ABSTRACT
The National Museum of Indonesia is one of the products from the long history of the Dutch colonial ruling in the Indonesian archipelago. This is the first and biggest museum established in 1778 by the Dutch East Indies government in Indonesia. Based on the collections, the museum was initially set out to educate the local people in the context of colonial history. The colonial government’s practice of acquiring objects reflects the colonization of the local people. Following the independence of Indonesia in 1945, the museum changed its discourse. The postcolonial reinterpretation of imperial history affected and changed curatorial practices in the museum. Through museums, Indonesia can construct a new identity that is free from the shadow of the colonial government. Today, the museum is changing and focusing on how to represent the cultural diversity of Indonesia, which is an enriching and the most important element in showing the new identity of Indonesia. Museums can connect the past and the present for a better future. This article aims to address the underlying and interrelated aspects that bring all of these elements to reveal the complexity of today’s identity.
