BALANCING POLITICAL HISTORY, ETHNOGRAPHY AND ART: THE ROLE OF A NATIONAL MUSEUM – SRI LANKA Mrs. Sanuja Kasthuriarachchi, Director, Department of National Museums, Sri Lanka INTRODUCTION ditional use pass into disuse, usually in tandem with socio-economic transformations that are The National Museum of Sri Lanka was taking place. Meanwhile, the formation of new established in 1877. It has played a very signif- cultural structures becomes a major national cant role in the national life of the Sri Lankan responsibility. This is deeply infuenced by both (Left) Diorama of Pre-History Gallery people by protecting their national heritage. internal and external factors. (Right) Pre and Proto Historic Gallery Images Courtesy of Colombo National Museum, Sri Lanka Until recently, however, specifc functions of the museum were confned to documentation, The galleries in the Colombo National preservation, and conservation of the cultur- Museum are arranged under the following Galleries 2 to 5 consist of a valuable collec- In the Textile Gallery, there are tradition- al heritage of this multi-racial island, whose themes: tion of exhibits relating to historical periods in al costumes representing all the ethnic groups history goes back 2500 years. Colombo National Sri Lanka. Originating in the 4th century BC, in the country – the Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim, Museum contains artefacts from Buddhist, Political History Galleries Anuradhapura was the frst historical kingdom Malay and Burgher communities. Hindu and Islamic cultures. 1. Pre and Proto Historic Gallery in Sri Lanka. The exhibition contains a unique 2. Anuradhapura Period Gallery collection of artefacts relating to the historical In Gallery 7, the visitors can view ancient Therefore I believe that the theme for 3. Polonnaruwa Period Gallery developments and the Buddhist and Hindu mural paintings. This gallery is very important this year’s meeting and conference Balancing 4. Transitional Period Gallery culture of that period. because originals copies exhibited no longer exist Political History, Ethnography, and Art: the Role of a 5. Kandy Period Gallery insitu. National Museum is very relevant to my institu- Art and Crafts Polonnaruwa Period Gallery reveals the tion: Colombo National Museum, Sri Lanka. 6. Stone Antiquities Gallery multi-cultural heritage of this period with a The ethnographic galleries in the 7. Painting Gallery large number of Buddhist and Hindu artefacts. museum present a collection of exhibits depict- THE COLOMBO NATIONAL 8. Textile Gallery This gallery has an excellent collection of Hindu ing the religious, economic and political life of MUSEUM, SRI LANKA 9. Ceramic Gallery sculptures excavated from Hindu Shrines in the the people. A number of very useful exhibits 10. Coins and Currency Gallery area. provide deeper insights into the rural life and As I mentioned before, we are a multi-ra- 11. Standards and Banners Gallery agricultural economy of the country during cial country. So, as the National Museum, we 12. Arts and Crafts Gallery The Transitional Period Gallery provides ancient times. have to play a signifcant role in reconciliation 13. Arms and Armaments Gallery good examples of the roles of cultures and between various ethnic groups and communi- communities which cross national borders and The Colombo National Museum col- ties. For over 138 years we have served as the na- Ethnography cultural objects that have been retooled over lection is the only place one can fnd enough tional repository of arts and artefacts, historical 14. Traditional Rituals Gallery diferent historical periods. The Royal capital authentic evidence to study the evolution of re- evidence and a platform for their ethnographic 15. Traditional Agriculture Gallery of Sri Lanka was shifted from the Dry Zone ligions, art and architecture, paintings, Buddha representation. to the Wet Zone because of invasions. Hence images, carvings and motifs, agricultural and The frst gallery provides information on the period between the 13th and 16th Century domestic equipment, masks, costumes and A museum does not merely preserve a world ‘pre-history’ and the evolution of man. The turned out to be a transitional era. jewelry which make up the cultural heritage of nation’s cultural heritage in a static manner. main hall is devoted to exhibitions on Sri Lanka’s the people of this country. Through preservation and interpretation, a pre- and proto- history. The trilingual inscription discovered museum contributes to the national and cultur- from Galle inscribed in Persian, Chinese and The following images will give you an al formation of a country. In a society such as Dioramas, stone implements and mega- Tamil, provides important evidence of Indian idea of the rich collection that the museum has ours, the rate of historical and cultural change lithic burials provide a good source of evidence Ocean trade activities in the 14th Century. and how it represents and showcases the multi- increases daily. Many customs and items of tra- to study this period. cultural history and heritage of Sri Lanka: 74 75 Balancing political history, ethnography and art: The role of a National Museum – Sri Lanka Sanuja Kasthuriarachchi Agriculture Gallery From left to right: Buddha Image, Goddess Tara, Goddess Parvati, God Siva and Goddess Parvati Images Courtesy of Colombo National Museum, Sri Lanka Traditional Masks of Sri Lanka displayed in the Colombo National Museum Chinese Ceramics displayed in the Colombo National Museum’s Ceramic Gallery (Left) Tri-Lingual Stone Inscription (Right) Traditional Sri Lankan Costumes / Flag The last King’s Throne and Crown, Kingdom of Kandy Images Courtesy of Colombo National Museum, Sri Lanka Images Courtesy of Colombo National Museum, Sri Lanka CONCLUSION traditional arts and crafts of the country are also well represented. Despite having a large collection, To conclude, it is useful to look at the chal- the museum only has a few ethnographic galleries. lenges faced in balancing the demands to provide Branch museums located in Galle and Anurad- adequate representation of political history, hapura provide greater insight into the life of the ethnography and art. The Colombo National communities in these maritime and agricultural Museum from its inception focused on mainly areas . collecting objects from archaeological contexts that related to the major historical periods of the A signifcant shortcoming is the lack of country’s history. Therefore, its presentation of the adequate representation of all the ethnic groups political history of ancient Sri Lanka is extensive. in the country. Some of these groups are under- The more recent political history of the country represented both in the museum’s collections and Objects from Arts and Crafts Gallery is presented in the Independence Museum. Due in the exhibitions. Image Courtesy of Colombo National Museum, Sri Lanka to the richness of the museum’s collections, the 76 77.