Sometime in the 1500s, after 1511, a fleet of Ambonese canoes sailed to
Ternate to bring the tribute of their respective kingdoms to the Sultan.
The canoe from Paso was "Sigi-Opo-Halawane."  Latu Sarimanela was pilot.
On the return voyage,the canoes of Paso and Batumera were left behind by
the other vessels of the fleet.  They were caught in a wind storm off
Buru, in the Manipa Straits.  The Paso canoe, under Latu Sarimanela
(King-Of-The-Broad-Paddle) was foundering.  The Batumera canoe came to
assist them, and brought them safely to land at Cape Kramat (Pela), Buru.
There they found a round, black rock.  Both crews dissembarked.  They
brought all their provisions ashore, and placed them on the rock.  Then
they divided all that they had evenly.  Coconuts were halved over the
rock. Dried "julong" fish were broken in two.  Even sago cakes were broken
in two.  So all that they had between them.

Then they placed a vessel with water on the rock.  Into this the
participants dripped blood which was drawn from their fingers.  Then,after
dipping their sharp weapons into the brew, each drank; sealing their bond
as blood brothers.  They vowed never to harm one another, and to love one
another as brothers through all generations forever.  In this bond,
naturally, intermarriage was taboo.  They were brothers.  Their culture
was exogamic.  Neither could any of their descendants intermarry, ever.
Paso is the younger brother.  Batumera the older.  Intermarriage was
punished by death.

After drinking,they turned the rock over, and placed their weapons
underneath.  Then they sailed to Ambon.

The english word, "canoe," is here translated from "kora-kora."  My
informant was Tiang Salmanela, of Paso, descendant of Latu Sarimanela, of
the kora-kora Siti-Opo-Halawane, Paso, November 21, 1965.  For further
details, contact Ahmed Norletu, king of Batumera.

More words by Tiang Salmanela on Paso:

Paso was settled by people from Seram and the islands to the west.
Tuatanase was a "kapitan perempuan" in the Paso-Hitu war, before the
arrival of the Europeans.  There was a sago branch across the path,and
when the kapitan of Hitu cut it, blood came out.  He returned directly to
Hitu.  Then the people of Hitu came to war against Paso.

Before, Paso had no swamps.  Then, in 1854,a tidal wave swept over,andthe
swamps developed.  Long ago, the white man tried to dig a canal across the
isthmus.  They cut all the way through,but the canal filled up again at
night.  The ground is sandy.  Many people died.  Then, in 1913, there was
a terrible flood, and in 1916, the Dutch decided to cut a canal through.
The same thing happened.

Baguala is the name of the old mountain government of the Simaus, at
Eri-wakan.  The north part of the bay is Baguala.  The south part is
really Toma-lima.  Eri-wakan was located behind the present village of
Waiheru.

Culture is dead with those who knew it.  There used to be the "parise"
dance.  There were two "baileos."  One was Mandalise, and the other was
Samasuru.  There,the "arta" cloths were brought.  There the "adat" was
executed.  There the elders gathered for meetings.  There the business of
the village was done.

Before the Japanese invasion,there was a bench of black stone, complete
with back-rest, and finished smoothly.  During the east monsoon, it faced
one way, and during the west monsoon, it faced the other way, facing into
the wind.

Aman-ori, Eri-wakan, and Aman-moni.  Aman-moni is up back of Wai-mahu.
The influence of old Paso reached to Nania.  When the ancestors descended
to the coast, their first village was Negeri Lama, and that is the reason
it bears that name.

Salmanela teun Leilima upu Moni.