Sragen students to study anthropology

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.