Minister Of Culture Fadli Zon Encourages Lombok Keris Research And Lontar

Indonesian Culture, Fadli Zon, emphasized the need for in-depth literacy regarding Lombok and Sumbawa keris. (IST)

The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, emphasized the need for in-depth literacy regarding Lombok and Sumbawa keris. According to him, the characteristics of the keris in the two regions are different, but there is minimal literature. The book on Lombok Keris that I wrote with Mr. Basuki is now translated into English. But the Sumbawa keris has almost no literature. This is an opportunity for research and publication," said Menbud Fadli in the Cultural and Traditional Society Facilities in Lombok, Wednesday, September 10.

The event, which was held with the XVI Region Cultural Preservation Center, presented the Indonesian National Certificates (SNKI), keris empus, traditional stakeholders, cultural figures, and art actors from NTB. The discussion raised the issue of certification of the Keris maker, preservation of accounting scripts, to revitalizing cultural values.

The empus from East Lombok, Sakra, and Bayan highlighted the acculturation of Bali, Sumbawa, and Java in the formation of Lombok keris. Meanwhile, Fadli mentioned the manuscript of lightning. He found more than 1,800 manuscripts stored in the NTB Provincial Museum. An important catalogization is done, classified according to the contents: treatment, law, literature, or teachings. From here a thesis can be born, thesis, and even a high-value dissertation," he said.

Menbud Fadli also reminded that a large manuscript such as the State of Religion brought from the Netherlands turned out to be from Lombok, even though it was only a copy. This, he said, emphasized Lombok's position in the intellectual history of the archipelago.

Director of Trust in God Almighty and Indigenous Society, Sjamsul Hadi, emphasized this forum as a space to hear the aspirations directly from indigenous peoples. "We want to hear from the grassroots, not just create programs from above," he said.

The coach of SNKI NTB, Lalu Abdurrahim, added that Cakra's empu works have characteristics that are not widely known, although the Madura keris is more popular.

Closing the sarasehan, Menbud Fadli invites all local governments, indigenous communities, academics, and artists to jointly maintain ancestral heritage. With the support of literacy, certification, and research, he believes NTB can appear as an important cultural center for Indonesia.