“Para-Para Api”: Vernacular Architecture of Nutmeg Farmers’ Settlements in the Banda Islands, Maluku, Indonesia

Abstract

This article examines the Para-Para Api (PPA), a modest yet enduring form of vernacular architecture developed by nutmeg-farming households in the Banda Islands, Maluku. While spice-route scholarship has largely focused on palaces, forts, and trading ports, little attention has been given to the everyday structures that sustain nutmeg production. The study investigates the architectural characteristics and socio-cultural roles of the PPA, particularly how vernacular building practices adapted influences from colonial-era smokehouses within a household-scale context. Using qualitative methods that combine field surveys, architectural documentation, and semi-structured interviews with nutmeg farmers across several Bandanese settlements, the research analyzes construction techniques, spatial organization, and typological variations. The findings show that PPAs are typically small rectangular structures located beside or behind the main house, allowing smoke from nutmeg roasting to disperse while remaining integrated with domestic activity. They commonly use locally available materials such as timber frames, bamboo drying racks (para-para), earthen or concrete floors, and zinc or palm-leaf roofing. Most structures follow a two-level configuration with a fire chamber below and elevated drying platforms above, while larger examples may include wood storage or cooking spaces. Beyond their utilitarian role in nutmeg preservation, PPAs also function as spaces that express household autonomy and cultural continuity within Bandanese farming communities.