National Museum's Collections

NATIONAL MUSEUM

National Museum of the Republic of Indonesia or the Elephant Museum, is a museum located in Central Jakarta, precisely at Jalan Merdeka 12. National Museum of the Republic of Indonesia is one exaple of manifestation of European influence, especially the spirit of the Enlightenment, which appears at about age 18. This building was built in 1862 by the Dutch Government under the Governor-General JCM Radermacher as a response to the association Bataviaasch Genootschap Kunsten van en Wetenschappen aimed reviewing scientific research in the Netherlands Indies. The museum was inaugurated in 1868, but the embryo of the Museum as an institution was born in 1778, precisely on 24 April, at the time of formation Bataviaasch Kunsten Genootschap van en Wetenschappen by the Dutch government. Radermacher donate a building located at Jalan Kalibesar along with a collection of books and cultural objects that form the basis for the establishment of the museum. In the reign of England under the leadership of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1811-1816), who also serves as Director of Bataviaasch Genootschap Kunsten van en Wetenschappen ordered the construction of a new building located on Jalan Majapahit 3. 

This building was used as a museum and meeting rooms for the Literary Society (formerly called "Societeit de Harmonie".) This building is now located at the State Secretariat complex. In 1862, after the collection meet museum at Jalan Majapahit, the Dutch East Indies government established a new building located at 12 West Independence Way. This building was opened to the public in 1868. The National Museum is known as Museum Gajah since a bronze statue of an elephant by King Chulalongkorn of Thailand was gifted in 1871. But on May 28, 1979, the name officially became the National Museum of the Republic of Indonesia. Then on 17 September 1962, the Cultural Institute of Indonesia who managed, submitting to the government of the Republic of Indonesia Museum. Since then it was managed by the Directorate General of History and Archaeology, under the Ministry of Education and Culture. But starting in 2005, the National Museum was managed the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Based on the website of the National Museum of the Republic of Indonesia in 2001 showed that the collection has reached 109,342 pieces.The number of collections that make this museum is known as the most comprehensive in Indonesia. In 2006 the number had exceeded 140,000 collections of fruit, but only a third that can be shown to the audience. 

HOMO WAJAKENSIS 

Fossil hominid of the genus Homo are derived from the Pleistocene in Indonesia was found in Wajak. Fossils found in Homo sapiens Wajak is, near the area Campurdarat, Tulungagung. This fossil was discovered by Van Rietschoten in 1889 and was first investigated by Dubois. The fossils were found consists of the skull, mandible, and some ruasleher.

The characteristics of Homo Wajakensis as follows:

a. Flat face and wide,

b. Wide nose and protruding mouth parts,

c. Slightly sloping forehead above the eyes and forehead there is a real arc,

d. His throat was, somewhat oval, and somewhat triangular in the middle of the roof of the skull from front to back, and

e. More Mongoloid face because it is very flat and protruding cheek to the side.

From these characteristics can be inferred, the human body Wajak high, the contents of the skull, and has become Homo sapiens. Nevertheless, the experts it is difficult to determine in which Homo Sapiens race is because he has two cirri and Austromelanesoid the Mongoloid race. Perhaps Homo Sapiens are not living together with races living today.Perhaps also of the Malay race Wajak subras Indonesia's coming from and contribute to racial Austromelanesoid revolution that now.

Homo Sapiens (race Wajak) This may include also the races that live around 25.0000 -40 000 years ago in Southeast Asia, like humans and humans Niah in Sarawak Tabon on Palawan Island (Philippines).

Wajak human fossil discoveries show that some 40,000 years ago Indonesia was inhabited by Homo sapiens. Therefore it is difficult race matched with the main races that exist now then it was considered a Wajak human race itself. Wajak Humans did not evolve from Pithecanthropus, but probably from Homo Neanderthropus stage, the fossils have been found in Indonesia. Perhaps also of Homo neanderthalensis in other places or the result of evolution of Pithecanthropus soloensis. The experts can not decide. But certainly, race Wajak not only inhabit the western part of Indonesia, but also some Eastern Indonesia which fossils have been found. 

HOMO ERECTUS SOLOENSIS 

Homo erectus soloensis, known as Solo Man and formerly classified as Homo sapiens soloensis, is generally now regarded as a subspecies of the extincthominin, Homo erectus. The only known specimens of this anomalous hominid were retrieved from sites along the Bengawan Solo River, on the Indonesian island ofJava. The remains are also commonly referred to as Ngandong, after the village near where they were first recovered. 

