Irian Jaya Origins

by Wilhelm Solheim II

The prehistory of New Guinea is Very few archaeological data there may not necessarily give a very little known. Irian Jaya, the emerged, however. Recently it cross-section of the cultures of western Indonesian half, is archae- was hypothesised that the Aus- peoples living in or using an area ological ly, the least-known part of tronesian-speaking people1 the Nu- over time, but they provide a begin- Indonesia. The first organised re- santao, originated in the southern ning. search there began in September Philippines and eastern Indonesia. 1975, although Irian Jaya was not The Nusantao's most likely route completely unexpiored before. into the Pacific would have been Padwa Settlement In 1907, Van der Sande found along the north coast of New bronze artefacts in Lake Sentani. Guinea to the Admiralties and the Over the next thirty-five years, islands of the Bismarck Archipelago. The best rock type cave formation similar artefacts were reported, A survey of the Irian Jaya coast being limestone, it was the coastal considered to be related to the limestone areas that were examined. so-called 'Dongson bronze culture' was therefore mounted to collect artefacts these people might have Four areas were surveyed—the of northern Vietnam. How and northern and western portions of when these bronzes come to Lake left as evidence of their move into the Pacific. Cenderawasih Bay (formerly Geel- Sentani remains a mystery. In vink Bay), scattered areas near the 1937-38, Josef Roder led an western tip of New Guinea, the expedition to the Arguni Island Kaimana area on the southwest area of MacCluer Gulf, western In an area for which there is so codst, and part of Lake Sentani. New Guinea, in search of reported little existing archaeological inform- cave paintings, which he found. ation,it is very difficult to plan an In the final, long-delayed report on exploration programme. The pro- The most thorough survey was of this expedition, he mentioned other blem is mitigated by searching Biak and the Padaido Islands, in archaeological materials also dis- for caves. With little time to cover Cenderawasih Bay. On the south covered in these caves. Following a wide area, it is impossible to shore of Biak Island exists a kam- World War II, K.W. Galis kept find sites by ground survey. Inform- pong or settlement called Padwa, track of all accidental archaeolo- ation must be obtained from local consisting of about ten small houses gical finds reported to the Dutch inhabitants who are familiar'with built on piles over the water. To government offices and visited nearby caves, many of which were the east of the kampong are two many of the sites. used in prehistoric times for burial, limestone formations with sheer temporary shelter, refuge, or living. sides extending upwards about Dr. Solheim is a Professor Archaeological materials found sixty metres. The outer formation of Anthropology at the Univer- has two horizontal grooves all sity of Hawaii. His major the way around, one above the interest is the prehistory of other. The lower groove is still Southeast Asia,and he has done being cut by high tides while extensive fie Id work in the the upper one, now about five Philippines, Thailand and Austronesian languages are those related metres above high tide, was formed Indonesia. languages spoken by the native inhabitants by wave action either from an of Polynesia, Micronesia, Island Melanesia, earlier higher sea level or at the This is a reprint from the Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, the pre- present sea level with tectonic Australian Natural History, Chinese peoples of Taiwan, some groups movement raising this cut to its Vol 19, No. 10. in Vietnam such as the Cham, and the Malagach of Madagascar. present position. 25

The people living in Padwa speak The first settlement of Padwa, For people considered to be special, Biak, an Austronesian language. called Padwa Mnu, was located a secondary2 burial ceremony was They are very interested in the on top of the two limestone towers. held, and their bones were placed in history of their kampong and These were easily defensible if a carved wooden coffin on a ledge reported that five generations ago, attacked, and provided an un- of the larger tower. The western their ancestors arrived on the coast obstructed view of any approach by ledge continued in active use into from an interior settlement close by, water. During World War II, the the 1930s. which had been founded by people people of Padwa were able to moving from a kampong towards watch the air battle over Biak Korwar the eastern end of Biak. This, and when the Americans and Australians ultimately all Biak kampong, were attacked the Japanese. All the caves West of Padwa, continuing for established by people from Kam- close to Biak town had been used about 200 metres, was a limestone pong Korem, a location several by the Japanese, producing much cliff. In two areas where the upper disturbance and leaving considera- ledge was particularly evident there hundred metres upriver from the ble equipment, including unfired were other exposed cemeteries. present kampong Korem on the ammunition and unexploded hand Associated artefacts were similar north coast of Biak. Legends', partly grenades. to those from the Founders' Cave magical in nature, tell of the original The inner and larger limestone and included a number of korwar. Korem founders, the first Biak- tower had numerous vertical fis- These are carved wooden figures speaking people who came by sures as well as upper hori- representing specific ancestors. from the east, probably from the Though greatly valued by art north coast of Irian Jaya. These collectors, they rarely appear in people have been very successful, museums (mainly in Holland and first inhabiting Biak Island and Germany) and very little was later taking over all of Biak and the known of their manufacture and Padaido Islands from their earlier use. Korwars were particularly dis- inhabitants, except for the island Korwars are carved wooden liked by the first Chiistian missio- furthest east, Padaido Island itself. naries among the Biak. Christianity figures representing specific was first brought to this area in the The people living in Padwa years preceding World War I by Biak missionaries who themselves were very hospitable. ThB survey ancestors. party stayed in the house of the had been brought up in Christian local schoolteacher, Mr Suabra, missions in eastern Indonesia. In sleeping on the floor of his main many areas the first missionaries room, and were accompanied by had their converts bring their kor- two officials from the Institute of wars to a large gathering where they were burned. Failing to Anthropology of Cenderawasih zontal grooves Several fissures and understand the

