Indonesia has a megalithic history that dates back thousands of years to the prehistoric era. Archaeologists place their origins in the Neolithic, between 2500 BCE and 1000 BCE, but recent evidence suggests it goes back further (much further). What makes this culture so interesting is that a few of its surviving tribes have managed to preserve the skill of megalith construction, which is a practice thought to have been lost thousands of years ago.
Living megalithic cultures can be found on Pulau Nias, Sumba Island, and South/Central Sulawesi. These stone age cultures remained preserved, isolated and undisturbed well into the late 19th century.
Pulau Nias is an island off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Historians believe the island has been inhabited for 5000 years, and have cited the local people as one of a few remaining Megalithic cultures in existence today. The older megaliths include menhirs, flat stones and statues of humanss. These menhirs symbolise the male aspect, while flat stones are typically represent the female. They were erected as symbols of honour, paying homage to popular leaders of the past.
The most impressive collection of statues can be found in the Bada Valley, Central Sulawesi. Several hundred have been located around the national park, thirty of which depict human forms. Sadly, very little is known about these statues. Some have speculated that they were carved 5000 years ago, others that they were created at as recently as 1000 CE. The creators of these megaliths remain unknown, but some argue that the megaliths are so unique, that it is unlikely they were made by any of the local cultures around today.
Just a little to the east live the Toraja people, who still practice the ancient traditions of animism. The most notable feature of Toraja is their funerary rites. The coffin of the deceased is often laid in a cave or in a carved stone grave within a cliff, some of which are believed to be thousands of years old. The graves contain possessions of the deceased, which they will need them in the afterlife. These grave are expensive to make, and take a few months to complete. The Toraja believe the soul of their ancestors survive death, and can be contacted by simply visiting the body.
To the south of Malaysia is a little village called Pengkalan Kempas, where a small historical site known as Batu Hidup can be found. Within this complex are a series of three ancient megaliths, each one around 2 meters high. they are known as the ‘Sword’, the ‘Spoon’ and the ‘Rudder’, due to their strange shapes. They are believed to be monuments of an unidentified pagan culture which was practiced in Malaysia before the arrival of Islam. Historians have dated their construction to around 200 CE. Locals call them ‘Living Stones’, which are said to glow at night and to possess special healing properties.
To the south of the Tana Toraja region lies the village Bori. It is home to a small fields of stones pointing straight out of the ground. These are called mesimbuang, and are memorials to important people of the past. Every burial ceremony, particularly those of an aristocrat, always includes the manufacture of a mesimbuang. A great stone is chosen stone from the local surroundings, and is pulled by a large number of people to the place where the ceremony is to take place (rante). After the stone arrives at the rante, the mesimbuang is then erected.
Although the meaning behind many of the megaliths in Indonesia are well documented, many still remain a mystery, the most mysterious being the stones of Gunung Padang. This ancient site, located in West Java, is known as the largest megalithic complex in Southeast Asia. It consists of a series of rectangular stone enclosures with inner partitions, walkways and various rock mounds. Carbon dating suggests it is extraordinarily old (possibly built 20,000 years ago). Historians believe prehistoric people carried chunks of volcanic rock onto terraces, built on the mountainside, and stacked them on top of each other to create a pyramid like structure. This would make it the most considerable feat of ancient engineering in the prehistoric era.
Finally there are the carved dolmens of Sumba, found in the southernmost island of Indonesia. The Sumba megaliths are classified as a living tradition, part of the practice of ancestral worship. The erection of stone tombs was carried out until only recently. On the dolmen, a menhir called penji isset up, was sculpted with various decorations. These decorative patterns often depicts human figures, fauna, flora, and geometric patterns. According to local traditional chiefs, dolmens with statues were considered to be bodyguards of the dead person’s soul (or the personification of their soul). Many of these dolmen weighed thousands of tons, requiring hundreds of men to help move. Graves of kings from west and east Sumba are usually very large with a rich decorative pattern.
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