Out of the mists of the distant past indistinct
images have been located upon the radar-screen of time. Tile work
of prehistorians and philologists has made it possible for its to
penetrate into the life of prehistoric man. In this way we are able
to chart the course taken by important cultural movements even though
the limits of time and place frequently remain vague and blurred.
Stones which have been discovered bearing traces of working by human
hands have enabled the prehistorian to investigate these cultural
movements and to define them more precisely, at least within certain
limits. No doubt further individual studies will confirm scientifically
much that at present is merely conjecture. Comparative philology has
also yielded valuable results.
The cultural movement which was of greatest importance to Indonesia
emanated from Yunnan in South China. Various groups and tribes emigrated
to Indonesia from this region, where the upper courses of the great
rivers Hwang-lio, Yangtze-kiatig, Mekong, Salween, Irrawady and Brahmaputra
are not far distant front each other. These emigrants first proceeded
from Yunnan to Further India, and then moved southwards into the Malayan
peninsula. From this southeastern tip of tile Asian continent they
embarked upon their great, enterprise: in slender vessels with curved
bow and stern - they sailed out into tile unknown towards tile islands
of Indonesia.
This migration must have proceeded very gradually, probably over the
course of some thousand years, since large groups will hardly have
been able to leave at the same moment. In view of this long duration,
cultural influences will probably also have made themselves felt at
various stages of the process. The prehistorian R. von Heine-Geldern
puts this movement at between 2500 and l500 B.C.
Despite their different development in other respects, these migrants
were in the normal Neolithic stage civilization. The material objects
characteristic of this period are chiefly ground and polished stone
axes, which are to be found in various shapes. Typical of this culture
is the rectangular axe, so called because of its long rectangular
cross section.
R. von Heine-Geldern considers that the centre from which the
rectangular axe culture spread was Yunnan. Axes of this kind have
been found no, only in this region but also throughout Further India,
as well as in the Mallyan peninsula. They constitute, so to speak,
the sign-posts on the path taken by the Indonesians towards the
south. The fact that these types of axe have also been found further
to the west indicates that a similar cultural movement took place
in the direction of India. But since this is of no significance.
or at least no direct significance, so far as Indonesia is considered,
the problems which this raises will not be considered here.
|
