| Abstract: |
Preliminary archaeological evidence from the Banda Islands of eastern Indonesia suggests that there were significant divisions within Bandanese society prior to and during the period of European contact (15th-17th centuries AD). Two distinct settlement types are identified, which may correspond to economic and religious factions within Banda's post social system. This evidence, which is now being analyzed, is used to re-evaluate historical documents from the period, and to propose future directions in the rewriting of the history of the colonial conquest of these historically important islands.
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