Museum reshuffles history to tell a better tale<\/p>\n
Ida Indawati Khouw, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A big city like Jakarta should have a museum with a complete
\ncollection to enable its citizens to learn about the city's
\nhistory. But the Jakarta Historical Museum in West Jakarta has
\nfailed to meet that need.<\/p>\n
\"I want Jakartans visiting the museum to get the whole picture
\nof their city. I want them to say 'now I know the city's history'
\nwhen they step out of the museum,\" said the museum director Tinia
\nBudiati after the opening of the exhibition of the museum's new
\ncollections recently.<\/p>\n
Previously, the museum was not arranged in such a way so that
\nit reflected the city's history. It did not portray the complete
\nstory of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"There were collections which had no connection with Jakarta's
\nhistory displayed here including a relief of Borobudur temple in
\nCentral Java,\" said archeologist Hasan Djafar of the University
\nof Indonesia, referring to the relief that used to be located in
\nthe Tarumanegara Period room.<\/p>\n
Hasan was involved in the rearrangement of the museum lay out.<\/p>\n
As of Oct. 31, the two-story museum's displays were
\nredesigned.<\/p>\n
\"It's a huge task to rearrange around 30 rooms which will last
\nfor decades. Our first phase is to complete the first four
\nrooms,\" said Tinia, referring to the Jakarta Today, Prehistory of
\nthe Greater Jakarta, the Tarumanagara (kingdom) Period I and the
\nTarumanagara Period II rooms.<\/p>\n
Hasan said in the future all rooms would be divided based on
\nperiods from Jakarta's history: the Sunda Kingdom, the
\nPortuguese, the introduction of Islam, Jayakarta Kingdom, the
\nDutch Era and the Republic of Indonesia Era.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Today room contains mostly photographs. They show
\nthe past and present of Jakarta including old maps of the city
\n(formerly known as Batavia) during the early establishment of the
\nold castle in 1619. They also display the multiethnic society of
\nthe 18th and 19th centuries, the conditions in the city in the
\n20th century up to present time with its high-rise buildings and
\nchaotic transportation system.<\/p>\n
\"Sometimes people ignore the details of life in a metropolitan
\ncity. We aim to make visitors aware of it,\" said Hasan.<\/p>\n
With only photographs hanging on the wall, Tinia said:
\n\"Everyone would probably hope for something great like in the
\nfamous museums in Europe. But we can only use what is available
\ndue to our limitations.\"<\/p>\n
Next to the Jakarta Today room is the Prehistory of Greater
\nJakarta room where the actual history begins. There are some
\nvaluable artifacts, some of them in the form of small stone
\npieces.<\/p>\n
\"In terms of history and archeology, these pieces are
\nimportant as they depict activities of the past. They are part of
\nthe stone tools used in daily life like adzes and axes,\" Hasan
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The artifacts have been dated back to 3000 B.C. along with
\nprehistoric remains from the neolithic stage -- the period when
\nman had settled in Greater Jakarta and started farming. Other
\nobjects are from the period of the earthenware culture and
\nbronze-iron age.<\/p>\n
\"Greater Jakarta has about 100 archeological sites which can
\nstill be excavated for other discoveries. The last excavation
\nproject took place in the 1980s,\" said Hasan.<\/p>\n
The Tarumanagara Period I displays replicas of stone epigraphs
\n(in Sanskrit) of Kebon Kopi I, Ciaruteun and Munjul, referring to
\nthe places where they were found. The three inscribed stones are
\npart of the seven precious stones of the Tarumanagara Kingdom
\nthat reigned in an area that included Greater Jakarta in the
\nfifth to seventh century.<\/p>\n
An original statue of elephant-god Ganesh, whose height is
\nonly 58 centimeters, is located in the Tarumanagara Period II.
\nThe statue of Ganesh, known as the god of knowledge, was found in
\nthe Warung Buncit area, South Jakarta, in 1990.<\/p>\n
There were actually five statues found in the Greater Jakarta
\narea. They are now being preserved at the National Museum in
\nCentral Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The Jakarta Historical Museum deserves to have original
\npieces, especially those found in the Greater Jakarta area,\"
\nHasan asserted.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/museum-reshuffles-history-to-tell-a-better-tale-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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