The Ministry of Culture has officially received eight artefacts\noriginating from Papua, comprising a carved human skull, a stone axe\nfrom Lake Sentani, a decorated wooden club of the Asmat tribe, and\nseveral stone axes.<\/p>\n
This was announced by Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon at a\npress conference on the Repatriation of Papuan Artefacts from the United\nStates, held at the Ministry of Culture office in Senayan, Jakarta.<\/p>\n
As part of its priority programme, the Ministry of Culture continues\nto pursue the repatriation of cultural heritage objects from abroad\nthrough security cooperation with international agencies, particularly\nthe FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation).<\/p>\n
President Prabowo Subianto, accompanied by Minister of Culture Fadli\nZon, received the handover of the cultural artefacts from FBI Director\nKash Patel. The five cultural objects handed over include:<\/p>\n
Item 775 \u2013 A carved human skull.<\/p>\n
Item 1037 \u2013 A perforated green stone with a cord, labelled \u201cS Dani\nTribe, Je, Stone, West Papua, New Guinea\u201d.<\/p>\n
Item 878 \u2013 A stone object carved with the inscription \u201cDani\nTribe\u201d.<\/p>\n
Item 832 \u2013 A stone axe head labelled \u201cHollandia New Guinea 1944\u201d.<\/p>\n
Item 413 \u2013 An axe labelled \u201cIrian Jaya New Guinea Ex European\nCollection Lake Sentani Area\u201d.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, three other cultural objects were handed over by the FBI\nto the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday (21\/7), and\nwill subsequently be processed for repatriation to Indonesia. These\nobjects are:<\/p>\n
Item 889 \u2013 A club with a stone head and carved wooden handle,\nlabelled \u201cS Asmat Tribe N.G. 1971\u201d.<\/p>\n
Item 769 \u2013 A carved ceremonial staff, labelled \u201cS Asmat N.G.\n1970\u201d.<\/p>\n
Item 773 \u2013 A wooden club in two parts, labelled \u201cS Asmat N.G.\n1971\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a separate engagement, the Ministry of Culture received a visit\nfrom the FBI Legal Attach\u00e9 for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Robert F.\nLafferty.<\/p>\n
Both events underscore the Ministry of Culture\u2019s commitment to\nheritage protection cooperation between Indonesia and the United States,\nparticularly in protecting cultural heritage from illicit\ntrafficking.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope that cultural heritage objects will no longer be traded\nillegally. These objects must be cultural assets that we cherish, except\nthose lawfully given to museums, through legal exchanges, or loaned for\nexhibition purposes. We affirm that cultural heritage objects must no\nlonger leave the country illegally,\u201d stated Minister of Culture Fadli\nZon in a written statement on Thursday (23\/7).<\/p>\n
To reinforce efforts to protect and repatriate cultural heritage, the\nMinistry of Culture has carried out repatriation of heritage objects\nfrom various countries. These include cooperation with the Indonesian\nConsulate General in New York on the repatriation of a bronze\nBodhisattva statue, an Avalokite\u015bvara statue, and the Surocolo statue;\nthe return of the Pucangan Inscription from Kolkata; the repatriation of\nthe Minto Stones, or Sangguran Inscription, from Scotland; the\nrepatriation of the Bronbeek Museum collection; and the repatriation of\nTeuku Umar\u2019s Quran from the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are still working to bring back statues held abroad. In addition,\nduring the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was conveyed\nto the President that there are plans to return the Pucangan Inscription\nheld at a museum in Kolkata, India,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fadli Zon also explained that various revitalisation and restoration\nprogrammes at several heritage sites will be carried out this year,\nwhich are expected to support the national economy and surrounding\ncommunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ministry of Culture has temple revitalisation and restoration\nprogrammes this year. These include the revitalisation of Pewara Temple\nwithin the Prambanan complex, to be carried out in cooperation with\nIndia, as well as Sewu Temple, Plaosan Temple, Maimun Palace, the Solo\nKeraton, and several other heritage sites. Going forward, we hope these\nsites will become living heritage that attracts both domestic and\nforeign tourists, generating foreign exchange and a cultural economy for\nlocal residents,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Also present at the occasion were Director General of Cultural\nDiplomacy, Promotion and Cooperation Endah T.D. Retnoastuti; Expert\nStaff to the Minister for Legal Affairs and Cultural Policy Masyitoh\nAnnisa Ramadhani Alkitri; Expert Staff to the Minister for\nInter-Institutional Relations Ismunandar; Special Staff to the Minister\nfor Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations Annisa Rengganis; and\nHead of the Bureau of Public Relations and Public Information\nRidwan.<\/p>\n
Fadli Zon further emphasised the need for plans to strengthen\ncooperation with various ministries, agencies, and relevant\nstakeholders, as a preventive measure against the unofficial trade in\ncultural heritage objects and objects suspected of being cultural\nheritage.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegulations on preventing the theft of cultural heritage objects\nalready exist, but cross-sectoral cooperation with relevant ministries\nand agencies is needed,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
The return of artefacts and various cultural heritage objects to\nIndonesia is one of the Ministry of Culture\u2019s priorities in protecting,\npreserving, and restoring the nation\u2019s cultural heritage as part of its\nnational identity.<\/p>\n
This commitment is realised through the ongoing repatriation efforts\nto bring home Indonesian cultural heritage objects that remain\nabroad.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-receives-five-papuan-artefacts-from-the-us-three-more-being-processed-1784814866", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }