Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

READING HUMAN ACTIVITY IN THE LANDSCAPE

2012; Routledge; Volume: 40; Issue: 118 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/13639811.2012.709005

1469-8382

Monica Janowski, Huw Barton,

Maritime and Coastal Archaeology

Abstract For the Kelabit and Penan peoples of interior Borneo, cosmic power is believed to coalesce in the form of stone. This occurs through both natural processes and human manipulation. What is believed to be 'natural' includes what is seen as the petrification of human dwellings, to produce what archaeologists would regard as natural formations; and also the formation of 'thunderstones' - cylindrical stones on which archaeologists have found traces of sago starch and which they interpret as ancient sago pounders formed by human hand. The ability to manipulate the landscape, including stone, is seen as an expression of the possession of cosmic power, and is valorised by the rice-growing Kelabit. The hunter-gatherer Penan are more cautious about manipulation of the landscape. Notes 1Since the 1980s almost all of the Penan have settled or become semi-nomadic. 2Huw Barton, personal observation 2008. 3Funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, to which thanks are due. We would also like to thank our collaborators in Sarawak, the Sarawak Museum and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, and in particular Ipoi Datan and Jayl Langub. Warm thanks are also due to the Kelabit and Penan who collaborated in the collection of the data presented here. 4Huw Barton, personal observation, 2008. 5For details of sago production techniques by the Penan, see Puri Citation(1997). 6Conical pounders from this region of New Guinea held in the Australian Museum collections were also examined by Huw Barton in 2007. 7Janowski (forthcoming a) discusses Kelabit and Penan beliefs about cosmic power and spirits. 8Belief in metamorphosis from one species to another is not uncommon in the region e.g. see Ellen Citation(1985). 9This echoes the discussion in Bloch Citation(1993) among the Zafinimary of Madagascar, another Austronesian people, of the hardening of people as they grow older and eventually die. 10The transcription and translation by Rubenstein is problematic in many ways, containing errors (Maxwell Citation1989; Rousseau Citation1989), but it is nevertheless a valuable record of a dying story. 11Tigers do not exist in Borneo, and the translation of the term balang as 'spirit tiger' can be queried. However the Kelabit say that the balang is the same as the harimau in Malay, which means 'tiger'. 12Information about Kelabit pre-Christian beliefs derives from interviews carried out by Janowski with elderly informants in the late 1980s, particularly Balang Pelaba of Pa' Dalih, and from information in Harrisson's unpublished diaries and notes, held in the Malaysian National Archives in Kuala Lumpur and consulted by Janowski in 2010. 13 Irau are focused on one or more shared rice meals provided by the hosts of the feast, which are intended to celebrate the achievements of the host and to confirm and generate status. Until the mid 20th century, they were usually held in association with secondary funerals. Nowadays they are held by grandparents to celebrate the birth of grandchildren, and at them grandparents, parents and children take names. 14This may well be linked to the pre-Christian practice among the Kelabit of smearing people with blood (ngelua), which seems to have been carried out in situations where their life force needed to be strengthened. Additional informationNotes on contributorsHuw Barton The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council through the Cultured Rainforest project, which enabled our collaboration to take place. We would also like to thank the other members of the Cultured Rainforest team. Warm appreciation is due to Jayl Langub of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak for his help in understanding questions relating to the Penan. Last but not least, we would like to extend particular thanks to all of the Kelabit and Penan with whom we have discussed the topics raised in this article.