Experts fuss over fossil discovery<\/p>\n
Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia has always been of interest as a country with abundant
\nprehistoric sites. Findings of ancient homo sapiens and animal
\nfossils have continued to take place.<\/p>\n
The latest finding was the fossilized remains of a Flores homo
\nsapien last year. Prior to the finding, an anatomically intact
\nfemale fossil was found in Song Keplek Cave, Punung district,
\nPacitan in East Java in 2000.<\/p>\n
The most unique among the numerous findings was the fossil
\nfound in Song Keplek Cave.<\/p>\n
"If this fossil is proven to be 7,000 years-old, then it will
\nnegate the Austronesian theory thus far espoused by experts,"
\nTruman Simanjuntak, a member of the exploration team, told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Truman said the Mongoloid homo sapiens fossil was still
\nundergoing tests to determine its age.<\/p>\n
Up until now, there are many theories held by experts from
\nvarious countries.<\/p>\n
He was among some 30 noted experts in the fields of
\narchaeology, genetics and linguistics as well as other
\ndisciplines from the United Kingdom, the United States, France,
\nSingapore, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Philippines and
\nIndonesia, who had convened in a two-day international symposium
\ntitled: The Dispersal of the Austronesian and the Ethnogenes of
\nPeople in the Indonesian Archipelago, in the Central Java town of
\nSurakarta this week.<\/p>\n
Although there were no claims of reaching a final conclusion
\non the origins of a race or tribe, the experts proposed various
\nanalyses and hypotheses, including the origins of people living
\nin the Indonesian archipelago now.<\/p>\n
They used the origin of a language and its spread as a basis
\nfor analysis during the symposium.<\/p>\n
Outer Taiwan, a classic theory held by many experts, stated
\nthat the spread of the Austronesian language originated from
\nTaiwan, then spread to southern Philippines and later to
\nSulawesi.<\/p>\n
However, another view indicated that the spread of the
\nlanguage in fact originated from Southeast Asia. The experts who
\nmaintain this theory hold that the spread of prehistoric human
\nbeings began when the Sunda plate sank 140 meters during the
\nmelting of the Ice Age 5,000 years ago.<\/p>\n
A noted archaeologist from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity, Teuku Yacob, was one of the experts that agreed with
\nthe theory.<\/p>\n
Even though the arguments were of the same merit, no agreement
\nwas reached among the experts in determining the source of the
\nAustronesian language which now covers 1,200 lingoes, spoken by
\n300 million people stretching from Madagascar in the west to
\nEaster Island in the east.<\/p>\n
The phonetics of several languages such as Javanese, Malay and
\nHindi, have recently been established as a basic guide for
\nfurther research.<\/p>\n
Genetic analysis, now being expanded through the DNA-
\nmitochondria test, has only been used recently, whereas
\narchaeological and ethnolanguage analysis have been developed
\nmuch earlier.<\/p>\n
"Many experts in diverse disciplines have done intensive tests
\nand analysis. But it's only lately they have been able to sit
\ntogether to test a hypothesis," said Truman.<\/p>\n
The connection between the people of Bali and the Indians, for
\ninstance, is assumed by many to have been built only on religious
\nlinks.<\/p>\n
While, a genetics analysis conducted by Professor Stephen
\nLansing from the Department of Anthropology, Ecology and
\nEvolutionary Biology of the University of Arizona, who was one of
\nthe speakers at the symposium, showed there was a lineage tie
\nbetween the Indian and Balinese people, although its percentage
\nwas relatively low.<\/p>\n
Based on the desire to trace the spread and origins of the
\nraces in the Austronesian area, scientists have agreed to
\nestablish the International Center for Prehistoric and
\nAustronesian Studies (ICPAC).<\/p>\n
According to head of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
\n(LIPI) Umar Jenie, his office will allocate a plot of land in
\nCibinong, West Java, for the purpose.<\/p>\n
"The experts will fight for the cause at the 33rd UNESCO
\ninternational conference in October," said Umar.<\/p>",
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