Beyond the 'Sinder' Hat: Textile, Identity, and Social Stratification in the Plantation Societies of 19th - Century Banda, Maluku

Libra Hari Inagurasi

This presentation examines the role of textiles and clothing in shaping the identity and social stratification of plantation communities in the 19th-century Banda Islands. Banda, as a centre of nutmeg and mace production, underwent a social transformation after the Dutch East India Company (VOC) took over, giving rise to a plantation society with a complex hierarchy. Clothing was not merely a functional necessity, but an active medium used to define social boundaries. This research employs an interdisciplinary approach, combining visual archaeological analysis, historical textile studies, and social history. The primary data are photographs from the Leiden (KITLV) collection from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries. The photographs were analysed to identify the dress patterns of social groups. Contemporary written sources and archaeological finds from settlement sites in the Banda Islands were used to enrich the data more comprehensively. Social stratification within Banda's plantation society was visually reproduced through dress codes. The "cinder" hat, for example, distinguished plantation supervisors from plantation workers. Fabric, clothing cut, and the use of accessories differentiated social groups. However, behind the rigid colonial structure, there was room for negotiation. The way the Bandanese dressed demonstrated their active articulation of their identity. Textiles and clothing practices are valuable sources for understanding the social dynamics of plantation societies. This study contributes to understanding how island communities in the Indonesian archipelago responded to social change under colonial rule. The study of the spice route goes beyond mere narratives of trade to examine the social transformation of Indian Ocean societies.