Pulu Cocos Museum

Pulu Cocos Museum,[1] also Home Island Visitor Centre & Museum, also Cocos Museum,[2] is a tourism office, visitor centre and museum on Home Island in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Pulu Cocos Museum
LocationCocos (Keeling) Islands
TypeHeritage centre
CollectionsMilitary; Southeast Asian diaspora
Websitehttps://www.cocoskeelingislands.com.au/visitor-centre

Background

The museum was established in 1987, in recognition of the fact that the distinct culture of Home Island needed formal preservation.[3][1] The site includes the displays on local culture and traditions, as well as the early history of the islands and their ownership by the Clunies-Ross family.[4][5] The museum also includes displays on military and naval history, as well as local botanical and zoological items.[2] In February 2021 the Shire of Cocos applied for a grant in order to adapt the Tokoh/Old Workshop on Home Island into a new museum and visitor centre.[6]

Collections

The collection includes objects relating to the Malay communities who were indentured labourers under the Clunies-Ross family. Military objects in the collection include firearms[7] cannonballs and bows and arrows.[8] There is also a small numismatic collection.[8] Objects include traditional Malay costumes and examples of wayang kulit, which were used in performances by Nek Ichang, the island's dalang (puppeteer) until his death in 1949.[8][1] Examples of the wayang kulit from the museum's collection featured on a set of Australian $1 and $2 stamps in 2018.[1]

Objects relating to the cultural heritage of the islands are held in overseas collections: for example the American Numismatic Association holds a complete set of the island' plastic token currency.[9]

References
  1. "Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shadow Puppets". Australia Post Collectables. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  2. "Cocos Museum". Commonwealth Walkway Trust. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  3. Conference, Museums Australia National (1997). Unlocking Museums: The Proceedings : 4th National Conference of Museums Australia Inc. Museums Australia. ISBN 978-0-949069-23-8.
  4. "Home Island | Cocos Keeling Islands". www.cocoskeelingislands.com.au. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  5. RACWA. "Things To Do on Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling Islands | RAC WA". RAC WA - For a better WA. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  6. "From The CEO's Desk 12 February 2021". shire.cc. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  7. McCarthy, M (2005). Direction Island Unidentified (Cocos Keeling Islands) Inspection Report (PDF). Department of Maritime Archaeology Western Australian Museum. p. 15.
  8. Ricasa, Lourdes Odette Aquitania (21 December 2020). Love Echoes...Share and Inspire. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-6655-0940-4.
  9. "Tokens of the Cocos Islands | American Numismatic Association". www.money.org. Retrieved 7 November 2022.

12°06′56″S 96°53′39″E

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