25 A Few Observations on the Use of Ceramics in Indonesia by Satyawati Suleiman In Indonesia the study of cera- toric Bali and writing his doctoral shores, lakes or riverbanks, and in mics is still in its initial stage. Mr thesis, Dr. R.P. Soejono4, at pre- caves and rockshelters. Orsoy de Flines1 who started a col- sent the head of the National In the Gua Lawa cave near Pono- lection of foreign ceramics before Research Centre of Archaeology, rogo (Central Java), cord-marked Worid War II wrote a few reports potsherds were found at a great 2 studied under van Heekeren for and a catalogue. Mr. Abu Ridho , many years. In his thesis, Dr. Soe- depth together with bene spatulas. who succeeded de Flines as curator jono describes the earthenware pots These spatulas, says van Heekeren, of the ceramics collection at the which served as funeral furniture in were used for peeling wild or Museum Pusat in Jakarta, prepared graves together with other objects. domesticated yams and tubers. a few articles and the text of a Younger prehistorians are also There were also ill-preserved human large art album of the collection. studying ancient ceramics in great skeletons, but the only funerai gift Local pottery has been mention- detail. It is now accepted that other found was a necklace of drilled ed and described by some prehis- fields of archaeology can also bene- shells around a child's neck. It torians who made surveys and car- fit from the study of excavated cera- appears that at that stage pots made ried out systematic excavations. Dr. mics and ceramics sherds. Excava- by the paddle and anvil method H. R. van Heekeren3 was one of tions recently carried out by the were not yet used as funeral gifts. them. Many Indonesian archaeolo- Classical Archaeology Division, Kitchen utensils were of course still gists worked with and learned from headed by Mrs. Satari and by the in the form of leaves and bowls of him. When he was compiling his Islamic Archae6logy Division, coconut husk. Bamboo and gourds data on burial methods in prehis- headed by Mr. Hasan Ambary, have or, perhaps, large shells were used yielded many ceramic sherds as water containers. This is an edited version of which are now being intensively Progress in pottery manufacture the publication issued by the studied in order to date the exca- started at the neolithic stage when Pusat Penelitian Purbakala Dan vated sites. people lived in permanent settle- Peninggalan Nasional in 1980. An attempt is made in this paper ments and practiced agriculture. It came from a paper presented to collect data5 that relate pot- Van Heekeren found at Kendeng Lembu, East Java, polished stone by the author at the Sympo - sherds with the historical sites rectangular adzes and a great num- sium on Trade and Pottery in where they were found. East and Southeast Asia held ber of plain potsherds. However, in Hongkong on 4-8 September this site did not seem to have been Local Ceramics 1978. a neolithic settlement but the site The author is a Senior Prehistory of a neolithic workshop; no traces Researcher of the National of village life was found. Research Center of Archaeolo- Manufacture of earthenware pots In Kalumpang, upstream on the gy of Indonesia. She is also had already started in the mesoli- Karama river N.W. Sulawesi, 706 the SPAFA Governing Board thic or sub-neolithic stage (van plain baked brown potsherds were member for Indonesia. Heekeren 1972)6. In this period, found with rectangular adzes, people had already settled on sea- ground oval axes, spearheads, arrow 26 heads, knives, unfinished stone of Salayar. They contained broken carry small round pots on their adzes and "planks", one stone bark human bones and ornaments: beads heads. The Buddha, in another cloth beater, etc. One sherd had of semi-precious stones, a ring, scene, is presented milk in a pot by incised stylized human figures. three bracelets, an earring of Sujata before he reaches Nirvana. bronze, and a few golden leaves Another shows pots being stacked During the Bronze-Iron Age 8 which coincided with the first ap- (found only in one of the three in a shanty (Bernet Kempers 1977) , pearance of Indonesian toponyms urns). and on one other, pots being made in foreign records, around the be- A most important find was an by hand. ginning of the Christian Era, pot- urn cemetery in the island of Sum- Excavations on temple com- tery was evidently used for burial ba. The urns were all globular jars, pounds also yielded earthenware purposes. Prominent people seemed some with straight necks and pots. The sacred spot of the com- to have been buried in flexed mouths of varying width and others pound has a buried pot as a temple position in large jars, whereas com- with necks curving outwards to a depot. Also on eastern Javanese mon people were buried in lesser or greater degree. Their reliefs, local pottery are depicted as earth. Van Heekeren investigated covers were sherds, broken pots, in- water containers. Trowulan, the site large ceramic jars found at Anyer verted jars or bottles. The flasks of the ancient town of 14th century (west coast of West Java). They were highly polished red or dark- Majapahit, still has earthenware contained skeletons and gifts of brown with long slender necks. As pots in the soil. One excavation earthenware consisting of one jar, the jars were decorated with motifs produced a bottomless earthenware two 92 mm.