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.