Prince Diponegoro’s Kris Returned to Indonesia

President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana with Dutch King and Queen observes Prince Diponegoro’s Kris at the Bogor Palace, West Java province, Tuesday (10/3). (Photo: Agung/PR)

The Dutch Government has returned a kris – Indonesian traditional weapon and a spiritual object – belonging to Prince Diponegoro to the Indonesian Government during the Dutch King and Queen’s state visit to the country on Tuesday (10/3).

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi told reporters that the returning process took quite some time because both governments first had to conduct a joint research to ensure that the kris really belonged to the Prince.

“A few weeks ago, Indonesia dispatched a team consisting of officials from Ministry of Education and Culture and several cultural experts to check the originality of the kris,” Retno said at the Bogor Palace, West Java province, Tuesday (10/3).

Retno also pointed out that the Dutch Kingdom had also sent an expert team to check it and both parties confirmed that the kris did belong to Prince Diponegoro.

The Dutch Government then returned it to the Indonesian Government, she added.

Following the transfer of the kris, Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture is now responsible for the preservation of this valuable historical object.

Prince Diponegoro was a Javanese prince who opposed the Dutch colonial rule. He was the eldest son of the Yogyakartan Sultan Hamengkubuwono III.

The prince played an important role in the Java War that broke out between 1825 and 1830. After his defeat and capture, he was exiled to Makassar, where he passed away. His five-year struggle against the Dutch control of Java has been celebrated in Indonesian throughout the years. He is also a national hero in Indonesia. (FID/EN)

Translated by: Estu Widyamurti
Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas