THE Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England, has returned a historic Kenyah-Badeng sunhat to Sarawak.
Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Ministry in announcing this on social media described the return of this cultural artifact as “an act of restoring history, dignity and identity to the Kenyah-Badeng community”.
“The intricately crafted bamboo sunhat, adorned with symbolic motifs representing nobility and protection, was taken in the late 19th century during a punitive expedition led by British rulers.
“For the Kenyah-Badeng people, the return of this sunhat is a powerful step toward reconnecting with a part of their cultural heritage that was long separated from them,” it said.
The ministry added that the repatriation also underscored a shifting paradigm in how museums approached historical artifacts and the communities from which they originated.
This is the second repatriation for Sarawak. The first one was the return of the Niah bone fragments to the Sarawak Museum on March 6, 2020.
On the role of museums today, the ministry said they were evolving from custodians of objects to active agents of healing, fostering dialogue and uplifting communities whose voices were previously marginalised.
“This handover reaffirms the commitment of institutions like the Pitt Rivers Museum to honouring the past and embracing an inclusive, community-centred future,” it acknowledged.
Witnessing the handover were Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Deputy Minister Datuk Sebastian Ting and Pitt Rivers Museum director Prof Dr Laura van Broekhoven.
