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Indonesia: Megalithic arts struggle on

Submitted by Andy B on Saturday, 29 May 2004  Page Views: 2138

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Bada Valley Megaliths
Bada Valley Megaliths submitted by IreneLR : A close up view of the facial features of the "Palindo" statue. (Vote or comment on this photo)
By mid-morning the temperature slips past 38ºC as the last of the stone pullers arrives at the small quarry 25km south of Anakalang in West Sumba. Months of negotiations and feasts have secured the cooperation of friendly clans from five surrounding villages. About 300 men have volunteered to haul a massive limestone funeral slab by hand. They are to move it almost 2km to a future gravesite in Dameka village.

Chewing nervously on betel nut and powdered lime, the organiser, Umbu Lei-wa, recalculates how much food and coffee and how many cigarettes will be needed to fortify the men in their labours, which could result in serious injury or even death.

"It is so expensive I am not sure I have enough rice," he says. "I am worried. If they don't have enough to eat and drink, they will leave and I'll never get the stone moved."

Sacred work

In the manner of pyramid-building armies of Egyptian slaves, the men will drag the sun-bleached 35-tonne block and its log sled across undulating terraces of dried rice paddies to Umbu Lei-wa's hilltop home.

Sumbans look down on the ancient Egyptians: they would never allow their household slaves to participate in such a sacred event.

Umbu is worried too about avoiding the government regulators who will try to prevent the slaughter of more than a token number of buffalo, pigs and horses needed to feed the men and placate mischievous ancestral spirits.

And there are Christian priests who will try to bless his stone, something he cannot allow for fear of offending the guardian Merapu spirits of the dead who would then doom the entire venture.

More: Aljazeera
Contributor Bio for Andy B: Megalithic Portal Founding Editor.

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"Indonesia: Megalithic arts struggle on" | Login/Create an Account | 1 comment
  
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Many `matuto` paintings found in Kaimana by coldrum on Monday, 04 January 2010
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Many "matuto" paintings, as a kind of scratches from the pre-historic rock arts, were found in a number of villages which belong to Kaimana District, Provinice of Papua Barat, a local official has said.

Matuto is a shape of a half-man lizard and believed as the ancestor of heroes, Head of Jayapura Archaeology Center, Drs.M.Irfan Mahmud,M.Si said here Monday.

From the research, according to Irfan, a lot of matuto paintings were found at niche surfaces made as canvas for the artists of the pre-historic time in several archaeological sites.

Matuto motif belongs to an anthropomorphic group with religious meaning representing the people`s ancestors living in Kaimana in the pre-historic time, he added.

He pointed out that besides matuto, the anthropomorphic group also includes a palm-print motif which means a protective power to prevent from evil things, and a human motif.

Matuto paintings were found in the sites of Omborecena, Memnemba, Memnemnambe and Tumberawasi located in Maimai village.

Whereas in Namatota village, matuto paintings were also found in the sites of Werfora I, Werfora II, Werfora III and Werfora IV.

The other pre-historic paintings which were scratched at the niche surfaces are in the motifs of lizard, fish, tortoise, crocodile, cuscus, snake, bird and sea horse which belong to the fauna group.

In the geometrical motif, there are the pictures of sun, direction mark, rectangular and circle. The pictures of man`s cultural objects include those on the shapes of boat, boomerang, spear, rock axe, sago hammer and mask.

Pre-historic men scratched paintings on niche surfaces with natural color substance and their works were called rock arts which served as media to express ideas or thoughts concerning certain events.

These archaeological relics are sort of civilization from the ancestor`s community in Papua, and have enriched the national culture.(*)

http://www.antara.co.id/en/news/1256547076/many-matuto-paintings-found-in-kaimana
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