A heavenly nymph married to an Arab sayyid

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the multiple foundation myths of North Maluku and reveals that they contain Austronesian concepts of origin structures within which diarchic divisions between a stranger-king and autochthonous groups are important. In Ternate, the Jafar Sadek and Nursafa myth, which emphasises stranger-king ancestors, has been adopted by the royal court and serves as a charter of revived rituals and symbols. The late Sultan Mudaffar Sjah, in particular, used the mythic narratives to disseminate a sense of his power, which helped his ascendancy in local politics. While the Tidore royal family has adopted the same myth, it is the autochthonous clan that controls rituals and spiritual matters. Rather than focusing on the sacredness of stranger-kings, the Tidore rituals reflect an interesting array of stranger-kings and autochthons, established in the pre-colonial era.