The looting of Muara Kaman
The looting of Muara Kaman
About 1,500 years ago the area around Muara Kaman was the
center of a mighty Hindu kingdom, known as Mulawarman. During a
recent trip up the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan, I spent a
few days in this village. I had work to do, but I also wanted to
see the remains of Mulawarman. While talking to the local people,
I became aware that the village had recently developed a keen
interest in this Hindu site. Not so much out of interest for its
historical and cultural values, but rather for its hidden riches.
Since 1992, the villagers have been actively digging for
buried treasures and their harvest has been astonishing.
Apparently over 100 items have been found and have subsequently
been sold to traders in Samarinda and Balikpapan. A man showed me
a little bronze Buddha-like statue, pieces of porcelain and a
ring. Some people had photos of what appeared to be ivory and
jade statues, and there were many stories of other, apparently
extremely valuable artifacts that had been dug up, and either
sold to traders or been taken away by the Ministry of Education
and Culture.
Near Muara Kaman there are two hills that rise out of the
riverine flats, and ancient ditches show the approximate location
of what may have been palaces or temples. Both these sites are
pockmarked by holes where people have dug for treasures. On one
of these hills still stands an ancient pillar or gravestone, and
this site has been claimed by the Ministry of Education and
Culture for exploration. However, officials rarely show up here,
and the looting continues. Apparently buyers have paid millions
of rupiah, which is probably only a fraction of the real market
value. More importantly, the site is being looted without any
scientific researchers being able to study it.
I would hereby make a strong recommendation to organizations
interested in archeology and the maintenance of cultural and
historic sites to investigate the situation in Muara Kaman and
work toward protection of its riches. Such action may take away
the chance for the villagers and government authorities to become
rich overnight, but it will ensure that Indonesia's rich history
is respected. I hope that this article will not achieve the
opposite, namely an even higher illegal demand for the
archaeological finds of Muara Kaman, higher prices and more
corruption.
In this respect it should be mentioned that Western people
also are after the antiques; a note from a Western collector
asked to be informed personally whenever something was found, and
a good price was offered beforehand.
ERIK MEIJAARD
Bogor, West Java