Ganesha helps promote local culture

By Yenni Kwok

JAKARTA (JP): A cosmopolitan community can sometimes enhance the appreciation of the local culture. How so? The Indonesian Heritage Society is an example.

Known as Ganesha Volunteers until 1995 the Indonesian Heritage Society is a nonprofit organization that promotes and generates interest in Indonesian culture. It has attracted 500 members from 34 countries.

"We are truly a local organization that represents the international community in Jakarta," membership co-chairperson Pat Cottrell said.

Commenting on Indonesians making up only 10 percent of the membership, tour guide co-chairperson Moira Morgan said it was not strange. The situation in her home country, England, is no different. There interest in English culture and history comes mostly from foreigners.

Different backgrounds is an advantage, especially in the society's museum section. This section allows members to give public guided tours of Museum Nasional in their native languages: English, Japanese, German, French, Dutch, Sweden and even Finnish.

Not every member can give a guided tour. They need to complete an 11-week training program before they earn a badge, said museum section chairperson Mizue Hara. The training demands extensive study and research of Indonesian history and culture.

"Just like at a university," said Cottrell, who recently earned her badge and gave her first tour last week.

For Morgan, who has led a tour a month since last year, it gives her a chance to tell people what she knows about Indonesia. "I really love it," she said.

Besides giving tours, other museum section activities are helping with the inventory of artifacts, producing an English guide book for the museum, translating old Dutch documents into English and teaching museum staff foreign languages. They even have an office in the Museum complex.

Collaboration with the museum has come a long way. In fact, Museum Nasional has been its focus since the society was established in 1970.

They changed the name to Indonesian Heritage Society when one of the founders, who held the rights to the "Ganesha Volunteers" name left the organization and took the name with her.

Explorer

Besides the museum section, there are other sections like exploration, study tours, school programs, study groups and evening lectures.

The exploration section allows a group of less than 20 people to visit and research one area like Sunda Kelapa harbor or the Maritime Museum in North Jakarta. Two members of the group, who do so preparatory research, lead the group.

Last November Cottrell led a group to Bogor's Presidential Palace in West Java, where they were given the rare opportunity of looking inside.

The exploration section has become the most popular section. Participants in this section are limited to 100 people and it is full.

But there is a waiting list and it is relatively still easy for new members to join because most members are expatriates and eventually leave Indonesia, Cottrell said.

The situation is similar with the exploration and study tours. The difference is study tour participants go to more remote areas and stay longer. In the past, study tours have gone to Mt. Bromo in East Java, Sumba in East Nusa Tenggara and Irian Jaya. Some members have even gone to West Java and stayed with the Outer Badui people.

The school programs allow members to give presentations to students, generally at international schools like the Jakarta International School, the Japanese School and the British International School.

The topic of volcanoes is usually popular among young students, especially since the Mt. Merapi eruption, Cottrell said.

Other popular topics are Balinese rituals, especially the toothfilling ceremony, and also Jakarta: Then and Now.

The study groups consist of smaller groups of 10 to 20 people. Members of the smaller groups take turns researching a chosen topic and then present it to the group. The society has small library in south Jakarta where members can research their topics.

Lectures

Tuesday nights' evening lectures at Erasmus Huis is the only activity nonmembers can enjoy. The society holds two eight-week courses a year. The first session is around February and the second around October.

The current February session, which ends March 25, covers a range of topics from Indonesian rituals and culture to nature and adventure.

Not all speakers are society members and experts are invited to speak.

English is the society's main language but there are also Japanese and French sections. In these sections, Japanese and French people can organize exploration tours or study group programs in their native languages. But non-native speakers who are fluent in either language can join, Cottrell said.

Membership usually starts in September and expires in August but people can join any time. There is an annual fee of Rp 85,000 which lets members use the library to look at the slides, pamphlets and magazines. It also permits them to participate in society activities.

Besides being fun and educational the Indonesian Heritage Society is a source of indirect support for expatriates. Morgan said knowing about Indonesian culture has helped her adjust to living here. "It is almost like drawing a veil through your eyes," she said.

The Indonesian Heritage Society can be reached at 381-1551 ext. 17 or 719-1947.