National Museum offers cheap tour of RI's past
National Museum offers cheap tour of RI's past
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Ronald Ong, a Singaporean, told The Jakarta Post that he was
visiting the National Museum, better known as Museum Gajah,
because he wanted to know more about Indonesia's heritage.
"Singapore and Indonesia are neighbors and I wanted to know
more about this country. It's like traveling around Indonesia for
only Rp 750 (US$0.083), very cheap-lah..." the 56-year-old said
one Saturday morning.
This is terribly cheap, compared to the price of a ticket to
watch a movie here, which ranges from Rp 15,000 to Rp 50,000.
Ong's main purpose for visiting Jakarta was for business, but
he also had a special interest in history and heritage. He said
he had a habit of visiting any art exhibition, museum or gallery
available in the cities he traveled to.
The National Museum, located on Jl. Merdeka Barat 12, Central
Jakarta, might be a very interesting site indeed for people like
Ong. With a collection of about 110,000 pieces, the museum
reveals much of Indonesia's national heritage, even those dating
from the pre-historic era, starting from about 800,000 years ago.
The museum was first established as a science foundation in
1778 under the name Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten and
Wetenshappen, making it one of the oldest museums in Southeast
Asia. Once it was called as Gedung Gajah. Gajah (elephant) comes
from the bronze elephant statue in the front yard. It was donated
by Thailand's king Chulalongkorn to Batavia (now Jakarta) in
1871.
The museum now has eight main categories of collections: Pre-
historic, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts; textiles,
ceramics, old maps, historical relics, numismatics (ancient money
collections) and heraldic objects (honorary awards).
According to director Endang Sri Hardiati, the items on
display in the museum constitute a mere 20 percent of its total
collection.
Entering the entrance gate, there is the 414-centimeter-tall
stone statue of the Tantric-Buddhist god Bhairava. Bhairava is a
god of death. The statue was found at Sungai Langsat, West
Sumatra and dates from the 14th century AD.
There is also a Ganesha statue, the Hindu god of wisdom, found
near Kediri, East Java and dating from the 12th or 13th century,
and a statue of Kama, the god of love, from the 8th or 9th
century.
A statue of Ardhanari, a combined image of Shiva and his wife
Parvati, was unfortunately in a poor state of repair, with
insects nesting on its neck.
Most of the statues were displayed along the museum's O-shaped
terrace. Some were wet because parts of the ceiling were broken
and could no longer hold the rain water back.
In the room right behind the terrace on the far side, there
are displays from the prehistoric era, such as the skull of a
prehistoric hominid man, bones, teeth and simple daily utensils
used by pre-historic humans.
There is also a burial jar from Indonesia's paleometalic
period. Humans in that era buried their dead in a jar according
to the ancestral beliefs of that era.
A disturbing factor for visitors viewing the displays in this
room -- and most of the other indoor showrooms as well -- is that
some of the spotlights were off. In general, most rooms are too
dark for the visitors to see clearly.
Some Buddhist artifacts can be found in the Bronze Room. A
statue of Buddha Dipankara, the god of sailors, bids visitors
welcome. Made of bronze and found in Sulawesi, the statue is
believed to date from around 5 BC.
Another interesting item found in the same room is Kamandalu,
a holy water container used by Hindu priests during religious
ceremonies in 13 or 14 BC. The interesting part is that the jar
is made of bronze, is about 40 centimeters tall and slim, and
bears a detailed decoration in the shape of a dragon.
What makes things rather comical is a paper sign warning
"Don't touch", with extra information in Bahasa Indonesia saying,
"your hands might be sweaty and sweat contains salt, which will
destroy the museum's collection."
Presumably, the sign is addressed at kindergarten or
elementary school students, but during the Post's visit, adults
were seen touching the artifacts, including those right
underneath the signs.
In the next room, miniatures of Indonesian traditional
buildings -- such as markets, Muslim boarding schools, granaries
and stables -- from all the various regions of this vast
archipelago.
A miniature model of Palembang's traditional floating house is
also available.
Rare needles made from cassowary bird wing bones are also
displayed, along with traditional Indonesian clothes. The 7-
centimeter needles are used for plaiting.
It is widely acknowledged that Indonesia was in the past a
sea-faring nation, evidenced by a long wooden boat on display in
the museum, stretching along one room. It is huge, possibly 10
meters long, about one-and-half times as long as a city bus.
Unfortunately, the boat's condition is very poor, being gnawed
by termites in several places. If attempts were made to use it,
it would sink.
While many people were entertained by the recent Indonesian
horror movie, Jelangkung, the museum has on display a Nini Towok
voodoo doll -- a Javanese version of the jelangkung. But Nini
Towok is actually a toy for children, made of wood and coconut
shell, with a painted smile and eyes on its face. The doll is
said to come to life when a spirit enters it. Children usually
play Nini Towok during a full-moon.
The next room is the ceramics room, whose collection is
reputed to be the biggest and most valuable in this part of the
world. Most are ceramics from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar,
Persia and Japan, and they were all found in Indonesia.
People who want to know more about Indonesia, its heritage and
its culture will certainly find it worthwhile to visit this
museum. For those interested and need guidance in English,
French, German or Japanese, the Indonesian Heritage Society (IHS)
is available to help. There is a fixed schedule, but special
requests are entertained and are free of charge.
However, for guide services in Bahasa Indonesia, the museum
will charge Rp 15,000. The irony is that the museum has very few
Indonesian guides.
Last Saturday, only two guides were available for three
groups of 100 students each. For a group of 100, one guide is not
enough, especially if the students are particularly curious. Of
course, they could not be guided.
Compare the situation with Singapore, for instance. One
journalist friend said that groups visiting a museum in Singapore
are limited to a maximum of 15 persons. Each group has its own
tour guide.