Relic Hunting in Manado




Relic Hunting in Manado
I've been living in Manado for a fare while now but I have to confess I've never managed to visit the National Museum of Manado (Museum Negeri Manado). So, a friend and I loaded up the car with our 4 kids ranging in ages from 1 ½ through to 8 ½, and headed to the Museum for a morning of exploration.

At this point is this probably fair to mention that you can't really compare the Museum in Manado to those in other countries, largely due to a lack of funding. Given the limited resources, the Manado Museum is probably doing the best it can.

There are several replica waruga (ancient burial tombs used by early Minahasan tribes), in the entranceway and in the garden area in front of the museum. If you don't get a chance to see the real tombs located in Airmadidi, then this surely would be a good opportunity to view these unusual shaped stone sarcophagi.

Provincial Museum Manado

The building itself is spread out and involves a bit of stair climbing, but is easiest tackled by heading left once you enter then up to the 2nd and 3rd floors, across, and then back down again. The displays are scattered amongst each floor in no particular pattern or chronological order so it's best to scout around to find something that is of interest to you.

Provincial Museum Manado

Our children particularly liked the Marriage costumes from the various regions of North Sulawesi with their colourful backdrops.

The displays that caught my attention were the small Dutch and Portuguese cannons on the top floor, along with some very striking ceramic pots and plates dug up in the Sulawesi region. Most are of Chinese origin, which pays testament to the communities of Chinese who made North Sulawesi their home over the ages.

Provincial Museum Manado

Unfortunately nothing is dated so it is difficult to get a grasp of how old any of the pieces in the Museum may be.

Just before reaching the entranceway again, a display of weaving is eye catching. The vivid colours of the ikats are striking and the banana tree bark clothing was also interesting.

The entrance fee for the Museum is 1,000 rupiah per adult and 250 rupiah per child but donations are also encouraged. Given that other forms of funding for the Museum seems limited, any spare rupiah you might have, would probably be appreciated.

Submitted by: Louise Lane

Provincial Museum - Jalan Supratman No. 72
Open: Monday to Friday - 8.00 AM to 4.00 PM

Source:
"What's Happening?"
Manado Safari Tours Newsletter

Provincial Museum Manado

A new theatre in Manado
On the evening of July 15th, 2002 the gods of weather were smiling on Manado, at the opening of Manado’s first open air theatre. Reminiscing of times spent in Yogyakarta and Bali, small groups of expats and local Manadonese were anxiously awaiting the inauguration of this spacious area in the center of Manado. After a few speeches, which were fairly short by local standards, we moved into the various performances.

New Open Air Theatre in Manado

We were presented with a full evening of traditional bamboo music, local Minhasan dance, as well as a political satire theatre skit performed by a Manado (off off Broadway) theatre group. Finally to top it off there was a parade of children, with their paintings, all of whom had received awards of excellence in various school contests. Towards the end, fireworks lit up the skies to bring the evening to a wonderfully relaxing close.


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