NTB Museum conserves dozens of weapon artefacts from corrosion threat

The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) State Museum is conserving dozens of weapon artefacts to prevent damage from corrosion that could threaten the survival of these objects of historical and cultural value.

Head of Study and Collection Care at the NTB Museum, Ardi Aulia Rahman, said his team had carried out preventive checks on the condition of the collection before beginning the conservation process.

“We have selected around 50 weapons in the form of keris to be conserved as this month’s target,” he said in Mataram on Monday.

Ardi explained that care of the museum’s artefact collection is carried out in two stages, namely preventive and curative. Preventive checks are conducted by examining the condition of the collection, including cleaning dirt attached to the keris.

Curative action, meanwhile, is carried out on artefacts that have already suffered corrosion or rust, requiring more serious treatment.

Of the nearly 8,000 artefacts held by the NTB Museum, Ardi added, the weapon collection totals around 900 units consisting of various types ranging from keris and badik to spears.

“Storage conditions and humidity also affect the condition of artefact collections. We carry out checks at least once every two years,” he said.

Ardi further said that seasonal conditions also affect the conservation process because artefacts must be moved from the storage room, which is separate from the museum, to the laboratory to receive treatment.

Ardi noted that the average age of the keris currently undergoing treatment has reached more than 150 years, so handling these ethnographic objects requires special attention.

The NTB Museum has partnered with professional communities to help care for its various weapon collections because it faces a shortage of human resources with specialised expertise in conservation.

“At present, because our human resources are limited, we are partnering with professional communities that have the expertise to carry out specialised care for these keris,” Ardi said.