The Tropenmuseum possesses a unique music collection from Flores. The more than 300 musical instruments, 350 musical recordings, 300 photographs and slides were collected and documented by the renowned ethnomusicologist Jaap Kunst in the 1930s and by his student, the missionary Father Pi Rozing, in the 1950s-1960s. The author of the present bulletin, Paula Bos, followed in their footsteps, collecting musical instruments and documenting them for the Tropenmuseum during her stay on Flores in 1994. In "Biographies of Florenese musical instruments and their collectors," the collections of Kunst, Rozing and Bos are compared from the viewpoint of the "biography of objects," considering the musical instruments in the light of social change in Florenese society and developments in musical culture from the thirties onward. It focuses on the meaning that the Florenese musical instruments have for the Florenese themselves. As the biographies of objects are closely related to the biographies of their collectors, this bulletin also describes and analyses the viewpoint from which Kunst, Rozing and Bos conducted their fieldwork and their methods of collecting musical instruments. The bulletin contains a case study of one particular instrument, the "foi meze" flute, carried out by Paula Bos, in which the "biography of objects" viewpoint is elaborated more extensively.

Over time Dutch and Indonesian musicians have inspired each other and they continue to do so. Recollecting Resonances offers a way of studying these musical encounters and a mutual heritage one today still can listen to.

Sites, Bodies and Stories examines the intimate links between history and heritage as they have developed in postcolonial Indonesia. Sites discussed in the book include Borobudur in Central Java, a village in Flores built around megalithic formations, and ancestral houses in Alor. Bodies refers to legacies of physical anthropology, exhibition practices and Hollywood movies. The Stories are accounts of the Mambesak movement in Papua, the inclusion of wayang puppetry in UNESCO s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and subaltern history as written by the people of Blambangan in their search for national heroes. Throughout the book, citizenship entitlement figures as a leitmotif in heritage initiatives. Contemporary heritage formation in Indonesia is intrinsically linked to a canon of Indonesian art and culture developed during Dutch colonial rule, institutionalized within Indonesia's heritage infrastructure and in the Netherlands, and echoed in museums and exhibitions throughout the world. The authors in this volume acknowledge colonial legacies but argue against a colonial determinism, considering instead how contemporary heritage initiatives can lead to new interpretations of the past.

This book is a study of music inculturation in Indonesia. It shows how religious expression can be made relevant in an indigenous context and how grassroots Christianity is being realized by means of music. Through the discussion of indigenous expressions of Christianity, the book presents multiple ways in which Indonesians reiterate their identity through music by creatively forging Christian and indigenous elements. This study moves beyond the discussion (and charge) of syncretism, showing that the inclusion of local cultural manifestations is an answer to creating a truly indigenous Christian expression. Marzanna Poplawska, while telling the story of Indonesian Christians and the multiple ways in which they live Christianity through music, emphasizes the creative energy and agency of local people. In their practices she finds optimism for the continuing existence of many traditional genres and styles. Indonesian Christians perform their Christian faith through music, dance, and theater, generating innovative cultural products that enrich the global Christian heritage. The book is addressed to a broad spectrum of readers: scholars from a variety of disciplines – music, religion, anthropology, especially those interested in interactions between Christianity and indigenous cultures; general music lovers and World Music enthusiasts eager to discover musics outside of European realm; as well as Christian believers, church musicians, and choir directors curious to learn about Christian music beyond Euro-American context. Students of religion, sacred music, (ethno)musicology, theater, and dance will also benefit from learning about a variety of indigenous arts employed in Christian churches in Indonesia.