Though its morphology was, for the most part, typical of Homo erectus, its culture was unusually advanced.[1] This poses many problems to current theories concerning the limitations of Homo erectus behavior in terms of innovation and language. Due to the tools found with the extinct hominid and many of its more gracile anatomical features, it was first classified as a subspecies (once called Javanthropus) of Homo sapiens and thought to be the ancestor of modernaboriginal Australians. However, more rigorous studies have concluded that this is not the case.[2] Analysis of 18 crania from Sangiran, Trinil, Sambungmacan, and Ngandong show chronological development from Bapang-AG to Ngandong period.[3] While most subspecies of Homo erectus disappeared from the fossil record roughly 400,000 years ago, H. e. soloensis persisted up until 50,000 years ago in regions of Java and was possibly absorbed by a local Homo sapiens population at the time of its decline 

INSCRIPTION TUGU

The monument inscription is one of the inscriptions that come from the Kingdom Tarumanagara. The inscription describes the contents Candrabaga River by excavation and trenching Rajadirajaguru Gomati River by Purnawarman in year 22 of his reign.Excavation of the river is an idea to avoid the natural disasters of flooding that often occurs in the reign Purnawarman, and the drought that occurred in the dry season. Monument inscriptions found in the village Batutumbuh, village monument, exactly at the coordinates 0 ° 06'34, 05 "BT (from Jakarta) and 6 ° 07'45, 40" LS is now a monument south sub region, sub-Koja, North Jakarta. In 1911 on the initiative Roo de la Faille P.de inscription stone monument was moved to the Museum Bataviaasch Genootschap Kunsten van en Wetenschappen (now National Museum) and registered with the inventory number D.124.The monument inscription reads Pallawa characters arranged in the form of Sanskrit seloka with metrum Anustubh teridiri of five lines that follow the shape of the surface of the stone circle. As all the inscriptions of the Tarumanagara general, monument inscription also does not list pertanggalan. Chronology is based on an analysis of style and form letters (analysis palaeografis). Based on the analysis note that the inscription is from the mid-5th century AD. Special monument and inscription inscription Cidanghiyang have similar characters, it is perhaps the sculptor posts (citralaikha> citralekha) The second inscription is the same person. Compared to the inscriptions of the other Tarumanagara, monument inscription is the longest inscription issued by Sri Maharaja Purnawarman. The inscription was issued in the reign of Purnnawarmman in year 22 in connection with the inauguration event (complete built) channel of the river Gomati and Candrabhaga. The monument inscription is unique ie there are sculptured ornaments yag rod at its end comes a kind of trident. The image was sculpted upright stick extends downward as if to function as a demarcation between the beginning and end of sentences in his inscriptions.

"Temple rajadhirajena guruna pinabahuna khata khyatam Purim prapya candrabhagarnnavam yayau / / pravarddhamane dvavingsad vatsare sri gunau narendradhvajabhutena services srimata purnavarmmana / / prarabhya phalguna mase khata krsnastami tithau caitra sukla trayodasyam dinais siddhaikavingsakaih Ayata satsahasrena dhanusamsasatena ca dvavingsena pulse ramya gomati nirmalodaka / / pitamahasya rajarser vvidaryya sibiravanim brahmanair ggo sahasrena prayati krtadaksina / / "

"Formerly named the river which has been excavated by the overlord Candrabhaga noble and who have the toned and strong arms Purnnawarmman ie, for running it into the sea, after a time (river channel) is up in the famous royal palace. In year 22 of the throne of His Majesty the King Purnnawarmman glittering sparkling because of his ability and his wisdom and become the banner of all the kings, (so now) he was also commissioned to explore times (river channel) are gorgeous and clear watery Gomati name , after a time (the channel of the river) flows across the middle-ground tegah residence of Her Majesty the Reverend Nenekda (King Purnnawarmman). The work began on a good day, the 8th of the dark half-moon Caitra, so it only lasted 21 days, while digging the channel length is 6122 arc. Salvation for him by the Brahmins with 1000 head of cattle are presented " 

BETANG HOUSE 

Betang House is a typical custom home Kalimantan contained in various parts of Borneo, particularly in upstream areas that usually become the center of the Dayak tribe settlements, where the river is a major transportation route for the Dayak tribe to perform a variety of mobility of everyday life like going to work to the fields where Dayak tribes fields are usually far from human settlements, or trade activities (the ancient Dayak tribes usually trade using a barter system that is by mutual exchange of fields, orchards and livestock).

Shape and large houses of this Special Interest varies in different places. There is a Special Interest house that reaches 150 meters long and 30 meters wide. Generally houses built in the form of Special Interest on the stage with a height of three to five feet off the ground. The high buildings of this Special Interest house I expect to avoid flooding during the rainy season which threatened areas upriver in Borneo. Some settlement units can have more than one home Special Interest fruit depends on the size of the household members of the residential community. Every household (family) occupies the chamber (room) that barriers of Special Interest big house is, in addition to the general Dayak tribe also has a home-built single homes temporarily to perform agricultural activities, this is because away the distance between the fields with the settlements.

More than a building for residential Dayak tribe, Special Interest house is actually the heart of the social structure of the Dayak people's lives. Special Interest is a reflection of cultural unity in the daily life of the Dayak people. Special Interest in the house is every individual's life in the household and the community were systematically arranged by mutual agreement set forth in customary law. Common security, both from the interruption of criminal or share food, the joys and sorrows as well as mobilization of manpower to work the fields. The main value that stands out in his home life is the value of togetherness Special Interest (communalism) among the citizens who inhabit it, regardless of the differences they have. From this we know that the Dayak tribe is a tribe that respects difference. Dayak tribes appreciate the differences of ethnic, religious or social background.