Recover physically and balance your emotional state, clear your mind, and fill yourself with life-giving energy. These are the goals of those who go for a long trip to the islands of the ancient country of Indonesia. There were found the remains of primitive people, dating more than 70 thousand years back. Having such an ancient history and a wealthy cultural heritage, this country cannot brag about a big number of museums and impressive artifacts collections. Yet, in Indonesian cities, we can meet some exhibit collections of the historical past which open up the secret and help to understand locals.
The WASAKA Museum was open in Banjarmasin in 1991 to commemorate the Day of Heroes. On the territory of the former dwelling house pertained to one of the government representatives, there are more than 400 exhibits, most of them date from the period of the War of Independence. Here’s where the full name of the museum, Waja Sampai Kaputing, meaning «struggle to the bitter end» comes from. These words were the motto of the people of Kalimantan in their fight for independence against the Dutch colonization.
Here you can see an imposing collection of firearms and edged weapons including sabres and long sharp spears, lavishly decorated with traditional painting and semi-precious stones. Many items of clothes and military uniforms, represented in the museum halls, are considered sacred for local people. According to their beliefs, all of them were blessed by shamans and contain amulets, protected their owners for a long time. Besides, there are camping utensils and personal things of the national heroes – members of partisan detachments. The impressive collection of historical battle maps and photos deserves particular attention. All this is a part of the permanent exhibition. Unfortunately, the area of the museum does not allow demonstrating all of its treasures simultaneously, so temporary exhibitions from the museum archives are regularly held there.