Sragen students to study anthropology

Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Sragen, Central Java

Sragen, a Central Java regency believed to contain thousands of historical fossils, has added anthropology to its education curriculum for elementary through high school in a bid to help conserve the Sangiran historical heritage sites and prevent locals from selling fossils that they find.

Sragen Regent Untung Wiyono said he was suspicious about the absence of fossil findings reported to local authorities over last the five years.

"I don't know if locals have not discovered any fossils or they sell them secretly to foreign collectors. Therefore, local authorities will educate people about historical heritage conservation.

"But, for a long-term program, we will add anthropology as special content in the education curriculum for all elementary through high schools as of this academic year," He said in his visit to see the fossilized remains of a buffalo head in the Sangiran Museum in the regency over the weekend.

The buffalo head with the left horn measuring 93 centimeters and the right 44 cm, was found by Eko Setiawan, a high school student, in his backyard in Wonotelo Village three weeks ago. The finding was reported to local authorities and, then, put into the Sangiran Museum for conservation.

Teuku Yacob, a noted anthropologist from Gadjah Mada University, also witnessed the historical finding and appreciated the local administration's efforts to help conserve historical fossils in the regency. But he could not immediately ascertain the age of the bones.

Untung explained that local authorities would have difficulties preserving all historical fossils believed still to be contained in the regency's earth, unless locals were involved.

He said the regency administration was seeking funds to rehabilitate the museum building to enable it to house more fossils.

"Students will be required to visit the museum once a year to improve their awareness of historical heritage conservation," he said.

Pujiarso, chief of the Sangiran Museum Laboratory, alleged that many people had been selling their findings to foreign collectors for high prices rather than report them to authorities which did not provide a fair reward.

"There is a possibility many people have sold their findings to foreign collectors for millions of rupiah and we can't compete with that in dealing with new fossil findings," he said, citing that the government had paid Rp 750,000 in compensation for each fossilized item.

He pointed out that many locals regularly scoured landslide areas to look for fossilized items. Findings are usually supplied to local middlemen who later sell them to collectors.

Pujiarso said many local peasants have been hunting historical fossils following the arrest of U.S. citizen Donald Taylor who was trying to smuggle Sangiran fossils through the airport in Solo in 1997.

"Since then, locals have no longer reported their findings to local authorities because they can sell their findings to foreign collectors at high prices, Beforehand, the museum collected hundreds of fossils from locals," he said.

He cited that the museum bought 20 historical fossils in 1991, 12 in 1992, 12 in 1993, 15 in 1994, nine in 1995 and a fossilized elephant skeleton in 1996, but since that time very few.