Dr. Will Buckingham joins panel on Traditional Arts of Indonesia’s Tanimbar Islands

In early November, Dr. Will Buckingham, a full-time faculty member of Social Sciences and Humanities at Parami University, joined a panel discussion on endangered artistic traditions of Indonesia’s Tanimbar Islands. The event explored traditional weaving, wood-carving, and the cultural histories that shape these practices.

Located in the Arafura Sea in Indonesia’s Maluku province, Tanimbar is home to centuries-old indigenous art

Event Poster

forms. Yet these traditions face growing threats—from economic pressures to cultural erosion—making discussions around preservation increasingly urgent.

The panel was co-organized by the Indonesian Heritage Society and Parara, an organization promoting ethical handicrafts, and brought together voices deeply rooted in the region’s cultural landscape: Dr. Will Buckingham, writer, researcher, and Parami University faculty member; Poppy Barkah of Wastra Indonesia; Hiyashinte Klise, traditional arts activist and founder of the Lamerenan Foundation; and Yalanthy Masrikat, a master weaver from Tanimbar.

Together, they examined the histories, techniques, and contemporary challenges facing weaving and wood-carving in the islands—arts that carry rich layers of symbolism, ritual meaning, and ancestral knowledge.

Dr. Buckingham’s contribution drew on his book Stealing with the Eyes: Imaginings and Incantations in Indonesia (Haus Publications, 2018), which recounts his encounters with three Tanimbarese sculptors during his research in the 1990s. Through their stories, the book explores the complexities of colonialism, memory, and cultural continuity, revealing how Tanimbar’s artistic traditions have evolved while staying deeply rooted in adat, or ritual law.

During the discussion, Dr. Buckingham reflected on how Tanimbarese indigenous understandings of history can reshape broader conversations around tradition—showing how cultural practices are constantly reimagined rather than merely preserved.

For  Dr. Buckingham, it’s a personal and meaningful return. Reflecting on the experience, Dr. Buckingham shared: “I was so delighted to reconnect with contemporary Tanimbarese artists and community activists. Tanimbarese traditions of wood-carving and weaving are extraordinarily rich in symbolism, history, and cultural meaning. And Tanimbar is a place very close to my heart.”

He traveled to the community after completing his undergraduate degree in fine arts, as part of a funded research project at Universitas Pattimura in Ambon. “Since then, my academic trajectory has taken me from fine arts to anthropology to philosophy,” he explained. “But my time in Tanimbar remains formative.”

He writes in "Stealing With the Eyes" about his sense of ongoing connection, as well as his sense of debt toward the ancestors in Tanimbar. For him, being part of this panel was particularly meaningful. It allowed him to weave together many threads of his own history—and it was an inspiration to see how, through their work, Yalanthy Masrikat and Hiyashinte Klise are weaving new stories and new futures for this fascinating part of the world.

The panel closed with a shared commitment to supporting the artists, knowledge-keepers, and cultural advocates who continue to sustain these traditions.