Few see the fossils at Trinil Museum

By Sulistyo Budi N

TRINIL, East Java (JP): Trinil, a small dot on the map of Ngawi regency in East Java, holds a big place in the history of anthropology.

Located near the Bengawan Solo river, it was the place where Dutch anthropologist Eugene Dubois came upon the fossils of Pithecantropus Erectus, known to the world as Java man, in 1891.

Replicas of the fossils, including a skull, molars and femurs, are now kept at Trinil Musuem, which was built by the government and dedicated on Nov. 20, 1991. It is located about 13 kilometers north of the town of Ngawi, along a three-kilometer stretch of nonasphalted road which is laden with potholes during the rainy season.

The driving force behind the establishment of the fossil museum was Wirodihardjo, a villager from Kawu in Ngawi regency, who began his campaign in 1968. He was an avid collector of human and animal fossils around the Bengawan Solo, gaining the nickname "Wiro Balung" (Wiro of bones).

Trinil is the only museum in the country specifically for fossil collections and experts say it is thus important in the development of the humanities. They contend it is a great asset for the country (the area around Trinil remains a major site for archeological excavations and research), and it is the government's duty to preserve its heritage.

Unfortunately, economic need often overshadows thoughts about protecting cultural heritage. Artifacts and fossils have been sold abroad, such as the report in The New York Times in May 1999 that a skull fossil was sold for US$500,000 on the black market.

Lack of government attention is a chronic problem for museums around the country, beginning with the period following independence through to the New Order government of Soeharto. The impression is that the government is not too concerned for such historical legacies, and Trinil museum is a prime example.

The maintenance budget is small and the infrastructure simple. There are only two members of staff, both with honorary status. They each receive Rp 130,000 monthly in fees but they must collect it themselves from Trowulan in Mojokerto, about 350 kilometers from Ngawi.

The fossils are kept in simple glass cases with silica gel placed around the edges as a dehumidifier. They are cleaned with simple cleaning agents like alcohol, to keep them free of fungus.

But the museum's rooms lack other equipment needed to keep the exhibits in good condition. There is no instrument to maintain a constant temperature in the rooms, and no security device, such as an alarm, to prevent theft.

"Actually there are about 1,300 fossils here. However, only 131 fossils can be displayed in this museum due to lack of space to display all of them," said Sujono, 31, a worker at the museum for eight years, whose duties include cleaning the fossils and acting as a guide for visitors.

The items on display include prehistoric elephant ivories (Stegedon trigonocephalus ivory), horns of wild oxen of Java (Bibos palaeosondaicus horn), molars of hippopotamus (Hipotamus sivajavanicus molar), rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), tapir (Tapirus indicus), pigs (Sus brachyonatus) and barking deer (Muntiakus muntjak).

But few make the journey to see the fossils. Sujono said there were less than 200 visitors a month to the museum, which has an entry fee of Rp 500. The revenue is barely enough to cover the maintenance costs of the musuem.

In its poor state, the museum has little chance of attracting visitors, especially young people who are more interested in going to malls and discos. But for the time being, Sujono waits and hopes the visitors will come.