Most of the korwars are made of pong Salio, a leper settlement run The third area surveyed was softwood but for famous people by the Indonesian government. On around Kaimana. The most interest- they were sometimes carved from Me Island, at the base of a limes- ing find was a tremendous number hardwood. Very rarely were they tone cliff, there was a small shrine of paintings in wave cuts in the cliffs made of stone; there used to be with a carved wooden image and at north and south of Kampong Mai three stone korwars in Padwa but its base a very large triton shell, a Mai, southeast of Kaimana. The these were destroyed on the orders human skullcap, and an old bronze wave cuts resembled those at of the missionaries. Twenty-nine gong. As this shrine was obviously Padwa, raised about five to six rather fragmentary korwars, includ- of local importance, none of its metres above present high tide. ing three made of hardwood, contents were disturbed. Continuing The paintings, in different shades were collected by the survey team. the journey to a small island in the of red, were on the back wall Twenty-seven varied in height be- northeastern end of Kaboei Bay, above the ledge and protected by tween 19 4cm and 29cm, one was the survey team visited a burial cave an overhanging ceiling. They were 32cm and the other 40cm. which would have been impossible similar to those published by Roder to find without local assistance. from the Arguni area and included Coffins Discovered Here were many skeletons and human figures, lizards, dolphins and wooden bed-like platforms, wooden a variety of geometric patterns. In Near the area where several kor- chests, coffins, porcelains, stone- some parts, much of the original wars were found, the survey team ware and other artefacts. This painted surface had weathered also discovered a simple, narrow cave had been visited a few months away, some paintings were su- coffin with a lid containing the earlier by a boatload of Indonesians perimposed on others, and in many bones of an adult woman and from Sarong and they had taken cases, lime in solution from the those of a baby or possibly a foetus. artefacts away with them. A very ceiling above had washed over Next to the coffin was a skeleton in small test pit was put in to see how portions of paintings, blotting them a semi-flexed position with the heels deep the deposit was and then the out. These paintings are probably brought up against the pelvis and survey team was permitted to take quite old, the people in Mai Mai the leg bunes vertical, perpendicular one carved platform, a few nine- having iived in this area tor a long to Ihe body. Another similarly sim- teenth century, mainly Dutch, time. Asked whether they knew any ple coffin containing no bones was porcelains and other artefacts from stories of their ancestors arriving also found and taken to the anthro- the surface, to make an exhibit in from elsewhere, they could tell pology museum at Cenderawasih the museum at Cenderawasih Uni- none and had no knowledge of who University to be included in an versity. had made the paintings. exhibition explaining the survey and showing what had been found. Four months later when the survey A map of Northeast Indonesia, Southern Philip- team returned to Padwa, the local pines and Irian Jaya people were shown pictures of the exhibits. Although they felt very proud thyt Padwa was the subject cf an exhibition, they were sur- prised to see the simple coffin, and not one of the more ornate, carved' ones. At their invitation, two carved coffins were chosen from a ledge at the base of Nthe larger tower east of Padwa to take back for the exhibition. In one were the bones of a famous warrior, and in the other those of a woman who had been loved and highly admired by the people of the kampong. Both were known by name and had descendants still living in the settlement.

