The ‘Island of Gold’

Posted by ser under Exhibitions, Reflections
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The questions on this board aptly echoed my thoughts as I went down to the Sumatra: Isle of Gold exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum. Sumatra was known as the ‘Island of Gold’ in ancient times, and it is now Indonesia’s largest island. This exhibition explores the culture and identity of today’s Sumatra which has been shaped by a long history of cross-cultural exchanges.

What I like about this setting is that I feel like a royalty walking through it!

Apparently, metals such as gold and copper were some of the commodities being widely traded and used by coastal and remote communities in their dress and jewellery traditions, like the wide velvet  headdress with sheet-metal decoration worn by women in Lampung as seen in the picture. Such traditional headgear was often adorned with metalwork as a sign of high social status.

It is evident that local textile traditions incorporated Chinese influence, as seen from the motifs found on such textiles, such as  fertility symbols and stylised phoenix. Gold threads were also used extensively in woven textiles and embroidered garments. Observe the rich colours used in the textiles. There’s an emphasis on using red in the textiles as the Chinese sees it as an auspicious colour.

Guitar lookalike? It is actually called the lute and  has originated since the early 20th century.

On first look, these books look like the organizers found in modern day bookstores. But the people in Sumatra used these pustaha to record magic formulae, oracles, medicinal recipes and instructions for performing rituals and producing cures for sicknesses.

I think this exhibition broadened my insights on the seemingly forgotten histories of Sumatra and brought me on a journey of discovering how trading gave rise to the diverse cultures found in Sumatra today. There are many interesting artefacts other than the ones mentioned above, so don’t miss this exhibition!!!

Details as follow:

Exhibition name:  Sumatra: Isle of Gold
Dates:  30 Jul 2010 - 07 Nov 2010
Venue:  Special Exhibitions Gallery

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