Nat’l Museum displays ancient Sumatran heritages

Erwida Maulia ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 06/08/2009 8:10 PM  |  Jakarta

Jakarta ’s National Museum began Monday to display more than 200 collections of ancient Sumatran heritages.

The exhibition will last through Sept. 8.

Ancient inscriptions, maps, manuscripts, statues, and even Chinese ceramics and sultanate regalia – all originated from past kingdom lives of Sumatrans – are available to be looked at.

Currency of ancient Aceh kingdom Samudera Pasai, royal swords and keris, a Sultanate oar, traditional musical instruments and dresses, and miniatures of traditional Sumatran houses (such as the Rumah Gadang, Batak Karo houses and Nias houses) are also on display.
 
Even collections that date back to the prehistoric era, such as a kjokkenmodinger (cooking waste) from the Megalithic period, and fragments of earthenware pottery and chips of dwelling relics from the Neolitic period are available to be looked at.

The collections demonstrate how the ancient cultures of Sumatrans were heavily influenced by foreign cultures such as the Chinese, Indian, Arabic and Persian cultures; as well as neighboring local cultures like those from ancient Javanese kingdoms.

Head of the National Museum, Retno Sulistianingsih, said in her speech during the opening of the

“Treasures of Sumatra” exhibition that about 140 collections were owned by the museum itself and 76 collections belonged to the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde of Leiden, the Netherlands.

The rest come from several museums and local ancient heritage conservation agencies in Sumatra.

After being displayed in Jakarta, the “Treasures of Sumatra” collections will be exhibited in the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde of Leiden from October to December, and in the Asian Civilization Museum in Singapore next year.

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