of Malay Archipelago. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon and Seram islands. The island belongs to Maluku province of Indonesia and includes the Buru and South Buru regencies...
. Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
missionaries were active there in the 16th century. Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
s were opened in the early 17th century, and the island came under nominal Dutch control c. 1650. In the 1780s, Seram provided a key base of support for Prince Nuku
Nuku
Nuku was a traditional province of the island of Hiva Oa in pre-European times. It did not function as a unified governmental unit, but rather as a confederation of local tribes during times of war with tribes from Hiva Oa's other province, Pepane...
of Tidore
Tidore
Tidore is a city, island, and archipelago in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia, west of the larger island of Halmahera. In the pre-colonial era, the kingdom of Tidore was a major regional political and economic power, and a fierce rival of nearby Ternate, just to the north.-Geography:Tidor...
's long-running rebellion against Dutch rule. From 1954 until 1962 the island's mountain terrain was the scene of an armed guerilla struggle against Indonesian rule by the counter revolutionary Republic of South Moluccas movement led by Soumokil.
Administration
Seram includes three of the regencies within the province of Maluku. West SeramWest Seram Regency
Seram Bagian Barat Regency is a regency of Maluku, Indonesia. The principal town lies at Piru....
(Kabupaten Seram Bagian Barat), capital at Dataran Hunipopu, had a population (2003) of 140,657; and Eastern Seram
East Seram Regency
Seram Bagian Timur Regency is a regency of Maluku, Indonesia. The principal town lies at Bula....
(Kabupaten Seram Bagian Timur), capital at Dataran Hunimoa, had a population (2003) of 78,336. The Central Maluku Regency
Central Maluku Regency
Central Maluku Regency is a regency of Maluku, Indonesia. The principal town lies at Masohi....
(Kabupaten Maluku Tengah), with its capital at Masohi
Masohi
Masohi is a town in the central part of the Indonesian island of Seram. It is the capital of the Central Maluku Regency and has been designated as the capital of Maluku province after its move from Ambon, scheduled for 2012. It was the site of a detention camp for political prisoners in the...
, includes the middle part of Ceram, as well as some other smaller islands.
Religion
Nuaulu
The Nuaulu or Naulu are a tribe located in Seram, Maluku, Indonesia.-Description:The Nuaulu are divided into two groups, namely the northern and the southern groups. Numbering at a total of 2500 people, they live in the Amahai district of Central Seram...
), a West Melanesian people who reputedly retained a custom of headhunting until the 1940s. Today, however, most of the population of Seram today is either Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
or Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
due to both conversion and immigration. Seram was affected by the violent inter-religious conflict that swept Maluku province starting in late 1998, resulting in tens of thousands of displaced persons across the province but after the Malino II Accord
Malino II Accord
The Malino II Accord was signed on 13 February 2002 as a settlement between warring parties in the Maluku sectarian conflict that commenced in 1999 in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. ....
agreement tempers cooled. Seram has been peaceful for many years but towns like Masohi remain informally divided into de facto Christian and Muslim sections.
Around 7,000 people belonging to the Manusela
Manusela
The Manusela population of over 9,000 is centered in the Manusela mountains of North Seram, Maluku, Indonesia.They are also found along Teluti Bay in south Seram, which suggests their name of their tribe....
tribe follow Hinduism.
Economy
CopraCopra
Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. Coconut oil extracted from it has made copra an important agricultural commodity for many coconut-producing countries. It also yields coconut cake which is mainly used as feed for livestock.-Production:...
, resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
, sago
Sago
Sago is a starch extracted in the spongy center or pith, of various tropical palm stems, Metroxylon sagu. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas, where it is called saksak and sagu. A type of flour, called sago flour, is made from sago. The largest supply...
, and fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
are important products. Oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
is exploited in the northeast near Bula by CITIC Seram Energy who took over from KUFPEC (Indonesia) Limited in 2006.
External links
- Seacology Seram Island Health Clinic Project SeacologySeacologySeacology is a nonprofit 501 charitable organization headquartered in Berkeley, California that focuses on preserving island ecosystems and cultures around the globe. Founded in 1991, it began with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, who researched tropical plants and their medicinal value in...
- Alifuru Consciousness Video