Netherlands to return 288 museum pieces to Indonesia

The Netherlands is returning 288 cultural objects from the Dutch National Collection to Indonesia. They were wrongfully taken during the colonial period and are of cultural significance to Indonesia, the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science announced.

It involves four Hindo-Buddhist statues the Netherlands took from Java in the first half of the 19th century. The other objects include weapons, coins, jewelry, and textiles taken in 1906 after a war against principalities in South Bali.

Until now, the Wereldmuseum, which has locations in several places in the Netherlands, managed these items. On Friday, the Wereldmuseum Amsterdam will transfer the items back to Indonesia. Indonesia had asked for these items to be returned, and the Colonial Collections Committee advised the government to do so.

This is the second time the Netherlands is returning items to Indonesia based on the Committee’s advice, said Minister Eppo Bruins of Education, Culture, and Science. These items “should never have been in the Nehterlands,” he said. “During the colonial period, there was often theft and other forms of involuntary loss of possession of cultural objects. Returning these objects is material restitution.”

Last year, the Netherlands also returned objects to Indonesia and Sri Lanka after the countries asked for them back, and the Committee advised accordingly. The Committee is currently assessing more requests from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and India.