Verdediging van Ternate tegen Britten en Moren door gouverneur-directeur Johan Godfried Budach, penning geslagen op last van de Raad der Asiatische bezittingen en etablissementen van de Bataafse Republiek Possibly 1801

This silver medal, made by Johan George Holtzhey, commemorates the defense of Ternate against the British and the ‘Mooren’ by Johan Godfried Budach in 1799. It was commissioned by the Council of Asiatic Possessions. The medal presents us with a potent example of the intersection of identity, power, and colonial history. The inscription celebrates the defense of Ternate, now part of Indonesia. Yet, it is laden with the rhetoric of dominance over the so-called ‘Mooren’ and British forces. The term ‘Mooren’ reflects historical biases and erasures. This term, used to describe the people of Ternate, flattens their diverse identities into a single, racialized other. This medal invites us to reflect on the legacy of colonialism, and how objects can perpetuate power dynamics. It asks us to consider whose stories are told, and whose are erased, in the narratives we inherit. The inscription leaves an emotional aftertaste, a reminder of the human cost of these historical power dynamics.