Exploring megalights deep in Sulawesi<\/p>\n
Bambang M., Contributor, Palu, Central Sulawesi<\/p>\n
After a five-hour journey through the dense tropical forest in
\nLore Lindu National Park, over muddy roads and across rivers, we
\nfinally arrived at the village of Doda in Poso regency.<\/p>\n
Doda -- one of a number of villages in the Besoa Valley with a
\nmegalith heritage -- looked beautiful in the afternoon sun,
\nthough a tad scary with all the locals staring at us from their
\nhouses.<\/p>\n
\"This village is one of the destinations for refugees fleeing
\nthe conflict area in Poso,\" said David, our driver.<\/p>\n
We slept in a house owned by Yusuf Bagia, a park ranger. We
\ndidn't know that dozens of locals came that night to ask Bagia
\nwho we were and why we were there. But he managed to send them
\naway.<\/p>\n
The next morning, though a little nervous because of the cool
\nreception, we were ready to visit the megaliths.<\/p>\n
\"I would feel incomplete without visiting the megaliths,\" said
\nKeith Harris of England, who has been a year in Central Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
After breakfast, we went to the neighboring village of
\nHanggira, where we were surprised to see dozens of megaliths.
\nThere were kalamba (giant urns) and four human-like statues
\nwithout hands and legs. The site is called Pokokea, and it has
\nthe most kalamba in the province.<\/p>\n
A megalith is a very large, rough stone used in prehistoric
\ncultures as a monument. Some archaeologists say megaliths date to
\nbetween 5000 and 3000 B.C., but the megaliths in Central Sulawesi
\ndate back as early as 3000 B.C. to 1300 A.D.<\/p>\n
Archaeologist Albert C. Kruyt wrote in his book, Het Lanschap
\nDada in Midden Celebes (1909), that the megaliths in Central
\nSulawesi were made by Caucasians migrating from the West. His
\nidea was based on Macmillan Brown's Maori and Polynesian, Their
\nOrigin, History and Culture, that Caucasians speaking the Aryan
\nlanguage had migrated to the East through the Malaysia Peninsula,
\nfinally arriving in Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. The
\nmegaliths were signs for the places they passed through.<\/p>\n
In his Megalitic Finds in Central Sulawesi (1939), Walter
\nKaudern said it was still a mystery as to who was responsible for
\nthe megaliths in the province.<\/p>\n
Megaliths can be found in many places in Indonesia, but
\nCentral Sulawesi has the most important sites, with kalamba and
\nhuman-like statues only found here, particularly around the Lore
\nLindu National Park.<\/p>\n
A 2001 study by the Palu-based Indonesia Katopasa Foundation
\nshowed that there are 431 megaliths in the park. The megaliths
\nwere divided into five categories, based on shape: human-like
\nstatues, kalamba, tutu'na (large stone disks, probably lids of
\nthe kalamba), batu dakon (flat to convex stones featuring
\nchannels, irregular pitting and other depressions, and other
\nstone-like mortars) and umpak (house supports). The megaliths are
\nspread across 22 villages, 17 in Poso regency and five in
\nDonggala regency. The number might actually be higher, as some
\npark rangers have said they have found unregistered megaliths in
\nthe jungle.<\/p>\n
There are 13 kalamba at the Pokokea site, most of them still
\nin good condition. The largest is 1.8 meters high and 1.5 meters
\nin diameter. It is very special for having eight human-like
\nstatues carved in its upper part. There are also tutu'na at the
\nsite, the most special one with a monkey carved into its surface.<\/p>\n
The kalamba may have been the king's cisterns. Most
\narchaeologists say the kalamba are probably linked with
\nsarcophagi used by aristocrats, as tradition requires the dead to
\nbe buried with supplies for the afterlife. Unfortunately, there
\nis no trace of any treasures or bones, just these water vessels.<\/p>\n
Tular Sudarmadi, an archaeologist from Gadjah Mada University,
\nsaid megaliths had many functions.<\/p>\n
\"They could be used as a medium to provide services to the
\nsouls of ancestors, as signs to convey land ownership and other
\nsocial functions.\"<\/p>\n
Tular said the stones were probably left by a mobile people,
\nas there were no signs of any giant stones weighing over one ton
\nin the nearby river.<\/p>\n
People living near the megalith sites have their own
\nexplanations for the stones. A human-like statue in Wange village
\nis called Polenda. It is believed to have been a man assigned to
\nkeep pests away from the rice fields, but as he liked to seduce
\ngirls working in the fields he was turned to stone by an angry
\nGod.<\/p>\n
Megaliths can be found in eight villages in the Bada Valley in
\nPoso regency. In one of the villages can be found the biggest
\nstone statue in Sulawesi, 3.82 meters in height and called To
\nSalogi or Palindo by locals. The unique thing about the statue is
\nthat it slants at an angle of 30 degrees, just like the Tower of
\nPisa in Italy.<\/p>\n
The megaliths in the Bada, Napu and Besoa valleys attracted
\nmany foreign tourists, before the conflict in Poso scared off
\nvisitors.<\/p>\n
\"Many tourists used to come to Doda, but since the conflict in
\nPoso no one comes here,\" said Bagia.<\/p>\n
Another megalith site that can be visited is the Watunonju
\nPark in the village of Watunonju, about 20 kilometers from Palu
\nheading toward the Napu Valley.<\/p>\n
There are 13 stone mortars at the site found by Kruyt in 1898.
\nThe mortars used to lay in people's houses, but they were removed
\nand the area was turned into a megalith park.<\/p>\n
Despite all the fascinating megaliths, transportation is the
\nmain problem for those interested in seeing the stones. It is
\nrelatively easy to reach Napu Valley, but it is more difficult to
\nreach the Bada or Besoa valley.<\/p>\n
To get to Bada Valley, tourists have to follow the road
\nbetween Poso and Toraja before turning into Tentena. But this
\nroad is very dangerous at present due to the conflict in Poso.<\/p>\n
The safer route is from Palu heading south, before stopping in
\nGimpu village. Then the journey must be continued on foot due to
\nthe narrow road. Visitors must travel through the dense forest of
\nLore Lindu for two days. It is a challenge but would be enjoyed
\nby those who enjoy ecotourism. A guide is necessary, and one can
\nbe found in Palu.<\/p>\n
We reached Besoa Valley by car, although it was not easy. The
\nroad between Wuasa village and Besoa Valley is muddy, and we had
\nto cross the river. We used a four-wheel drive jeep, but if
\nvisitors don't have this type of vehicle they can continue with a
\ntaxi jeep for Rp 30,000 per person.<\/p>\n
\"Those jeeps have no brakes. The brakes are never working
\nbecause of the mud,\" said David laughing.<\/p>\n
The exhaustion of the long journey over bumpy roads was
\nquickly forgotten when we set eyes on the fascinating megaliths.
\nIt was worth all of the effort.<\/p>",
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