A number of circles in Tarakan city, North Kalimantan, are members of a history-loving community. Even though they do not have a background in history or archeology, they record, research and archive local history.
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SUCIPTO
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SUCIPTO
Members of the Oi of Tarakan City open documentation of the findings of historical objects at a coffee shop in Tarakan City, North Kalimantan, Monday (26/9/2022).
While he was working at a hotel about 10 years ago, Ronal (39) was surprised to see many tourists from Japan and Australia going back and forth to Tarakan. His questions began to be answered one by one after he guided foreigners to a number of places. One of his memorable moments was when he accompanied Garth Pratten (49), a professor of history from the Strategic and Defense Studies Centre at the Australian National University.
Ronal, Ronalsyah's nickname, took Pratten to a number of places in Tarakan with an old map. It turned out that the historian was researching the history of World War II in Tarakan. Pratten told Ronal that Tarakan was a battlefield where many Australian soldiers were killed by Japanese troops during the war.
From there, the relationship between Pratten and Ronal developed. Ronal's interest in the history of World War II in Tarakan began to grow. Later, he also joined Tarakan Tempo Doeloe, a community that focuses on various local historical issues in Tarakan of which Ronal is now the coordinator of the education division.
Together with dozens of his friends, he dug up information from the remnants of the war that residents found. His community, together with a number of government agencies, found an oval iron frame in Juata Kerikil village. The condition of the object was rusty and dented.
Thanks to Pratten's help in searching a number of sources, he concluded that the object was likely part of an Australian army fighter plane. According to the Australian Air Force records, it was the aircraft's external fuel storage area.
The findings and its history are a reflection.
Ronal and his friends in the Tarakan Tempo Doeloe community also submitted a number of findings to the government that were believed to be cultural heritage objects.
Ronal also got some old Tarakan maps from Pratten. The maps were later donated to the Museum of Oil and World War II in Tarakan. He hoped that the map could serve as information and learning material for the public.
“The findings and its history are a reflection. They can be lessons for us today that war has very painful consequences, with results of damage and loss of life. Don't let there be another war in Tarakan or the world," he said.
Alternative education
The Tarakan Tempo Doeloe community will soon hold a program. With an outdoor cinema concept, they will hold historical film screenings for the residents of Tarakan. The program, which is funded by the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry, will last until August 2023 and become an alternative education space for residents to know the identity and history of Tarakan.
Apart from that, Ronal has a dream of writing a book about his experiences accompanying a number of researchers and the families of foreign soldiers who died in the war in Tarakan. He hopes it can be a kind of alternative story of Tarakan's history. “I still have trouble writing long articles. I'd love to record that," he said.
SUCIPTO
A German-made cannon in 1902 at the Peningki Lama site in the Mambirdan Village, East Tarakan District, Tarakan, North Kalimantan, Monday (22/7/2019). This place used to be the main base of the Dutch defense that could oversee the land and sea routes to Tarakan from the south.
In addition to the Tarakan Tempo Doeloe community, a number of youths also enlivened the discourse on local history in Tarakan. One of them, Oi, is an organization formed by admirers of musician Iwan Fals.
They consider Tarakan as a museum because Tarakan has a long history of oil. Oil exploration in 1896 started by the Dutch East Indies government helped shape the identity of today's Tarakan. In addition, Tarakan became the starting point for the Japanese conquest to control the Dutch East Indies in January 1942 during World War II.
A number of Oi members have researched ancient manuscripts from various sources, including Australian intelligence reports that have been made public. They discussed and explored historical places in Tarakan. In addition, they have a dream that Tarakan can become a city with unique historical tourism.
"However, all of this has not been worked out optimally," said Che Ageng (39), chairman of Oi Tarakan.
Abdul Salam, the head of history at the Tarakan Office of Culture, Youth, Sports and Tourism (Disporapar), felt that the movement for history lovers and the young people helped in the initial search for information on historical finds in Tarakan. This information is important as data collection for further research.
Even the youth often cleaned various historical heritage sites. This was very helpful for the government because of the limited number of site caretakers. The energy of history enthusiasts and the young people was also an encouragement for the government to improve the management of historical heritages in Tarakan.
Even though the youth and hobbyist movement has not yet produced a book to complement the local history, Tarakan has a community who care about the narrative of where they live.
The provincial government of North Kalimantan and the city of Tarakan have budgeted Rp 10 billion (US$657,000) to revamp the history museum, which has not yet been proportioned. The funds will also be used to conduct a writing training for hobbyists, so that they can contribute to writing local historical discourses in Tarakan.
Even though the youth and hobbyist movement has not yet produced a book to complement the local history, Tarakan has a community who care about the narrative of where they live. Their energy seems to be a trigger for giving Tarakan its identity. From the community of Tarakan, anyone can learn that the past can be a place of reflecting and learning.
