BARK-CLOTH AND BARK-CLOTH BEATER FROM THE INDONESIAN ARCHIPELAGO

  • Sunarningsih Sunarningsih

Abstract

Abstract. Archaeological remains of bark-cloths in the Indonesian Archipelago are few and leaving
us only bark-cloth beaters. On the other hand, remains of bark-cloth can still be found in association
with bark-cloth beaters in China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Malaysia. Nevertheless, a number of villages
in Indonesia are still producing bark-cloth; hence the inventory and documentation of such
ethnographic data can still be carried out. Many museums in Europe collect ornamented barkcloths.
Today, the productions of bark-cloths in the Indonesian Archipelago are intended as souvenirs,
for instance, wall ornament. Apparently, the existence of bark-cloths in the past is closely related to
the identity of a society. Thus, this article discusses the remains of bark-cloth beaters found in
Indonesia in comparison to that of in other Asian countries and their ethnographic data. Information
on bark-cloth beaters were collected from publications and archaeological research reports of Balai
Arkeologi Banjarmasin (Centre for Archaeology, Banjarmasin). The outcome of the discussion was
intended to motivate further comprehensive research on bark-cloth beaters.
How to Cite
Sunarningsih, S. (1). BARK-CLOTH AND BARK-CLOTH BEATER FROM THE INDONESIAN ARCHIPELAGO. Naditira Widya, 5(1), 15 - 24. https://doi.org/10.24832/nw.v5i1.62
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Articles