RRI.CO.ID, Mataram - The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) State Museum is transforming how rural communities perceive their ancestral relics by integrating historical preservation with local economic empowerment.

Through a series of intensive educational workshops, the museum is teaching villagers that the keris (dagger) manuscripts, and ancient tools in their possession are more than just silent witnesses to the past. These artifacts are being highlighted as potential catalysts for cultural tourism and community wealth.

Speaking in Mataram on Saturday, May 2, 2026, the Head of the NTB Museum, Ahmad Nuralam, highlighted the untapped potential of community-led conservation. "The preservation of heirloom objects does not stop at the cultural aspect. It also holds great potential in driving the local economy of village communities," said Nuralam, as quoted by Antara.

He noted that many historical artifacts currently held by the public are at high risk of damage or loss due to a lack of proper maintenance knowledge.

To address this, the museum is spearheading the Kotaku Museumku, Kampungku Museumku (My City is My Museum, My Village is My Museum) initiative. This program equips residents with the technical skills to inventory and maintain their collective treasures independently.

By fostering these skills, the museum hopes to see more villages establish their own local repositories. "We encourage villages to have museums that can store artifacts and heirlooms found in the community. The existence of village museums provides NTB with alternative cultural-based tourism," explained Nuralam.

A practical demonstration of this strategy recently took place on April 29, 2026, in Barabali Village, Central Lombok. Despite being categorized as a region facing extreme poverty, Barabali is a focal point for the provincial administration’s Empowered Village program.

This strategic initiative aims to eradicate poverty across 20 development themes, ranging from food security to specialized tourism hubs.

By encouraging the establishment of a representative village museum in Barabali, Nuralam envisions a new cultural destination that serves as a hub for education and identity. This approach seeks to prove that heritage preservation is not a luxury for the elite, but a practical tool for rural independence, ensuring that the legacy of the ancestors remains both protected and profitable for the generations to come. ***