Safeguarding Our Heritage
Museums in Indonesia are in very bad and worrying condition. Out of 275 museums throughout the country, only 200 can be deemed worth the while to visit. And even those may not necessarily be able to attract visitors. Many languish and gather dust, like an abandoned ghost town. This is why the few people who make the effort to maintain and manage museums to keep history and its artifacts alive, should be given due recognition. These dedicated groups of people in different parts of the country use their talents and their personal resources to preserve their respective local heritage. On the occasion of International Museum Day on May 18, Tempo English looks at small museums on Nias Island in Sumatra and in North Maluku province.
April 30, 2013
Precious Heirlooms from Nias Island
Johannes Haemmerle OFM Cap, a priest from the Capuchin Order, has set up the most complete museum on the Nias ethnic group, the result of more than four decades of study and hard work.
Large wooden blocks mightily support a building with sago-palm roofing in the yard of Museum Pusaka Nias (Nias Heirloom Museum). Unique carvings adorn the house made from laban wood (vitex pubescens). There are five types of tradit
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