Nootmuskaat pluk

by Tineke Fischer · Heerenveen, NL

For this work, I make a virtual journey from the present to the Banda Islands. A step back in time, in the year 1607 when Jan Pieterszoon Coen landed. He encountered a paradise island. The peace-loving population welcomed Coen and his crew. The island consisted of trees where nutmeg grew, an unknown spice that the Dutch saw potential for trade. Commanding Admiral Pieter Verhoeff had been given the task of negotiating the nutmeg trade. During the construction of the fort, the population revolted and murdered the admiral. As a result, many Bandanese were beheaded, on Coen's orders. Thousands of people were murdered - beheaded for nutmeg. I translate and visualize this history to the present time to keep the history alive.