Cakalele Dance

Cakalele dance is a traditional dance from Maluku Province and it is famous in Banda Islands. Cakalele dance is performed by 30 people either male or female. Male dancers wear war clothes dominated by red and yellow color. Not only that, they also hold parang (swords) on the right hand and salawaku (shields) on the left hand and don aluminium hats decorated with slipped feather on it. Performance can be arranged on request of the person.

Air Mata Cilubintang

This well is believed to be filled with water only when there is a traditional ceremony, and when there is water in the well it has a healing power for the sick. This well is situated at the Kele Hill, in the village of Lonthoir.

Perigi Keramat

This is a well which is regarded sacred to the inhabitants of the Banda Islands. The well is 7 meters deep situated on a hill, appr. 90 metres above the sea-level. To get there, one has to walk up the same stairway which leads to Fort Hollandia and the Dutch Perkenier mansions, halfway up there is a right turn to the well.At certain times there is a Cleaning Ceremony of the well. The last time it was cleaned in 1989. To clean it, the villagers used a 99 depa (99 local fathoms) white cloth.

According to a reliable source in Naira, the cleaning ceremony of the Perigi Keramat is done to commemorate the death of 33 Imams (Moslem leaders). One day, a group of Dutch soldiers and merchants got drunk with a group of villagers. The villagers took them to a rock and dropped them into the sea. Nobody knew what happened to the Dutch soldiers and merchants. Later, someone found the remains of these victims in the sea and made a report to the Dutch authorities in Naira. The Dutch authority was very angry, so they caught the 33 imams and dropped them into this well. The villagers later named the rock from where the drunken Dutch were dropped into the sea, Batu Belanda (Dutch Stone). Because the well was, and still used for drinking water, the local villagers of Lonthoir made a special ceremony to recall the recovering of the remains of the 33 imams and to clean the well. The remains of the 33 imams were taken out of the well, and by using 99 fathoms of white cloth, they cleaned the well. The white cloth is meant to wrap the remains of the 33 imams according to Islamic way of burying.

Source : www.balagu.com