National Museum exhibits century's finds
JAKARTA (JP): After months of delay, the National Museum presented the special exhibition Temuan Satu Abad, A Century of Findings, to welcome the new millennium.
The exhibition, which was officially opened by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Aug. 14 and runs until October, displays more than 300 artifacts, cultural relics and art treasures found across Indonesia since l900.
The exhibition is jointly organized by the museum, the University of Indonesia, the National Archaeological Research Center, the National Library, the Maritime Museum and several other organizations.
This particular exhibition is aimed at taking visitors on a cultural excursion from l900 through l999. The displayed pieces are among the most important finds within the century.
The relics are arranged in six sections to reveal the development of the country's cultural history.
Visitors are first ushered into the prehistoric hall where duplicates of fossils of homo erectus, or Trinil Man, found in Trinil, East Java, in 1891, are on show. The section also presents duplicates of fossils of homosoloensis, found in Ngandong, Surakarta in l931, and homo sapien, found in Wajak, Central Java, in l889.
There also are fossils of prehistoric animals like mandibula stegodon sumbaensis, found in East Sumba, and ancient buffaloes and pigs found in Belu, West Timor. There also are portraits of Eugene Dubois, Heickel, GHR. Von Koenigswald, Peter Marks, T. Jacobs and S. Sartono, the scientists who discovered fossils of prehistoric humans on Java and other locations in Indonesia.
The second section shows the social systems adopted by Indonesian people from prehistoric to modern times.
This section includes a display of implements used during the Neolithic Age, such as hammers, grinding stones and sickle blades. The relics range from simple farming tools, ritual instruments, various weapons to the more sophisticated royal embellishments.
According to archaeologist Agus Arismunandar, social life began around 3,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Exhibits shows the chronology of historical periods from the pre- and post-Hindu era to the Islamic era. A number of written manuscripts show local ruling kingdoms arrived on the scene during the Hindu period between the fourth and fifth centuries. Islam entered the Nusantara archipelago around the 14th and 15th centuries.
The arrival of Islam and the establishment of Islamic kingdoms had significant influence on the social and cultural patterns of the locals, as well as political systems.
The next section, subtitled Teknologi dan Kesenian, Technology and the Arts, shows such objects as clay figurines, household utensils and farming tools. Other hallmark pieces include clay amulets, jars and pottery pieces painted in vivid and lustrous colors. A wide array of traditional textile, toys and jewelry also are displayed.
Some of the most interesting collections include a selection of priceless gold utensils and jewelry from the ninth and 10th centuries found in Wonoboyo, Klaten, Central Java, along with old literary manuscripts and hundreds of other precious items.
The National Museum's director, Endang Sri Hardiati, said she expected visitors, especially students, to enjoy the exhibition.
"We are now promoting this exhibition among the city's schools in order to educate the youngsters about their rich heritage," Endang said.
The museum also will organize workshops and seminars over the next several months to provide visitors with insightful information about the exhibited items. (raw)