-high dishes, and a usually found on bronzes, ' van pot which had been the top of a globular bowl. In the same area, a Heekeren dated this cemetery to the well. Trowulan is also famous for systematic excavation he carried bronze-iron age, though quadrangu- its terracotta figurines and orna- out yielded potsherds, probably be- lar stone adzes were' discovered ments which at one time embel- longing to urns, and fragments ot among the funeral gifts. A spindle lished the houses cf Majapahit. human bones and skulls. This site indicating the practice of weaving The statues from the Majapahit was obviously an. urn cemetery. was also found. There were many period which were intended as Van Heekeren dated this graveyard skulls among the human remains.. images of worship of deceased kings and queens had Ictus plants rising from pots flanking the royal figure9. In the case of Singhasari royalty, ... the pots were associated with death and life lotus plants were seen rising from (lotus plants) rising from death. their tubers. It appears that the Majapahit statues had representa- tions of Chinese pots, apparently martavans, which in Kalimantan are back to the second or third century which was proof of a secondary still used as containers of human AD. (van Heekeren 1958)7 . burial remains. Perhaps the pots were Urn burials were also found in In Gh.manuk (Bali), Soejono associated with death (pots) and life (lotus plants) rising from SumaLra, in Lesung Batu, Tebing (1977) excavated graves filled with 10 Tinggi (S.W. Sumatra). The urns skeletons. Among the funeral death . On ancient mosques in contained human bones, and in one gifts were bronze axes, ornaments Java, the mastaka, the top piece of their many-tiered roofs, was made of them was an empty brown-red and earthenware pots. The excava- 11 beautifully polished jar. The de- tions were conducted several times from terracotta . coration of the jar consisted of throughout a period of more than meanders and fishbone motifs iden- ten years. Modern Times tical with motifs on bronze objects. In Sulawesi there were several Though modern technology has sites of urn burials. In Central Sula- History entered Indonesia, local pottery is wesi people were buried in stone still produced and used in large urns, called warugas, which were Local pottery was still produced quantities. In the markets, there found near stone statues. The dead and used in the period when there are always stalls which sell large were provided with pottery. A tall were already contacts with India earthenware pots as water contain- (111 cm.high) earthenware urn was and China and foreign ceramics ers. Dishes are often still cooked in found. It shows that secondary were already finding their way to earthenware pots (kendil). Certain burials, wherein the remains of a Indonesia, though still sporadically. dishes, such as the gudeg, a curry person were first buried or kept in On reliefs of 9th century temples in of young jackfruit specially popular some place and afterwards put in an Central Java, for example on the in Yogyakarta, are said to taste urn, were practiced in the place. Borobudur and Prambanan, local better when they are cooked in an Van Heekeren also refers to a re- pottery is seen used as water con- earthenware pot. The serabi, a kind port by Schroder of 1912, concern- tainers. A famous scene on the of pancake, is baked in an earthen- ing three earthenware urns found in Borobudur relief _ is of women ware pan with a lid. The ikan pin- the southwestern part of the island fetching water from a pond. They dang is fish cooked in large earthen- 27 ware pots and kept inside for sale. Only later were imported ceramics Ceramics Reveal the Past Incense burners are also made of used as household utensils such as clay, and so are flower pots. The plates, bowls, vases, incense bur- kendil still keeps the drinking water ners, etc. These were then the chea- Ceramic pieces when whole are, cool in many households. per ware. of course, nice to behold, but they Ceramics are used in all aspects In some places, ceramics were cannot tell us where they were of a man's life.