Indonesian ceremonial bronze axes

Last updated
This ceremonial bronze axe found in Sulawesi bears similarity with other bronze axe objects e.g. in Rote Island, which may be used for ceremonial objects as a percussive instrument or as a water vessel. MET DP221496.jpg
This ceremonial bronze axe found in Sulawesi bears similarity with other bronze axe objects e.g. in Rote Island, which may be used for ceremonial objects as a percussive instrument or as a water vessel.

The Indonesian ceremonial bronze axes were Bronze Age objects that were produced in the Indonesian archipelago between the 1st and 2nd century AD. Archaeological sites in Java, Bali, Sulawesi, the eastern islands, and around Lake Sentani in Papua have been uncovered, showing the bronze axes at the center of a bronze production or at burial sites. They are a testimony of the extensive trade network in the islands of the archipelago in the first millennium AD, thought to be connected to the Dong Son culture.

Contents

Archaeology

Blade-shaped bronze axe contains delicate pattern and are too weak to be used as weapon or agricultural tools, which indicates their ceremonial use. MET 29G A29AR4.jpg
Blade-shaped bronze axe contains delicate pattern and are too weak to be used as weapon or agricultural tools, which indicates their ceremonial use.

The first record of metalwork in the Indonesian archipelago was around 500 BC. Most of the earliest bronze objects were probably used for ceremonies e.g. highly stylized axes and kettledrums. Findings of bronze objects from this period are numerous in Indonesia. Even people in the eastern side of Indonesia, that had not shown any signs of contact with Hinduism coming from the Indian subcontinent, had developed sophisticated metal-working techniques. Bronze must have been imported into these islands, because many small-sized islands e.g. Bali or Rote, did not mine copper nor tin, the raw materials for bronze-making, and yet bronze artifacts were found to be produced extensively in these islands. [1]

Ceremonial bronze axes continued to be developed during the pre-Classic era from the 1st to 2nd century AD. During this period, bronze-casting industries flourished, especially in Java and Bali. These industries were probably instrumental in the manufacture of various kinds of bronze objects in Indonesia, including the ceremonial bronze axes. Various types of bronze axes were discovered across Indonesia e.g. numerous swallow-tail socketed bronze axes found in Java, the large axe with anthropomorphic carving e.g. those found in Rote Island and Makassar, and the curved bronze blade found in many sizes including miniatures. [2] These archaeological findings of bronze objects production center and various sites indicating their use in a ceremony indicate a thriving inter-island trade in the Indonesian archipelago in the first millennium AD. [3]

Form

There are various forms of ceremonial bronze axes found in Indonesia. The similarities between these bronze axes are their artistic delicate patterns and their delicate fragile design which indicate their ceremonial use. A bronze ceremonial axe discovered in Landu on North Rote in 1875, contains anthropomorphic designs decorated with geometric patterns e.g. concentric circles, fish-bone pattern, and spirals, is very similar with the early art of the southwest Pacific; but with additional geometric motifs also found in bronze objects coming from mainland Asia, e.g. striated pattern. [4] This is very similar with those discovered in Sulawesi, such as the Makassar Axe which was kept in the National Museum of Indonesia. [3]

Large Indonesian ceremonial bronze axes, such as the Makassar Axe [5] (measuring 70.5 centimetres (27.8 in) in length and 30 centimetres (12 in) in width) and the similar Metropolitan Museum of Art example [6] (105.1 centimetres (41.4 in) x 67.3 centimetres (26.5 in)) - both classified as Soejono Type IIB, [7] were too large to be practical. This type of enormous bronze axes was produced using lost-wax casting in two parts which was then combined in the middle. The final object contains a hollow. This well-decorated bronze axe was without a doubt ceremonial in use, but the exact nature of the use is unknown. Being hollow (because the two parts were combined into one), it may have been used as a water vessel, or hanged as percussive instrument, or simply acted as heirloom objects as a symbol of status in important ceremonies. [8]

Swallow-tail socketed bronze axes were found in Java. An exceptionally large axe discovered in Bogor have its swallowtail part adorned on one of its surface by a roughly drawn mask with bud-shaped eyes.

