From 1999 to 2000, a violent conflict took place between Christian and Muslim communities in North Maluku Province, in eastern Indonesia. The violence has largely been seen as religious in character and an extension of the conflict in Ambon and Maluku Province. However, although religion did become an important factor in the later stages of the North Maluku conflict, the initial violence was not religious in character, nor closely connected to the Ambon conflict. The central issues in the early stages of the conflict were land ownership and the control of natural resources, issues that were brought to the fore by the creation of a new subdistrict. This article analyzes the initial conflict and demonstrates the way in which the division of subdistricts and districts can lead to violence in Indonesia.