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Village mini-museum

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Village mini-museum
Photo Information
Copyright: Bill Laucp (trekks) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 962 W: 108 N: 1334] (4723)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-04-21
Categories: Architecture, Artwork
Camera: Nikon D-80 Digital SLR, Tamron SP AF 17-50 mm F/2.8 XR Di II LD, 2Gb SD, 67mm UV
Exposure: f/14.0, 30 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-04-21 7:44
Viewed: 291
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Just to share this place with you, not so much technical.

A very unique home mini-museum in a village community. This is the antique section found on the ground floor of late Paka anak Otor's (deceased 2004) village house at Kampong Benuk, 1 hour drive from Kuching. The vases were dated back to 19th century. Paka collected many items over the years and placed in his house as hobby but later visitors began to show interests to take a look. Eventually it became a mini-museum.

The ancestors of this village lived 200 years ago inside a cave far away in the surrounding mountains, faced by enemy attacks and without good water source. During Rajah Brooke era (1841-1946), the group moved from the cave to the present site at the foot of the mountain. They started padi cultivation and a village settlement.

Paka's wife (looking like age 80?) now lives and looks after the house. We made donation to the box placed on a table. She is kind enough to open the doors and windows for us to take some photos but requested that the photos not for sale purpose. This shot taken under natural light with tripod, no flash. I will let you see the details.

EXIF DATA
DateTime - 2008:04:21 15:54:39
ExposureTime - 30 seconds
FNumber - 14.00
ISOSpeedRatings - 100
FocalLength - 17.00 mm

NOTE :- A working paper and University of Cambridge research was published by L.Chua in 2006, see below quote.

“On 2 October 2004, Paka anak Otor, a descendant of Kampung Benuk’s original Tua Gawai (ritual head) lineage, passed away suddenly. He left behind a large stash of old photographs, family documents, and most importantly, his ‘mini-museum’: a collection of heirlooms, ritual objects, local tools and household implements, as well as various other items which happened to catch his fancy. The last category was particularly eclectic in scope, for Paka was a voracious collector of stuff in general: Japanese Occupation banknotes, black-and-white television sets, dusty ‘Ventolin syrup’ glass bottles and a boomerang nestled quite comfortably, as they do today, amid the more ‘traditional’ artefacts on display.

Paka’s mini-museum is housed on the ground floor of his family home, situated atop a small mound overlooking the village. Days before his death, he was still showing tourists around it, as he had done for the last four decades. The mini-museum was very much Paka’s domain: he alone acquired new objects, rearranged the displays, and spoke to visitors about the collection and more general aspects of adat Gawai, or local pre-Christian rituals, beliefs and customs. His death therefore left the mini-museum bereft, and raised serious questions over its future. Who would run the place now that the tua ramin (head of the house) was gone? Should it – indeed could it – still be kept open for tourists? And if so, how would the family convey everything that Paka had to these visitors? There was little written information in the mini-museum; none of its potential custodians spoke fluent enough English to converse with branda(1) tourists; and most importantly, nobody actually knew as much as Paka did about adat Gawai and the objects on display. In retrospect, Paka had been the centre of the mini-museum, the one person who held everything together; and in the immediate aftermath of his demise, it seemed empty and incomplete, a random assortment of objects with no one to make sense of it all.”

(1) Branda, deriving from the Dutch Belanda, is used locally as a generic label for all white people.

© Copyright is held by the author or authors of each Working Paper. Jan 2006.
jusninasirun, siamesa, crckt, dareco, CENT-TRETZE, WaterSprite, cfreire, skippy007, gunbud, makis, jean11-3 has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To jusninasirun: hitrekks 1 04-21 18:04
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Bill. Congratulations on passing the 4K mark. The image captured is excellent considering the harsh lighting from the left. I can spend hours here itemizing the items on display. Thanks for sharing this image and very well done. A change from the panoramic view in your post. Regards. Jusni

Hi Bill
A fantastic collection of these rich pieces. Very good picture and a excellent note.
Abraços
Maria

  • Great 
  • looney (18)
  • [2008-04-21 8:51]

hello bill

thats a very nice shot .as i like museums, i liked ur photo very much.thank u for the photo.

Hi!!

Hmm.. Very interesting shot! Nice subject and observation.. I like your concept and idea.. Keep posting!!


regards,
Sayan

Hey there Bill,

Great scene, still life so to speak. A wonderful assortment of native pottery among other things, that would make an enthusiasts day. Nice lighting and colors, beautiful clarity and sharpness.

See you.

  • Great 
  • crckt Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1137 W: 68 N: 1027] (5403)
  • [2008-04-21 16:39]

Hi Bill,
Your note taught me some thing that I didn't know. Thanks for sharing this photo and the story along with it. Greatly appreciated!
Regards,
shaeri

  • Great 
  • dareco Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1143 W: 22 N: 410] (6060)
  • [2008-04-21 19:51]

A very interesting picture, I'm glad you shared with us. Very well done, with plenty to look at.

Hi Bill:

It's a nice detail to show your picture this small museum, but no less important than other larger. The objects appear to appreciate that very well prepared and preserved. Thanks for mostralo.

A hug

Josep

Hi Bill,
Excellent capture of history and culture. It's absolutely fantastic his wife allowed you to take the photos. Lovely detail and color. Excellently composed. Always excited to see what you've shared.
Laura

Wonderful shot. Great to see the potery. It's a wonderful shot. Good note too.
Best wishes,
Achim

This is an interesting record of a micro museum, Bill. It shows how people like to remember things from their past.The picture is carefully taken too. I hope people keep it going into the future. regards kevin

Hi Bill,
Good shot about these historic pieces. I've enjoyed the lights and shadows on it. Good POV, sharpness, colors and contrasts. Well done, friend. Best regards, Consuelo

Hello,

The f/14 with 30s exposure have resulted in a very sharp and well exposed indoor shot under the dim lighting conditions. I think the source of natural light from the side produced good effects of shades.

The subject itself tells a lot about the lifestyle and culture of the Bidayuh.
Well done

Regards
Alfred

Hello Bill,
An interesting & colourful collection of items, it's nice to have them on show for all to appreciate.
Nice shot & very comprehensive.
Well done.
Thanks
Santo

Hello Bill,

Belle atmosphère, dans ce beau lieu, bien mis en valeur par ta photo.
Bon we
Marie

  • Great 
  • gunbud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 3682 W: 3 N: 2948] (14386)
  • [2008-04-29 19:00]

Hi Bill,
Beautiful capture of this charming little museum. The artifacts are seen in excellent light that renders beautiful details and sharpness to this lovely image.
Regards, Tom

Hello Bill, I like the idea of this museum,a document of the life and times.
There is so much to see in your shot,it is very interesting.
Everything is sharp,the colours are good,and you managed the light very well.
Excellent notes.
Tfs, regards Jean.

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