Other Survey Sites

The survey team also visited Gag Island, Waigeo (to the west of Irian Jaya) and Me Island, west of Kam- 27

On several Sundays, the survey possible evidence for the rela- team visited various kampongs on tionship with Southeast Asian the shores or islands in Lake Senta- archaeological cultures there is as ni. Kampong Abar is the source yet no close relationship demon- of earthenware pottery for people strated with Melanesian archaeo- around the Lake today and has logical cultures. been throughout the remembered Further Reading past. Information on their pottery ...the bronzes of manufacture was gained from de Bruyn, J.V. "New archaeolo- several of the women potters. The Lake Sentani remain as much gical finds at Lake Sentani", Isiand of Kwadawari was also Nieuw-Guinea Studien 3(1): 1-8, visited in the western end of the 1959. a mystery as ever. Lake to find data on carving from Roder, Josef. Felsbildvrand Vorges- the most famous of the Lake's chichte des MacCluer-Golfes woodcarvers. He had recently died, West New Guinea, Ergebnisse der but his son and other men were Frobenius-Expedition 1937-38 in continuing the old traditions. Wood- die Molukken and nach Holland- carving had almost died out but a isch Neu Guinea,'Band IV); L.C. woodcarving revival now seems to Wittich Verlog, Darmstadt, 1959. be underway. of Kwadawari. Much pottery simi- van der Sande G.A.J. Ethnography Bronze Artefact lar to that at Abar was found, but no further bronzes. Indeed, the; and Anthropology. Nova Guinea '. Resultats de L' Expedition Scien- The local people also told the bronzes of Lake Sentani remain as tifique Neerlandaise a la Nou- survey team that nine bronze much of a mystery as ever. velle-Guinee en 1903 sous les artefacts had been found on Kwa- auspices de Arthur Wickmann, dawari. Around 1906, a large tree Conclusions vol III, Brill, Lyden. 1907. near the shore had blown over and six bronze artefacts were found in [ Due to a two-month delay at Solheim, Wilhelm G. II and Arnold the roots. In 1958, Professor de 3 the beginning of the Irian Jaya Ap. "Pottery Manufacture in Bruyn received permission to dig survey, the laboratory processing} Abar, Lake Sentani, Irian Jaya" where the tree had been and he and analysis of the collected in Irian, Bulletin of Irian Jaya found two more artefacts. The materials were not completed.; Development VI (1): 52-70, ninth was found when a football Until this research has been finished, !,' 1977. field was levelled at the north- the full results of the programme western end of the island. De will not be known. It is mostI Solheim, Wilhelm G. II and Johsz Bruyn took the two that he found likely that inferences that the * Mansoben. "Pottery Manufacture awas«with him. Between 1924 and Nusantao moved into the Pacific on Mansinam, Manokwari, rfTar, 1940, a German missionary called along the north coast of New Gui- Jaya" in Irian, Bulletin of Irian G. Schneider was given two. nea would be gained from pottery * Jaya Development VI (1): 46-51, These, he said, would be turned remains showing relationships to over to the ethnographic museum the Lapita pottery of the Southk 1977- in Leiden, Holland, but it is not Pacific and the Sa-huynh-Kalanayh known whether they ever arrived pottery of Southeast Asia. A possi-y The author acknowleges the Ford Founda- ; tion Southeast Asia Research and Fellow- there. The tool found at the end of ble earjy site found west of Kaima- ship Programme and the Indonesian office the island was given to a Dutch na had pottery and associated'" of the Ford Foundation who gave financial 'information officer' in the 1950s. shell and stone artefacts which mayd assistance to the three sponsors of the This was a smaller version of the be similar to whatever lies stilly survey: the Indonesian National Research handled round-edged axe. The || Centre of Archaeology, Cenderawasih Uni- buried at the early Sa-huynh- versity, and the University of Hawaii. four remaining tools are in the Kalanay sites in eastern Indonesia Thanks are given to Or Rubini, Rector of possession of a Kwadawari elder, and southern Philippines. In Cen-a Cenderawasih University and Dr Suharno, who keeps them in a leather bag. derawasih Bay and northeast of1- the Director of the Institute of Anthro- When they were taken from the bag Sorong, pottery has been foundlf pology at Cenderawasih University for the j laboratory and staff facilities they made to show to the survey team, the old with many of the decorative ele- available to the project, to Mr Coates of people nearby became quiet and ments of the Sa-huynh-Kalanay'" Freeport Indonesia, Inc., Messr Moorman respectful. When the tools were pottery but most of these werey and Kansil of Pacific Nickel, Mr Arthur of returned to the bag, three elderly proto-historic sites. No specific6 Sun Oil Company, Mr Tan of Kaimana, men clapped their hands in unison _ and Mr Muharramsyah of the Indonesian elements of the early Lapita pot- Department of Culture for their indispen- three times.The survey team also ex- tery were noted in the Irian Jaya sible assistance in the field. Many others cavated a burial area in the centre pottery. Thus, while there is'a helped greatly to make this project a pro- JS f itable one.