People from Buton, Southeast Sulawesi, have for centuries migrated to Ambon for work, there forming one of the most prominent communities of migrants along with the Bugis. Since the beginning of the recent conflicts in Maluku, official figures indicate that over 160,000 people have returned to Buton (previous population 450,000) as refugees. Some of these people, who could also be referred to as returned migrants (I use 'returnees' subsequently), retained strong connections with their villages in Buton while living in Ambon. However, integrating into society in Buton is providing some serious challenges, especially for those born and raised in Ambon. In this paper I will discuss some of these challenges, attempting thereby to gain some understanding of how their memories of past experiences (migration, life in Ambon, the conflict) are important to, and affected by, what they are facing today.