Who is being guilty of not going to tourist spots even though you live so near? I’m guilty as said because I live about 5mins-10mins from Zoo Negara and always passes by Museum Negara from my work place. Each time I passed it, I made a promise to make a visit.
One Saturday morning, I decided to stop by during a journey home. I’ve been to museum when I was a kid but I can’t recalled any of it. So I paid RM2 for parking ticket and checked what the museum offers.
They have ‘orang asli’ (aborigines) museum a bit outside main building and I think it kinda small. They show weapon that being used, art and stuff like that.
1st floor of that building, they have ‘Malay nusantara’ so I went it and checked it. I didn’t know that they characterise Iban, Kadazan and some other ethnic as one category and they mention Malay in other countries. Some similarity and difference. They exhibit attire, culture and so on. Even I’m a Malay, why this fascinates me? You see I was disturbed by some Indonesian’s claim that we stole their culture like batik, rendang, tarian pendet (not ours, never claim ours, not islamic summore) and I dunno what else. I wanted to clarify myself and what I found out: it seems that we never claimed batik as just our own. Batik has been around in Indonesia, my country, Thailand and Cambodia because we really are ’serumpun’. Even my grandfather race in my father birth certificate is Javanese. Out of topic, why I found mannequins in museum a bit creepy especially when sole mannequin is displayed?
Then I checked outside:
Istana Satu (model of traditional Malay castle)
Inside the Istana, very antique
To main building and I was at the backyard and the museum made special exhibition of traditional game and the place full of kids. I mean I couln’t find my age, owh yeah except the teachers and parents. (Always thought that I below 25 yrs old, pish..). They were playing some game and recognized some, ‘tarik upih’, ’sepak raga’, ‘getah’, and also inside the main building’ lobby such as ‘dam(checkers)’, ‘wau(kite)’ and games I’ve never seen before.
Full of school kids trying and playing around
During my childhood, we called it teng teng. I was so wanna jump in but since my gang was not with me, I didn't have thick face enough
.
The main building which has 4 main galleries and 2 additional area for music instrument and Asean exhibition. The ticket is RM2.
4 main galleries for very ancient time(paleolithic, neolithic), old Malay state, colonial era, and Malaysia now. Some snippets of my thought while viewing the exhibition:
1) Paleolithic. The stones really just look like a normal stone but I have just to believe that the archeologist know what they are doing…
2) On portuguese ship kinda cool. Nicer if I could snap a picture. So sad went alone…
3) I’m so wanna the bunga mas. Is it real?
4) I didn’t know that ‘tengkolok’ or ‘tanjak’ (head-gear) for each Sultan has different designs. Fascinating and the names..
5) Museum Negara has additional task of changing exhibition for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong every 5 years…
A rainforest in the museum...hik...hik
My humble opinion is the visit was nice but hope it can improve more. Needs more interactive especially for kids. Why can’t we have like a photo session that we can dress up during other era?, pay also don’t mind (as long not expensive lah). Put more cool stuff that can attract young people.
Well that is it. Already so long. Zoo Negara next.
