by Yvonne T
KUCHING, Dec 2: A rare Iban war jacket which blends traditional and modern motifs, donated by Los Angeles-based antique collector Mark A Johnson, is among several priceless artefacts recently entrusted to the Sarawak Museum Department (JMS), Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah shared.
Speaking during his ministerial winding-up speech at the Legislative Assembly (DUS) today, Abdul Karim also expressed gratitude to Teresa Platt, who contributed 26 ethnographic artefacts, including brass and silverwares, wood carvings, miniature cannon, gong, parang, paddle, tuntun petik, kain kebat, and spear.
These items were originally collected in the 1960s by her mother, Madam Monica Platt, an Iban woman from Pakit, Sri Aman, who married New Zealander Philip Platt, a former Sarawak Land and Survey Department officer. Madam Monica Platt is also the sister of Lieutenant General (retired) Datuk Stephen Mundaw, Special Administrative Officer to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Urban Development Sarawak.
JMS also received 13 traditional fishing tools from Madam Mei Ang, a researcher who studied the Orang Ulu community in Baram during the 1970s, as well as a century-old Malay brass container from Mr Simi Yah of Asajaya, offering a glimpse into how food was stored in the past.
An anonymous donor from the Netherlands has also contributed eight ethnographic items from the estate of Madam Barbara Harrisson, a renowned anthropologist and wife of the late Tom Harrisson, former Curator of the Sarawak Museum Department and a notable figure in the historic Operation Semut.
Abdul Karim said these contributions help preserve Sarawak’s rich cultural heritage and encourage others to share their collections.
“We hope that by informing the public about these contributions by these collectors, more people will come forward to contribute their artefacts to the Sarawak Museum, so they can be shared with the world at large,” he said.
The Department continues to document and preserve all artefacts, while also moving towards digitalisation. This year, JMS successfully digitised historical documents, including the Brooke Collection, certificates of identity, monthly reports, and early editions of the Sarawak Gazette.
Abdul Karim also highlighted the success of the Borneo Culture Museum (BCM), which has welcomed 1.4 million visitors since its official opening on March 9, 2022, cementing its place as one of Sarawak’s most popular cultural landmarks. Between January and October this year alone, BCM recorded 236,971 visitors. The museum also recently achieved a global ranking of 289 out of 421 museums globally in the Museum World Ranking. – DayakDaily
