Page "Banda Islands" Paragraph 4

In addition to the production of nutmeg and mace, Banda maintained significant entrepot trade ; goods that moved through Banda included cloves from Ternate and Tidore in the north, bird of paradise feathers from the Aru Islands and western New Guinea, massoi bark for traditional medicines, and slaves.

In exchange, Banda predominantly received rice and cloth ; namely light cotton batik from Java, calicoes from India and ikat from the Lesser Sundas.

In 1603, an average quality sarong-sized cloth traded for eighteen kilograms of nutmeg.

Some of these textiles were then on-sold, ending up in Halmahera and New Guinea.

Coarser ikat from the Lesser Sundas was traded for sago from the Kei Islands, Aru and Seram.