Page 91 - Chinese and Asian Ceramics from an Indonesian Collection

CHAPTER 5. UNGLAZED, SLIPPED & PAINTED WARES IN THE MUSI RIVER

ABOUT SOUTH EAST ASIAN UNGLAZED, SLIPPED probable that such easy to produce, stylistically simple,
AND PAINTED WARES fragile, and difficult to transport safely, vessels would not
Early pottery forms in Indonesia have been influenced have been traded commercially between islands or with
by Indian, Chinese and mainland, peninsular and island mainland South East Asian states. However, some simple
South East Asia ceramics. The origins of South East cooking pots which were decorated with various paddle
Asian forms and identification of their characteristic patterns were probably exogenous because they were
decorations and chronology has been the focus of a great made from orange, red, yellow or white clays, which were
deal of modern archaeological excavation and research, uncommon in South Sumatra (Figure 129), although
particularly since the end of both the Vietnam War such clays were known from Lampung Province to the
and disturbances in Cambodia. Most of these principle immediate south.
activities are referenced in literature citations in the
below text. SOUTH EAST ASIAN EARTHENWARE TYPES
As discussed in earlier chapters, the Musi River Solheim (1990) found two primary pottery types widely
and the general area of Palembang has a long history scattered in island South East Asia during prehistoric and
of involvement in both local and international trade more recent times. These he named the Sa-Huynh-Kalanay
which precedes establishment of the Sriwijaya Kingdom. and Bau-Malay Traditions. The Sa-Huynh–Kalanay type
Consequently, this collection from the Musi contains was named and modified by Solheim (1964, 2002) in
examples of pottery which pre-date the 7th century, some recognition of the similarities in the decorative motifs
of which is exogenous to Sumatra. For this reason we between the early-metal-age ceramics from the site of
provide a little background on earthenware from areas Kalanay, Central Philippines and Sa Huynh, Central
known to have had both prehistoric and early historic Vietnam. The Bau-Malay type had considerably less
connections with Palembang. variety in both form and decoration compared to the Sa-
Archaeological excavation work revealing pottery Huynh/ Kalanay type and originated from south Chinese
finds in South East Asia and research on both new and ‘geometric ware’. The earliest origin of these pottery
older finds continues unabated. It is possible that wares types was in South China about 3,000 BC to 2,500 BC.
which could assist identify the origins and chronology They first appeared in northern Vietnam soon after 800
of earthenware pottery from the Musi have not yet been BC. Solheim (1964) considered the Bau-Malay pottery
excavated or researched, or findings from such efforts was a later tradition with its earliest origins in Palawan
are not available to us. Further, extensive destruction of in 200–300 and later (700–800) in Sarawak, western
many kiln sites in Thailand, Cambodia, and Central and Indonesia, West Borneo, Malay Peninsula and southern
South Vietnam means that the specific origins of some of Philippines. In 1990, he opined that there was neither
the pottery finds in the Musi may never be determined! overlap nor relationship between these two Traditions. But
Another problem in determining the source and/or later (Solheim 2016) considered they developed about
age of some of the earthenware from the Musi was that the same time in coastal Vietnam and South China and
similar globular forms were produced widely in South that they were indeed related to each other. They were
East Asia. Plain or paddle decorated pots and bowls were at least in major part a development of the Cham people
produced continuously from the Neolithic through to the of what is now Central Vietnam. Tan (1988) considers all
modern period. Some of these, particularly those crudely the late-prehistoric complexes in Vietnam belong to the
potted from a grey fabric, could have been made locally or Sa-Huynh/ Kalanay type, noting that impressed pottery
elsewhere. What is required is access to material analysis (Bau-Malay) does exist there, especially with square
of the pottery fabric and/or use of modern analyses to patterns, but it never occurs alone!
date objects. In the absence of such analysis, association
with ceramics or objects of known date can greatly assist The Sa-Huynh/Kalanay type
identify the provenance of a piece. Unfortunately, we This pottery was described by Solheim (2002) as technically
were unable to use such associations because the bed of sophisticated pottery with both variable surface treatment
the Musi was turbulent, particularly during the wet season and form. It is thought that Sa-Huynh culture occupied
when the waters flowed with great speed down the main the south-central coast of Vietnam between c.500 BC and
river fairway. This turbulence clearly mixed ceramics of 100 AD (Higham 2002), while the Kalanay style pottery
different origin and age. was associated with ornaments thought to date from the
We have, then, somewhat arbitrarily presumed that early-Metal Age period from the 5th century BC to the 5th
crude grey fabric earthenware cooking vessels, kendis and century AD (Dizon and Santiago 1996, Dizon 2003, Cuevas
toys from the Musi (Figure 128) were probably made in 2003). Solheim (2002) considered the Sa-Huynh–Kalanay
South Sumatra or Lampung Provinces, where such grey style pottery was made with paddle and anvil with some
pottery was known to have been produced. While such forming done on a slow wheel; and the surface marked
earthenware was also produced elsewhere in Asia, it is with cord or basket design in earlier forms. In some areas,