Other types of Indonesian ceremonial bronze axe is the curved blade which have been discovered everywhere in the archipelago from West Java (e.g. at Bandung) to Sulawesi. The blade-shaped bronze axe were produced in full size and as miniatures. Although looks like a weapon, its elegant blade is not strong enough for any practical use in both warfare or agriculture. [9]

Illustration of these axes carried by plumed warriors appears on various bronze objects across the archipelago and northern Vietnam, the origin of the Dong Son drum.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Indonesia</span> Overview of transport in Indonesia

Indonesia's transport system has been shaped over time by the economic resource base of an archipelago with thousands of islands, and the distribution of its more than 200 million people concentrated mainly on a single island, Java.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulawesi</span> One of Greater Sunda Islands Indonesia

Sulawesi, also known as Celebes, is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. Within Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger populations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Sulawesi</span> Province of Indonesia

Central Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia located at the centre of the island of Sulawesi. The administrative capital and largest city is located in Palu. The 2010 census recorded a population of 2,635,009 for the province, and the 2020 Census recorded 2,985,734, of whom 1,534,706 were male and 1,451,028 were female. The official estimate as at mid 2021 was 3,021,879. Central Sulawesi has an area of 61,841.29 km2 (23,877 sq mi), the largest area among all provinces on Sulawesi Island, and has the second-largest population on Sulawesi Island after the province of South Sulawesi. It is bordered by the provinces of Gorontalo to the north, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi and South East Sulawesi to the south, by Maluku to the east, and by the Makassar Strait to the west. The province is inhabited by many ethnic groups, such as the Kaili, Tolitoli, etc. The official language of the province is Indonesian, which is used for official purposes and inter-ethnic communication, while there are several indigenous language spoken by the Indigenous peoples of Central Sulawesi. Islam is the dominant religion in the province, followed by Christianity which is mostly adhered to by the people in the eastern part of the province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Sulawesi</span> Province of Indonesia

South Sulawesi is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sulawesi and West Sulawesi to the north, the Gulf of Bone and Southeast Sulawesi to the east, Makassar Strait to the west, and Flores Sea to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bugis</span> Ethnic group in Indonesia

The Bugis people, also known as Buginese, are an ethnicity—the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, in the south-western province of Sulawesi, third-largest island of Indonesia. The Bugis in 1605 converted to Islam from Animism. The main religion embraced by the Bugis is Islam, with a small minority adhering to Christianity or a pre-Islamic indigenous belief called Tolotang.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kris</span> Indonesian weapon

The kris, or keris in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (pamor). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although many have straight blades as well, and is one of the weapons commonly used in the pencak silat martial art native to Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of Indonesia</span>

The fauna of Indonesia is characterised by high levels of biodiversity and endemicity due to its distribution over a vast tropical archipelago. Indonesia divides into two ecological regions; western Indonesia which is more influenced by Asian fauna, and the east which is more influenced by Australasian species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of Indonesia</span> Archaeology museums in Jakarta, Indonesia

The National Museum of Indonesia, is an archeological, historical, ethnological, and geographical museum located in Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, right on the west side of Merdeka Square. Popularly known as the Elephant Museum after the elephant statue in its forecourt. Its broad collections cover all of Indonesia's territory and almost all of its history. The museum has endeavoured to preserve Indonesia's heritage for two centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Indonesia</span> Overview of the geology of Indonesia

This is a brief summary of the geology of Indonesia. Indonesia is located between two major tectonic plates, the Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Bali</span>

The History of Bali covers a period from the Paleolithic to the present, and is characterized by migrations of people and cultures from other parts of Asia. In the 16th century, the history of Bali started to be marked by Western influence with the arrival of Europeans, to become, after a long and difficult colonial period under the Dutch, an example of the preservation of traditional cultures and a key tourist destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prehistoric Indonesia</span>

