Inscription As Birth Certificate: Community Historians, Epigraphic Authority, And Heritage Stewardship In Magelang, Central Java

Abstract

Indonesian cities commonly anchor their official foundation dates in ancient inscriptions, yet little is known about who interprets and transmits these narratives to the public, particularly when the original artefacts are held in distant museums. This study examines how Magelang’s civic-origin narrative, anchored in the Mantyasih Inscription (907 CE), is constructed, authenticated, and transmitted through community heritage actors. Using a qualitative oral history design, the study analyses interviews with two community historians involved in cultural preservation, local history, and ancestral heritage guiding. Thematic analysis, triangulated against published epigraphic scholarship, identifies eleven themes concerning administrative genealogy, the Mantyasih inscription as a civic “birth certificate,” royal genealogy, toponymic continuity, sacred geography, replica authenticity, commemorative rituals, heritage designation, ancestral tourism, digital misinformation, and intergenerational transmission. The findings show that epigraphic authority is not sustained solely by institutional custodianship but through distributed community stewardship involving oral history, ritual, tourism, and public education. However, unmarked replicas and digitally circulated fabricated artefacts create vulnerabilities to historical misinformation. The study argues that community historians function as significant, though non-institutional, heritage stewards. It recommends improved interpretive signage, systematic documentation of community heritage actors, and authoritative digital resources for heritage information, thereby strengthening community-based stewardship while safeguarding the authenticity of the historical record.