Looking For a Trace of Shamanism, in the Rock Art of Maros-Pangkep, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

Gambar cadas adalah fenomena arkeologi yang tersebar di seluruh dunia. Umumnya, seni prasejarah ini terdiri atas berbagai bentuk, motif, dan juga makna. Artikel ini membahas gambar cadas Indonesia, khususnya di wilayah Maros-Pangkep, Sulawesi Selatan. Menurut teori David Lewis-Williams dan David S. Whitley tentang pendekatan neuropsikologi terhadap gambar cadas, mereka mendeskripsikan "beberapa" motif sebagai penggambaran tahapan atau metafora dari Altered State of Consciousness (ASC) yang berhubungan dengan shamanisme. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menunjukkan bagaimana teori ASC dapat diuji dalam gambar cadas Maros-Pangkep, dan juga menunjukkan indikasi keberadaan shamanisme dalam gambar cadas Indonesia. Metode penelitian ini menggunakan analogi formal dan studi komparatif tentang motif-motif gambar cadas terpilih di kawasan Maros-Pangkep dengan gambar cadas di Afrika, Siberia, dan juga gambar cadas di Amerika. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa teori ASC dapat diterapkan dalam gambar cadas Indonesia dan ada beberapa indikasi shamanisme dalam gambar cadas di wilayah Maros-Pangkep.Rock art is an archaeological phenomenon which spread all over the world. Generally, this prehistoric art consists of various forms, motifs, and also meanings. This article discusses Indonesian rock art, particularly the Maros-Pangkep region in South Sulawesi. According to David Lewis-Williams and David S. Whitley’s theory about the neuropsychology approach to rock art, they describe “some” motifs as a depiction of stages or metaphors of the Altered State of Consciousness (ASC) that relates to shamanism. The aim of this study is to demonstrate how the ASC theory can be tested in Maros-Pangkep Rock Art, and also shows an indication of the existence of shamanism in Indonesian rock art. The research methods are formal analogy and comparative studies on the selected motifs of rock art in the Maros-Pangkep region with African, Siberian, and also American rock art. The result shows that the ASC theory can be applied in Indonesian rock art and there are some indications of shamanism in rock art motifs in the Maros-Pangkep region.

Histories of Australian Rock Art Research

“…From mid-2017 to early 2020, there are more Australia-affiliated authors who are first authors. However, this does not take into account that there are also many locals now publishing without any international researchers (see Fauzi et al 2019;Idrees and Pradhan 2017;Leihitu and Permana 2018). This could signal a positive direction in which ethical and considered research patterns are gradually developing within archaeological research.…”

Kaimear Island Rock Art Site at Kur Island in West Kei Islands Region, A New Discovery in Eastern Indonesia

“…Regardless of its type, consisting of paintings (pictographs) and carvings or petroglyphs, rock art is defined as art in the landscape consisting of drawings, motifs and designs placed on natural and hard surfaces such as cliff walls, large boulders, cave walls and ceilings, and soil surfaces (Leihitu & Permana, 2018;Setiawan, 2015;Whitley, 2005: 3). Given the limited time for observation, we present initial descriptions of the discoveries of Kaimear Island rock art.…”

The effect of edge serration on the performance of stone-tip projectiles: an experimental case study of the Maros Point from Holocene South Sulawesi

“…It is important to point out that this assertion remains a hypothesis that has yet to be tested on archaeological data through use-wear analysis (Maloney et al 2022). Yet it is important to note that painted rock art in the region does depict hunting scenes involving the probable use of projectile technologies like spear thrower as well as bow and arrow (Aubert et al 2018;Leihitu and Permana 2018). Thus, the scenario that these retouched points served as the tips of projectile weaponry in the past is plausible.…”