Prehistoric Indonesia is a prehistoric period in the Indonesian archipelago that spanned from the Pleistocene period to about the 4th century CE when the Kutai people produced the earliest known stone inscriptions in Indonesia. Unlike the clear distinction between prehistoric and historical periods in Europe and the Middle East, the division is muddled in Indonesia. This is mostly because Indonesia's geographical conditions as a vast archipelago caused some parts — especially the interiors of distant islands — to be virtually isolated from the rest of the world. West Java and coastal Eastern Borneo, for example, began their historical periods in the early 4th century, but megalithic culture still flourished and script was unknown in the rest of Indonesia, including in Nias, Batak, and Toraja. The Papuans on the Indonesian part of New Guinea island lived virtually in the Stone Age until their first contacts with modern world in the early 20th century. Even today living megalithic traditions still can be found on the island of Sumba and Nias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National costume of Indonesia</span> Indonesian clothing

The national costume of Indonesia is the national costume that represents the Republic of Indonesia. It is derived from Indonesian culture and Indonesian traditional textile traditions. Today the most widely recognized Indonesian national costumes include batik and kebaya, although originally those costumes mainly belong within the island of Java and Bali, most prominently within Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese culture. Since Java has been the political and population center of Indonesia, folk costume from the island has become elevated into national status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makassar people</span> Ethnic group in Indonesia

The Makassar or Makassarese people are an ethnic group that inhabits the southern part of the South Peninsula, Sulawesi in Indonesia. They live around Makassar, the capital city of the province of South Sulawesi, as well as the Konjo highlands, the coastal areas, and the Selayar and Spermonde islands. They speak Makassarese, which is closely related to Buginese and also a Malay creole called Makassar Malay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javanisation</span>

Javanisation or Javanization is the process in which Javanese culture dominates, assimilates, or influences other cultures in general. The term "Javanise" means "to make or to become Javanese in form, idiom, style, or character." This domination could take place in various aspects; such as cultural, language, politics and social.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badik</span> Knife, dagger

The badik or badek is a knife or dagger developed by the Bugis and Makassar people of southern Sulawesi, Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indonesian art</span> Overview of the art in Indonesia

It is quite difficult to define Indonesian art, since the country is immensely diverse. The sprawling archipelago nation consists of 17.000 islands. Around 922 of those permanently inhabited, by over 1,300 ethnic groups, which speak more than 700 living languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pejeng drum</span>

Pejeng drum is a type of Bronze Age kettledrum which was produced across the archipelago of Indonesia between the 1st and 2nd century AD. They are one of Indonesia's finest example of metalworking. Examples of Bronze Age Pejeng drum, such as the ancient Moon of Pejeng, is the largest bronze drum in the world, indicating the advance of metal casting technique and the active trade in the archipelago in the first millennium AD.

Taiganja are precious metal ornaments found in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, especially in the Sigi Regency. They are used as a kind of jewelry to enhance the status of the wearer, or as protective amulets. The core shape of the taiganja, reminiscent of the female genitalia, is an endemic shape that has been found throughout the Southeast Asian region.

References

  1. Miksic 2001, p. 33.
  2. Bellwood 2001, p. 39.
  3. 1 2 Bellwood 2001, p. 38.
  4. Heekeren 2013, p. 11.
  5. "BEJANA - Unknown - Google Arts & Culture". Google Cultural Institute. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
  6. "Ceremonial Object in the Shape of an Ax | Indonesia (Sulawesi) | Bronze and Iron Age | The Met". The Metropolitan Museum of Art, i.e. The Met Museum. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
  7. Bintarti, D. D. (1982). "Bronze Objects from Kabila, West Sabu". SPAFA Digest (1980-1990). 3 (2). ISSN   0125-7099.
  8. Heekeren 2013, p. 10.
  9. I Wayan Ardika 2001, p. 41.

Cited works