Page 61 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

at that time. It is thought that the pestles and mortars were also used to crush grains, nuts
and seeds.
Some tools were made of organic materials, such as bones, animal horn and clamshells
(Glover, 1972). Wood and bamboo would also likely have been used since they were
abundant and easily found in the inhabitants’ surroundings. However, since wood and
bamboo decay easily, they are not preserved by nature. Similar to lithic tools, tools made
of bones were an innovation in EMH culture; the manufacturing process was well thought
out and planned in advance. The center of the industry of tools made of bones was found
in an area extending from Gunung Kidul to the Easternmost tip of Java Island. The first
findings were in Lawa Cave, Sampung, Ponorogo, and it is known as the “Sampung bone-
tool industry”. In the cave sites around this area, tools made of bones were more prevalent
than lithic tools. Trowels, or spatulas (tools with a flat blade used for spreading substances)
and awls and gimlets (tools with a sharp pointed end) were the dominant types of the
tools. Besides trowels and awls, there are also different kinds of needles, scrapers, and
other tools. In addition to tools made of bones, there were also tools made of antlers and
clamshells although they are quite rare. In the Mount Sewu area, clamshells were used not
only for making planes, but also for making needles, scrapers and spatulas. In this area,
clamshells, bones, teeth, and antlers were also used for jewelry.
The EMH achievements in rock art continued and saw significant development in
techniques and variations. Besides rock painting, there was also an emerging culture of
rock carving and rock engraving, either on the walls and ceilings of the caves or on cliffs
in hills. These cultural practices spread far throughout the eastern part of Indonesia
including Papua, Maluku, South East Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, and Flores. More recently,
these practices were also observed in Kalimantan, Java, and Sumatra. Researchers
have categorized the paintings mentioned above as part of the culture of Austronesia
(Heekeren, 1972), but, they had been widely found in cave dwellings since the Holocene
era. From the recorded dates of the cave paintings in a regional context, it is possible that
these paintings were originally made by the ancestors of the Melanesians. However, some
of the paintings could have been produced by the Austronesians who arrived later. Besides
findings in Indonesia, these kinds of paintings have also been found in Australia and the
Pacific, the Philippines and in Thailand. There is considerable variation in the design of the
paintings but it is possible to divide them into two types: figurative designs depicting real
things in nature, and non-figurative designs with symbols which are difficult to interpret.

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