Dean of Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, Dr. Wening Udasmoro, M.Hum., D.E.A., dispatched UGM student teams for conducting a Maritime Culture Expedition entitled Sangihe: The Northern Gate of Nusantara. This was signed by helping put on diving jacket on Fuad Anshori as the leader of UGM Maritime Expedition Team, from Department of Archeology, on Friday (21/4).
The first team which consists of 15 students will conduct an expedition for 15 days, starting from April 25 until May 10, 2017, in Sangihe Island, North Sulawesi Province. This expedition aims to make an inventory of the maritime archeological cultural heritage potential in Sangihe Island collected from the 18th until 20th century.
Wening Udasmoro hopes this expedition in Sangihe can run smoothly and safely. She also reminded the team to always be careful and not push themselves to conduct the expedition during bad weather.
“We hope this team can succeed to conduct the expedition and inspire other teams of Faculty of Cultural Sciences and other faculties,” said Wening.
Dr. Anggraeni, M.A., the Head of Department of Archeology, Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM, expects the students can find many essential things such as identifying wreckages, whether it is a warship or merchant ship.
According to Anggraeni, there are many things in Sangihe which can be studied. They have already known the location points, but they have yet to find a deeper information. Therefore, this expedition will not only be conducted under the sea but also in the land.
“This expedition aims to encourage the potential or essential maritime roles of Sangihe in the past. There are ancient harbors, as well as local and colonial heritages. Sangihe is located at the outer part of Nusantara, which is the most important position as one of the Nusantara’s gates,” said Anggraeni.
The 15 students in the expedition team do not only come from Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM but also Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences UGM. They are Fuad Anshori, Sheila Ayu Rachmadiena, Muslim Dimas Khoir, Sultan Kurnia, Mahardika Budiansyah, Arraghib M. Nizham, Muhamad Destrianto, Fairuz Aziz, Arsyananda Rabbani, Dwi Kurnia Sandy, Wastu Hari Prasetya, Alan Putra Arma, Munandar Aji W, Nurdin Nasyar Gusfa, and Natu Natasha.
Fuad Anshori hopes this expedition can be beneficial for the development of Archeology Science, particularly Maritime Archeology, History, as well as Anthropology. Moreover, it is expected to be used as a reference for an advanced research in Sangihe Island.
The expedition not only aims to identify, describe, and document the archaeological heritages in Sangihe Island from 18th until 20th centuries but also explain the historical reconstruction of maritime culture in Sangihe in the same periods.
“The team hopes those archeological heritages in Sangihe Island can be assets for empowering the society,” said Fuad.