Tambah saja
After a month and a half of cleaning Moluccan heritage, we at Museum Maluku are preparing to take the next big step in our reappraisal process. The vast majority of the museum objects have now been given a registered location in the depot, so that everything can be found again easily and there is a clear overview of the valuable objects we actually hold in our collection. What does the next step we want to take as a museum involve, and what work comes next in our process of breathing new life into the collection of Museum Maluku and into museum-held Moluccan heritage?
What are the next steps?
The unpacked collection consists to a large extent of comparable objects or duplicates. We have around 50 cabin trunks and army chests, 17 bed frames from the camp period and nine traditional salawaku (shields), but also one pedal organ, one angklung (musical instrument) and one Russian rifle. Nevertheless, every object tells its own story and every object found its own route to Museum Maluku. These objects and the stories that go with them need to be researched to see how they can add to the vision and the narrative Museum Maluku wants to convey. It is our task to decide what that vision involves and how the collection can be adjusted to it. Do we need 50 cabin trunks and 17 bed frames to tell Moluccan stories? And to what extent does a Russian rifle have a link with Moluccan stories? On the one hand 50 or 17 seems rather a lot, the Russia–Maluku connection is tenuous, and some of the objects could therefore be returned to their donors; on the other hand the strength of the story may lie precisely in the quantity and the broad diversity of objects.
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In short, at Museum Maluku we face a number of difficult questions whose answers form an important step for the museum’s future. How do we make sure that the diversity of Moluccan narratives is conveyed and told within our museum’s vision? Which museum objects and accompanying stories belong to that, and which can be returned to their donors? Would you enjoy registering objects and lending a hand with the follow-up research? Then sign up as a volunteer via collectie@museum-maluku.nl and help think about the future and vision of Museum Maluku.
Reïnda Hully Junior Curator
