Book "I Leave Nothing Untried" by Olga van der Klooster
ORANJESTAD - The National Library of Aruba has added Olga van der Klooster's book, "'Niets laat ik ongeprobeerd, De Caribische erfgoedcollecties van Anton van Koolwijk: dienaar van God, wetenschap en de Nederlandse Staat"(I Leave Nothing Untried: The Caribbean Heritage Collections of Anton van Koolwijk: Servant of God, Science, and the Dutch State), to its National Collection.
Olga van der Klooster presented her latest publication to director Mrs. Astrid Britten and Mrs. Zetsia Ponson, head of the Arubiana department.
Book Summary:
The so-called "Van Koolwijk Collection" is one of the most diverse collections of cultural heritage from Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. In the 19th century, a growing scholarly interest in the indigenous culture of the Leeward Islands arose from the Netherlands. Anton van Koolwijk, who served as a pastor on the three islands between 1871 and 1886, saw an important role for himself. For the Dutch national museums, nurseries, and the International Colonial and Export Trade Exhibition in Amsterdam (1883), he built up all sorts of collections, such as shells, plants, woods, sea sponges, archaeological and ethnographic objects. All items were carefully packed and sent to the relevant institutions in the Netherlands for scientific research.
Unlike Bonaire and Curaçao, where he no longer encountered any identifiable indigenous people, on Aruba he did encounter a traditional society, albeit one on the verge of disappearing. Older people told him they had witnessed indigenous funerals. They knew Uncle Kaussie, the last indigenous fisherman of Tanki Flip, and also Nicolaas Pijclaes, the supposed last indigenous person of Savaneta. Van Koolwijk hastened to record their stories, study their ancient language, and document their knowledge of medicinal plants. He also collects their everyday objects, such as clothes, shoes, baskets, hats, musical instruments, kitchen utensils, and even a jar of cactus needles for pinning clothes. And unlike on Bonaire and Curaçao, where he finds only loose shards, the Aruban soil yields ancient Native American burial urns, water jars, and pots.
What has become known colloquially as the "Van Koolwijk Collection" is actually a collection assembled by a network of people. In Aruba, Van Koolwijk receives assistance from guides, Pastor Hendrik de Vries, district masters Hein Maduro and Johannes Kort, the owner of Hofi Fontein, tailor Frederik Olivet, schoolmaster Hermanus Kuiperi, and dozens of fieldworkers who have remained anonymous. The collections are still managed by several Dutch museums. The archaeological and ethnographic objects can be found in the depots and permanent exhibitions of the Wereldmuseum in Amsterdam and Leiden. A small number have been on loan to the National Archaeological Museum Aruba (NAMA) since 2009. The objects are unique and represent significant museum value. For the ABC Islands, this cultural heritage is also linked to their tangible and intangible history and identity.
Olga van der Klooster has conducted twelve years of research. She is an architectural and cultural historian and co-author of the previously published publications "'Bouwen op de Wind, Architectuur en Cultuur van Aruba" (Building on the Wind: Architecture and Culture of Aruba) and “Monumentengids Aruba” (Monument Guide Aruba).