Sragen students to study anthropology<\/p>\n
Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Sragen, Central Java<\/p>\n
Sragen, a Central Java regency believed to contain thousands of
\nhistorical fossils, has added anthropology to its education
\ncurriculum for elementary through high school in a bid to help
\nconserve the Sangiran historical heritage sites and prevent
\nlocals from selling fossils that they find.<\/p>\n
Sragen Regent Untung Wiyono said he was suspicious about the
\nabsence of fossil findings reported to local authorities over
\nlast the five years.<\/p>\n
\"I don't know if locals have not discovered any fossils or
\nthey sell them secretly to foreign collectors. Therefore, local
\nauthorities will educate people about historical heritage
\nconservation.<\/p>\n
\"But, for a long-term program, we will add anthropology as
\nspecial content in the education curriculum for all elementary
\nthrough high schools as of this academic year,\" He said in his
\nvisit to see the fossilized remains of a buffalo head in the
\nSangiran Museum in the regency over the weekend.<\/p>\n
The buffalo head with the left horn measuring 93 centimeters
\nand the right 44 cm, was found by Eko Setiawan, a high school
\nstudent, in his backyard in Wonotelo Village three weeks ago. The
\nfinding was reported to local authorities and, then, put into the
\nSangiran Museum for conservation.<\/p>\n
Teuku Yacob, a noted anthropologist from Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity, also witnessed the historical finding and appreciated
\nthe local administration's efforts to help conserve historical
\nfossils in the regency. But he could not immediately ascertain
\nthe age of the bones.<\/p>\n
Untung explained that local authorities would have
\ndifficulties preserving all historical fossils believed still to
\nbe contained in the regency's earth, unless locals were involved.<\/p>\n
He said the regency administration was seeking funds to
\nrehabilitate the museum building to enable it to house more
\nfossils.<\/p>\n
\"Students will be required to visit the museum once a year to
\nimprove their awareness of historical heritage conservation,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Pujiarso, chief of the Sangiran Museum Laboratory, alleged
\nthat many people had been selling their findings to foreign
\ncollectors for high prices rather than report them to authorities
\nwhich did not provide a fair reward.<\/p>\n
\"There is a possibility many people have sold their findings
\nto foreign collectors for millions of rupiah and we can't compete
\nwith that in dealing with new fossil findings,\" he said, citing
\nthat the government had paid Rp 750,000 in compensation for each
\nfossilized item.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that many locals regularly scoured landslide
\nareas to look for fossilized items. Findings are usually supplied
\nto local middlemen who later sell them to collectors.<\/p>\n
Pujiarso said many local peasants have been hunting historical
\nfossils following the arrest of U.S. citizen Donald Taylor who
\nwas trying to smuggle Sangiran fossils through the airport in
\nSolo in 1997.<\/p>\n
\"Since then, locals have no longer reported their findings to
\nlocal authorities because they can sell their findings to foreign
\ncollectors at high prices, Beforehand, the museum collected
\nhundreds of fossils from locals,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He cited that the museum bought 20 historical fossils in 1991,
\n12 in 1992, 12 in 1993, 15 in 1994, nine in 1995 and a
\nfossilized elephant skeleton in 1996, but since that time very
\nfew.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sragen-students-to-study-anthropology-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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