For the WANUA artists in Makassar, the La Galigo manuscript was a key source of inspiration.
Dating from approximately the 14th century and originating in the former Bugis kingdom of Luwuq in South Sulawesi, it is rooted in oral traditions.
Its contents are pre-Islamic and of an epic-mythological nature, with high literary quality.
The majority of the original manuscripts, copied by Colliq Pujie in exile in the 19th century, are stored in the archives of the Leiden University, The Netherlands.
Historian Louie Buana in Makassar:
- ‘These are not just texts—they are living knowledge taken from the Wanua, our land of origin. Now, we return to them not to admire, but to reclaim, so their wisdom may once again guide our future.
- More than 18,000 manuscripts. Over 220,000 photographs. Around 30,000 maps. 10 kilometers of memory.
- I’ve stayed in Leiden long enough to feel, deeply, how the struggle to access and reclaim that knowledge is real—and still painfully difficult.’
