Museum Pusaka Nias

Museum Pusaka Nias is a cultural heritage museum located in Gunungsitoli on Nias Island, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Established by Capuchin priest Johannes M. Hämmerle to preserve Nias heritage, it houses extensive collections of traditional artifacts, megalithic stonework, wooden sculptures, textiles, and models of traditional houses. The museum is notable for documenting Nias architecture, rituals, and daily life, serving as the main center for research and education on Nias culture.

Visitors can expect a two-storey museum complex with indoor exhibition halls and outdoor displays set in a garden area in central Gunungsitoli. Inside, galleries display traditional Nias artifacts including stone statues, wooden ancestor figures, ceremonial costumes, jewelry, weapons, textiles, and household tools. Outdoor area features full-scale models of traditional Nias houses (Omo Hada) and megalithic stone monuments. Visitors can explore curated exhibits with explanatory panels, a library and archive, and a small shop selling handicrafts.

Initiated in 1971 by Capuchin missionary Father Johannes M. Hämmerle OFM Cap to safeguard Nias cultural heritage amid modernization, with collections formally opened to the public in the 1990s. The museum was established to collect, preserve and document artifacts threatened by cultural change and to serve as a research center for Nias history, including megalithic traditions and vernacular architecture.

Serves as the principal institution preserving Nias culture, showcasing megalithic heritage, traditional architecture, woodcarving, textiles, and ceremonial traditions of the Ono Niha people. It functions as an educational and cultural center for local communities and researchers, promoting understanding of Nias social structure, rituals, and craftsmanship.