Yamdena

Yamdena is the largest island of the Tanimbar group, east of the Banda Sea. Forested hills follow its eastern shore, while the west is lower; water buffalo roam the woods. Its people speak Yamdena and are known for woodcarving and fine goldwork. At Sangliat Dol a stone stairway leads up from the shore to a boat-shaped stone platform. Such monuments recall the ancestral vessels in which, according to tradition, the islanders' forebears arrived.