Page 150 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

Chapter 7. Summary and Conclusions

and decorated kendis, some of which are illustrated in the people of the Kayu Agung cluster of villages are still
Chapter 5.
somewhat notorious for their reverence towards members
The abundance of local earthenwares (including those of their community who achieve the status of top-class
made in the Lampung District) at the principle Musi River criminals or ‘duta’ in foreign places. On leaving from
trading sites indicated they were traded commercially. and returning to a village, ‘duta’ are normally awarded
a special ceremony by villagers, which is also supported
‘Lampung wares’ by religious leaders, who pray for their safety and success
Other regions in Sumatra produced characteristic pottery, in their criminal activities (https://joshuaproject.
such as Aceh and North Sumatra. But ‘Lampung ware’ net/people_groups/12597/ID). Perhaps this fealty to
was the dominant earthenware imported into Palembang criminals is a vestige of the previous involvement of the
from elsewhere in Sumatra. This, of course, would be Kayu Agung community in piratical activities in and
expected because of the influence of Sriwijaya in the around the Bangka Strait?
Lampung District.
Given the proximity of Lampung to the Komering River RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF CERAMIC TYPES AT
valley, we can expect that people living in the areas where MUSI RIVER SITES
‘Lampung Ware’ was traded over such a long period, would the Musi River watercourse has not altered its principle
have had a similar language. In fact, according to Hanawalt direction greatly since the early-1st millennium. And apart
(2006), Komering and Kayu Agung leaders considered from some silting of banks and sand islands, the fairway
they were ethnically related to the Lampung people. His that we see there now is not dramatically different from
research on their linguistics grouped Komering varieties the one that boats travelling along the River in the 8th
with the Lampung Api subgroup. This indicated that century would have experienced.
Komering people could have communicated easily with Glazed and unglazed ceramics referred to herein were
a wide range of people in West and Central Lampung from the following sites along the Musi River fairway, listed
Province. Including the general area to the south of from upstream to downstream: Dusun Cengal Nya, Sungai
Danau Ranau and along the Tulang Bawang River, which Guci, Sungai Suro, Sungai Sekanak, Lawang Kidul, Boom
was an important trade artery in Lampung. The town of Baru, Batu Ampar Pusri, Pulau Kemaro, Sungai Buyut,
Menggala on that River was known from the 5th century. Sungai Rebo (on Komering River), Pulau Salanamo,
It was an important inland port which enabled trade PT Sharp, Sungai Buntut Borang, Upang, Parit 12 and
items to be shipped in a continuous water passage from Sungsang. The location of these sites was recorded with
Menggala around the northern coastline of Sumatra to a GPS and mapped (Maps 3, 4 & 5) except for Sungai
Palembang. This port was particularly busy during the 19th Guci, which was located far upstream on the banks
and early-20th century. However, it was undoubtedly an of the Musi not far from Sekayu (Figure 3), Bailangu
important trade artery long before this, as evidenced by Timur, Kecamatan Sekayu, Kabupaten Musi Banyuasin.
an early-1st millennium Dong Son kettle drum discovered Of the non-storage vessels, a total of 720 glazed ceramic
85 kilometres downstream from Menggala. The Tulang items from China, North Vietnam, Cham and Thailand
Bawang River was also known to the Chinese in the 7th collected from the Musi had known site information. Their
century. So it was not surprising that in 1980 a considerable relative proportion at specific Musi River sites, listed in
quantity of locally made earthenware shards and fragments descending order, was: Pusri (51%), Boom Baru (28%),
of imported south Chinese Five Dynasties and northern Sungai Rebo (9%), Batu Ampar (7%), Sungai Guci (3%)
Song stonewares, dating from the 9th to 10th centuries, and PT Sharp, Sungai Buntut Borang, Pulau Salanomo
were found at the site of Telagamukmin in Kecamatan Parit 12 (all less than 1%). An additional ten ceramic
Sumberjaya. The sites near Sumberjaya in northwest objects were collected from the Musi just prior to the
Lampung were located near the headwaters of the Besai completion of this book. Eight of these were from the
and Kanan Rivers, both of which were connected to the Batu Ampar site and two from Dusun Cengal Nya area,
Tulang Bawang River (Edwards McKinnon 1993). Kabupaten Ogan Komering Ilir, South Sumatra. These
It is possible that ‘Lampung ware’ was produced were not included in the above analysis.
along the Tulang Bawang River in Lampung Utara, and This trend for most glazed ceramics to come from
transported upstream to Kayu Agung on the Komering the Pusri site, was the case within the various Chinese
River and then down that river to Palembang. It may dynasties (Yue ware 64%, other Tang Dynasty ware 35%,
also have been shipped down the Tulang Bawang River, Song & Yuan Dynasty 54%, Ming Dynasty 42% and Qing
along the short coastal distance to the Lumpur River in Dynasty 43%); North Vietnamese (66%) and Cham (45%).
Kecamatan Ogan Komering Ilir, and then upstream of Boom Baru had the next most abundant collections (Yue
that River to Kayu Agung. The third route to Palembang ware 27%, other Tang Dynasty ware 29%, Song & Yuan
would be to continue along the coast to the Musi River. All Dynasty 28%, Ming Dynasty 34%, Qing Dynasty 29% and
three of these rivers were important trade routes during North Vietnamese 19%. Only more Thai ceramics were
the mid to late-Tang period. In the 19th and 20th century, collected at Boom Baru (42%) than Pusri (34%). And
‘Lampung ware’ probably reached Palembang along the proportion of Cham ceramics was higher at Sungai
continuous waterways involving the Tulang Bawang River, Rebo (18%) than Boom Baru (9%).
Bangka Strait and Musi River. It is perhaps relevant that

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