11 Prehistoric sites in Kabupaten Enrekang, South Sulawesi Hasanuddin Abstract Research on the prehistory of Enrekang, South Sulawesi, was conducted to find evidence of early human occupation in the region from the artefactual evidence preserved at various sites. A series of surveys was undertaken in sites at Mendatte, Buntu Banua and Buttu Batu, where there are traces of prehistoric habitation such as earthenware sherds, flaked stone artefacts, grindstones, hammerstones, barkcloth beaters and metal fragments. Test pits were excavated in the Buttu Batu rockshelter and revealed a basal habitation deposit that lacked earthenware pottery and an upper layer with abundant earthenware pottery. These results indicate a variety of activities suggestive of long-term settlement in the region from prior to the Neolithic and continuing to the Metal Age. Keywords: prehistory, habitation, Buttu Batu, South Sulawesi, Enrekang Introduction The island of Sulawesi is located centrally within Indonesia, making it a strategic location for investigating cultural movements and developments. Its landscapes and seascapes have the potential to inform on the process of human migration and the introduction of domestic animals and crops, as well as human adaptation to the varying environmental and geological conditions within Sulawesi. South Sulawesi, in particular, has been shown to have a rich archaeological record from prehistoric to recent times (Simanjuntak and Widianto 2012). Bulbeck (2004), writing on the survey and excavation results from Holocene sites in the South Sulawesi peninsula, synthesises the evidence into five phases from the early Holocene through to the Early Metal Phase as follows: (a) the early Holocene, pre-7500 BP, characterised by stone tools of undistinguished quality across South Sulawesi (b) the Early Toalean phase, between 7500–5500 BP, with the emergence of bone points and (in the southwest corner of Sulawesi) microliths (c) the Late Preceramic Toalean phase, dating to 5500–3500 BP, marked by the appearance of Maros Points, also in the southwest corner of Sulawesi (d) the Ceramic Toalean phase, from 3500–2000 BP, which saw the first Neolithic cultural traces emerging 172 The Archaeology of Sulawesi (e) the Early Metal Phase, between 2000–1000 BP, when evidence of kampongs and agricultural activities arose, associated with handicrafts and trade. This phase also saw the development of social classes which are clearly visible in the early history of South Sulawesi beginning at around 600 BP. 1158 m 119o 48’ E 0 5 10 km o 1034 m o 3 24’ S 3 24’ S 1184 m 1134 m N 1248 m 1308 m 1028 m 1153 m Buntu Marari Buttu Tinoring Buttu Batu Lo’kok 1058 m Collo 1401 m Palaro Mount Bambapuang Mendatte 1554 m 1021 m 1985 m Lo’kok Mata Allo Marengo River Archaeological 3o 30’ S 3o 30’ S Buntu Banua sites 1308 m Peaks above 1000 m Rivers Enrekang- Toraja highway SULAWESI Mansiri Tondon Saddang Kalumpang Seko River ENLARGED AREA o o Salaonro 3 36’ S 3 36’ S Talassa Mallawa 119o 48’ E Figure 11.1: Sites and topographic features mentioned in the text. Source: Base map from Duli (2013). terra australis 48 11. Prehistoric sites in Kabupaten Enrekang, South Sulawesi 173 Kabupaten (District) Enrekang is of relevance to this schema as it lies directly north of the South Sulawesi peninsula, whose archaeology was synthesised by Bulbeck. It is also of relevance for its intermediate location between the Neolithic settlements at Minanga Sipakko and Kamassi, Kalumpang, in West Sulawesi and Mallawa in the Maros hinterland of South Sulawesi (Figure 11.1). Neolithic radiocarbon dates for Minanga Sipakko range between 3690±160 BP (P3G-05) and 2570±110 BP (P3G-97) (Simanjuntak et al. 2008); for Kamassi they range between 3345±40 BP (ANU 36406) and 2700±150 BP (Geolabs-411) (Anggraeni et al. 2014) and for Mallawa the range is 3580±130 BP (P3G-06) to 2281±46 BP (Wk-20380) (Mahmud 2008a; Hakim et al. 2009). These results point to the presence of Neolithic occupation sites in South and West Sulawesi between approximately 3500 and 2000 BP. Research undertaken in Enrekang between 2006 and 2011 by the Makassar Archaeology Office recovered a range of materials from prehistoric times through to the first influences of Islam (Somba 2009, 2011), but none of the habitation sites have been directly dated. Accordingly, this paper aims for indirect dating of these sites by comparing the archaeological finds from Enrekang with those from directly dated contexts elsewhere in Sulawesi. Background: Kabupaten Enrekang and overview of survey Enrekang District covers around 1,786 km2 or 2.83% of the total extent of South Sulawesi province. Much of the district is mountainous (about 85%), with only small areas of rolling and flat landscapes. The mountainous regions are mostly in the north and central parts of Enrekang. The highest mountains are