Professor Margaret Kartomi of the School of Music-Conservatorium was invited to Lampung, Indonesia, last month to receive the title of Ratu Berlian Sangun Anggun (or Beautiful Queen Jewel).

The title, traditionally reserved for Lampung clan members and royalty, recognises Professor Kartomi's work in rediscovering the history of the gamolan: a bamboo instrument with eight keys that is played by two musicians, each with a pair of wooden hammers.

Professor Kartomi told the Weekly that it was an honour to receive the title. "I never expected anything like this to happen to me," she said.

The professor has dedicated her life to the researching music on the island of Sumatra and will publish a book on the subject later this year.

"It took my husband and me 40 years to travel around all of Sumatra, including Lampung," she said.

As part of her work as an ethnomusicologist, Professor Kartomi studies music, dance and theatre and their place in society.

Professor Kartomi's new title and the respect that accompanies it means she will have better access to information and sources.

She will return to Indonesia in April to conduct some more field work.

Recently she was asked by a village elder if he could accompany her. "I said, 'Why would you like to come and do field work? It's not very comfortable,' and the villager said, "But you're our queen now, so of course we want to come and help you."

Although she is a westerner, Professor Kartomi, who is fluent in Indonesian, hasn't found it hard to get the information she required.

"Especially in Sumatra, nearly everywhere I went they'd never seen a white person before. They'd seen Dutch people during the colonial era but for many years they hadn't seen a white person.

"They felt that their cultures were being neglected. And they were, too. There was hardly any research into them, so they welcomed me nearly everywhere."