Jakarta – Following the upcoming return of over 28,000 fossils from the Netherlands, the government is broadening its repatriation efforts to include artifacts currently held in Germany and other European countries, marking a significant step in Indonesia's campaign to reclaim its heritage from abroad.
Culture Minister Fadli Zon announced this week that his ministry plans to send an official letter to the German government requesting the return of several historical objects originating from Indonesia, including artifacts connected to the Batak people of North Sumatra.
"We hope to repatriate several Batak manuscripts, including those belonging to Sisingamangaraja, as well as his weapons," said Fadli as quoted by Antara.
Fadli was referring to Patuan Bosar Ompu Pulo Batu Sinambela, better known as Sisingamangaraja XII, the Batak king who was killed in a battle against Dutch colonial forces in 1907 and later declared a national hero in 1961.
The announcement followed a meeting with German scholar and manuscript expert Ulrich Kozok, who expressed support for the initiative.
"Manuscripts are an extremely valuable part of our cultural heritage," Kozok said. "I have been in contact with several foreign museums that are open to returning their collections, and I am willing to help facilitate this process".
Beyond Germany, Fadli confirmed that the ministry is pursuing the return of artifacts from other European countries, including weapons and heirlooms associated with national heroes such as Teuku Umar of Aceh and Prince Diponegoro of Java. These items, he emphasized, are crucial to restoring Indonesia's historical narrative and deepening public understanding of its past.
To this end, the culture ministry has formed a special committee of cultural heritage experts to oversee the repatriation process and improve the cataloging and documentation of these artifacts once returned.
The renewed repatriation drive follows a plan to return more than 28,000 fossils of the "Dubois Collection", looted by anatomist and geologist Eugene Dubois in 1891 and 1892, when Indonesia was a colony of the Netherlands.
Among the collection are the famous remains of "Java Man," the first known fossils of Homo erectus, believed to have lived between 1.9 million and 150,000 years ago. The discovery was pivotal in challenging earlier theories that human civilization originated solely in Africa and Europe.
The plan was first announced during President Prabowo Subianto's visit to the Netherlands late last month, where King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima expressed their support for Indonesia's repatriation efforts.
The President later described the initiative as a gesture of goodwill that could further strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. "I think this reflects the Netherlands' good faith in maintaining and deepening its relations with us," Prabowo said in an official statement.
Also on Tuesday, Fadli said the government plans to begin the gradual repatriation of the Dubois fossils by the end of the year, starting with the Java Man remains. The National Museum in Central Jakarta is preparing a dedicated exhibition hall to display the collection.
"There will be a special hall that tells the story of the early civilizations of the archipelago," Fadli said, as reported by Kompas.com.
Unlike many artifacts in the Netherlands that were seized or transferred during the colonial era, those kept in other European countries such as Germany were generally acquired through missionary, ethnographic or private collecting networks. However, historians note that these acquisitions often took place within broader colonial contexts, where local consent and ownership were not always clearly defined.
Source: https://asianews.network/indonesia-continues-push-for-repatriation-of-artifacts-from-europe