The traditional society was not pronounced hierarchical, being based on lineage-based clans where the members shared duties of hospitality and cooperation.

These island communities were divided into two ritual bonds called Ursia and Urlima, a socio-political system found in many parts of Maluku.

[7] The Spanish navigator Álvaro de Saavedra sighted the islands on 12 June 1528, when trying to return from Tidore to New Spain.

[9] Aru was monitored by the VOC establishment in the Banda Islands, and yielded a variety of products including trepang, birds-of-paradise, parrots, pearls, sago, turtle-shell, and slaves.

[citation needed] After being left to its own devices for many years, Aru was again visited in 1824 by the Dutch naval officer A.J.

His visit later made him realize that the Aru Islands must have been connected by a land bridge to mainland New Guinea during the ice age.

[12] In the nineteenth century, Dobo, Aru's largest town, temporarily became an important regional trading center, serving as a meeting point for Dutch, Makasarese, Chinese, and other traders.

[citation needed] Throughout its history, the Aru Islands exported luxury natural products like birds-of-paradise, turtle shells, and pearls to Asia and later Europe.

While the islands were positioned within the global trade network, local Aru society was able to preserve its independence and egalitarianism.

[14] Other export products include sago, coconuts, tobacco, mother of pearl, trepang (an edible sea cucumber, which is dried and cured), tortoiseshell, and bird-of-paradise plumes.

[citation needed] In November 2011, the Government of Indonesia awarded two oil-and-gas production-sharing contracts (PSC) about two hundred km (124 mi) west of the Aru Islands to BP.

The two adjacent offshore exploration PSCs, West Aru I and II, cover an area of about 16,400 km2 (6,300 sq mi) with water depths ranging from 200 to 2,500 m (660 to 8,200 ft).

[18] In 2010 census, religion population consists Protestant (59.84%), Catholic (9.32%), Muslim (29.97%), Hinduism (0.05%), Buddhist (0.03%), Confucianism (0.02%), Other (0.01%), and not asked (0.75%).