The nutmeg groves are the quiet reason Pulau Ai mattered so much. Banda's spice trees once drew Asian, Arab, Portuguese, English, and Dutch traders into a trade that reshaped the islands and brought immense violence with it.
Today the groves feel domestic: trees, shade, drying spices, and small paths around the village. Seeing them after Fort Revengie makes the island's history much easier to grasp.