Re/constructing collective memory: coal-mining Heritage Museums in Sawahlunto, Indonesia

The demise of the coal mining industry in Sawahlunto, Indonesia, not only left behind old buildings and damaged environments, but also a long history of mining activities, including the stories of the miners who worked during the Dutch colonial period. This mining history and the miners' stories, have been captured in three mining museums: the Goedang Ransoem Museum, the Hole Mine Site Museum Mbah Soero and Sawahlunto Railway Museum. This study examines how the coal-mining heritage of the days of Dutch colonialism has been preserved and constructed as community knowledge through the three mining heritage museums established following the demise of coal mining in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, Indonesia. They form a collective memory of the mining city’s history for present-day local communities and visitors, providing information about the origin of their ancestors and increasing the communities’ understanding of their identity and their city. The findings in this study indicate that a museum does not merely serve as a place to store historical objects, but also as a medium for passing down knowledge about the history and identity of a community. Currently, the Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto is inscribed on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage 2019.