Treasure at Colonial-Era Dump Site: Medan, Sumatra

By Barrie | July 21st, 2007 | No Comments

A former dump site at the Air Force base in Medan, North Sumatra, has been inundated with treasure-hunting residents over the past two weeks digging for valuables from the Dutch colonial era.

Once covered in trash, the site is now pockmarked with holes left by residents, who have flocked to the area armed with simple digging tools.

Their efforts have not yielded gold or silver, but this has not stopped the digging. Some residents have found pieces of iron, old jars and ceramic items they can sell.

Buyung, a resident of Sei Mati village who has been digging at the site for one week, has only found pieces of iron. But he is happy with his discoveries, as he has been able to sell the pieces.

“What I’ve found so far is not bad… the old iron can bring in money. On one particularly good day I collected 20 kilos of iron.
But there have been times when I found nothing,” said the 38-year-old, who sells a kilogram of iron for up to Rp 1,900.

His wife, 37-year-old Maisarah, has also joined the treasure hunt. The couple sell the items they find to raise money to pay for their children’s school expenses.

Maisarah said they sell the iron to a trader, making anywhere between Rp 20,000 and Rp 50,000 a day.

Another treasure-seeker is Hardi, 25 and currently unemployed.

“It’s better to do something than nothing at all. I can make money doing this,” said the high school graduate, who says he has collected between 40 and 70 kilograms of iron.

The Air Force base commander, Col. Agus Dwi Putranto, said he was not trying to stop residents from searching for treasure at the site.

“Three months ago, the Air Force handed the site over to a new owner,” Agus said.

He said the area had historical value since it was once used by the Dutch as a fort.

Researcher Ketut Wiradnyana from the Medan Archeological Agency confirmed the site had been used by the Dutch as a post to monitor activities around what is now Polonia airport in Medan.

He said the site had also been used as a dumping ground for unused materials back in the 1950s. The site is located near a river that was frequented by foreign traders.

“I’ve surveyed land layers at the location and there is a mix of valuables there,” said Ketut, without elaborating.

He said it was not the first time the site had been crowded with treasure hunters.

In the 1960s, people started digging at the site in search of antiques, but now such valuables are hard to come by, he said.

“But I’m sure there are still many other items of value buried at the site.”

Apriadi Gunawan