National Museum exhibits century's finds

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)