By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Nov 19: Sarawak Museum consultant in conservation and archaeology Dr Franca Cole hopes Niah National Park will be recognised and listed as a Unesco World Heritage site next year.
Cole, who has 30 years of experience as a conservator and archaeologist, said the park which is home to Niah Caves, is of significant archaeological importance.
“The area is an incredible site, and it need to be protected, for the future,” she told reporters after her talk titled ‘Archaeology at Niah: Past Lives and Future Prospects’ at Borneo Cultures Museum Auditorium here today. The talk was organised by Friends of Sarawak Museum (FoSM) as part of its “Sarawak Snapshots—Museum Talks 2023” series.
During the talk, she explained that the public lecture aimed to give the public an understanding of some of the things which occurred at Niah Caves throughout the last 55,000 years.
Cole, who did her MPhil and PhD studies in Archaeology at the University of Cambridge by investigating the role played by indigenous ceramics in mortuary practices at Niah Caves, shared that it is a complicated site.
“So, in my talk, I just gave the overview so that the people have some understanding of the differences in climate, differences in the way the cave was used, the differences in funeral practices that had occurred there and the significance of the archaeology.”
Cole is currently a lecturer and course coordinator for Nanyang Technology University (NTU) Singapore, MA in Museum Studies and Curatorial Practices.
Most recently, she was a lead trainer for the Southeast Asian Sub-regional course on Conservation and Restoration of Underwater Archaeological finds for Unesco and SEAMEO SPAFA, Thailand.
FoSM chairman Datu Ose Murang was among those in attendance. — DayakDaily