within the Latimojong and Bambapuang ranges. Mount Latimojong, also known as Mount Rantemario, has the highest peak in Sulawesi reaching 3478 metres above sea level (m asl). The flat lowlands are found in the south near the Tempe (Bila) and Malino rivers, on the border with Sidrap District. The main river systems are the Saddang, Mata Allo, Maula and Tabang rivers, which wind their way across much of Enrekang; Saddang being the largest of these waterways extending over roughly 150 km. All of these systems have been, and still are, integral to the lifeways of the region’s inhabitants for drinking water as well as irrigation for their crops. In 2006 and 2007, archaeological survey was undertaken near Mount Bambapuang (Figure 11.1) as well as an excavation at Collo where the survey had found earthenware pottery (Balar Makassar 2007). Two of the new sites discovered were the burial caves of Lo’kok Palaro and Lo’kok Marengo, and a third site was the open-air artefact scatter at Buttu Tinoring (Somba 2011). Collo is likely to be the oldest of these sites, possibly as old as Minanga Sipakko, based on its association of red-slipped pottery with coarse decorated pottery (incised triangles and impressed wavy designs) as well as flaked stone artefacts (Mahmud 2008b). Additional field survey in 2008 resulted in investigation of the region’s megalithic heritage at several sites, including Buntu Marari and Tondon (Figure 11.1). The range of recorded stone features (following the terminology defined by Hasanuddin 2015) included mortars, altars, stepped terraces, menhirs, dakon stones (with their chequerboard of circular depressions) and incised stones, demonstrating that the Enrekang area possesses a variety of megalithic styles (Hasanuddin 2011). Although there are not yet any Carbon-14 dates for the sites described above, the material culture can be compared between sites in order to construct a relative chronology of the lifeways of the region’s inhabitants. This approach is particularly useful when examining the stone artefacts from the Buttu Batu and Buntu Banua sites (see below). Also, absolute age determinations have been obtained on boat-shaped coffins with side planks and domed lids, known as duni or mandu, from Enrekang. In his research, Duli (2013) published Carbon-14 dates between 790±50 BP terra australis 48 174 The Archaeology of Sulawesi (Beta-274731, 659–893 cal BP) and 470±40 BP (Beta-274734, 343–622 cal BP) taken from the wood of the coffins in six burial caves (lo’kok). Combining these results with the investigations into the prehistoric occupation of the Enrekang caves, we may infer that the original use of these caves as habitation sites changed to the storage of mortuary coffins prior to 700 BP. 2014 fieldwork overview In 2014, several sites were surveyed in an attempt to locate early human occupation sites in the Enrekang region. Three sites were chosen for further investigation—Mendatte open site, Buntu Banua cave and the Buttu Batu rockshelter. After reviewing the survey results from these sites, it was apparent that Buttu Batu, with its considerable variety in surface finds as well as its favourable location in the Mount Bambapuang landscape, had the greatest potential for multi- phase occupation (Balar Makassar 2014). Mendatte open site Mendatte is located in the village (desa) of Rura in Kecamatan (Subdistrict) Anggeraja. The coordinates for the site are 03°28’13.0”S 119°47’37.7”E, with an altitude of 389 m asl (Figure 11.2). The topographic conditions within the survey area are mostly steep slopes. The archaeological finds included stone artefacts and earthenware sherds. Ten limestone boulders that had been purposefully shaped into rough cubes were also found at or near the site. These stones were not arranged in an obvious pattern; however, they were evidently brought up from the river and shaped. It is possible that they had previously been placed beneath houses as pile supports or flagstones. Figure 11.2: Mandatte open site located to the east of Mount Bambapuang. Source: Balar Makassar (2014). terra australis 48 11. Prehistoric sites in Kabupaten Enrekang, South Sulawesi 175 Buntu Banua cave Buntu Banua cave is located in the village (desa) of Kotu in Kecamatan Anggeraja with coordinates 03°30’10.3”S 119°47’23”E, at 606 m asl. This cave is located on a hilltop and features two inter- connected openings, one oriented to the northwest and the other to the east (Figure 11.3). The first of these openings is about 80 cm high and 7 m wide, while the second is 1.2 m high and 2.5 m wide. In front of the second entrance is a narrow depression about 34 m long that ends in a flat bottom between 0.5 m and 4 m deep. The cave floor is scattered with stones that are covered by limestone gravel and sediment. Geologically, the cave is no longer active and is void of any speleothems.