November 12, 2024 at 4:00 PM

The Center for Southeast Asia Studies at the University of California Berkley presents a thought-provoking discussion with Enrico Kondologit and Ajeng Arainikasih as they reflect on their month-long journey in the United States for the project “Representing Papua: Portrayal of Culture from Local, National, and Global Perspectives.” During their travels, they visited museums with Papuan collections, and they engaged with curators, conservators, and educators to discuss ethical acquisition, display, knowledge-sharing methods, and care for these valuable artifacts. Their trip was organized by the Tracing Patterns Foundation (ACC 2024) in preparation for the repatriation of the Hampton Archive, a collection of hundreds of Papuan objects assembled by Dr. O. W. Hampton in the 1980s and 1990s.

West Papua, a region of Indonesia on the island of New Guinea, is home to a diverse array of cultures and languages. Material cultures from this region are often created to communicate with spirits and ancestors. A primary challenge in displaying Papuan objects when removed from their original context, such as in museums, is maintaining their local significance and connection to indigenous communities.

This archive will be returned to Museum Loko Budaya in Papua.

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