The Early Inhabitants of Sumatra

Three of the 18 individuals the results of excavations of prehistoric humans Arkenas Research and Development team at Tiger Cave seemed to be buried at the same time in one burrow. Just below the main frame, two other individual frame visible contact with each other in a position like a prop "the boss" who was buried on top of both.

The position of the unique burial at once raises a question mark. Could it be the burial system of the period, between 3,500 and 2,000 years ago, prehistoric humans in the archipelago has been known social strata in which there are figures or if certain people die, it is necessary to participate tumbal buried? Could existing belief in life after death in another world so that "the employer" still needs to be served pascakematiannya?

"The possibility is always there, but certainly the whole human frame of Tiger Cave is the Mongoloid race," said Harry Widianto, paleoanthropologist who was also the Head of Preservation of Ancient Man Site Sangiran.

Harry was so certain findings "grave" mass at Tiger Cave are the remains of prehistoric human framework of the Mongoloid race. The conviction was set off from the morphological characteristics of the framework of the findings, mainly from the shape of the skull is elevated and rounded (brachycephal), the back of the skull bones (occiptal) a flat, incisor morphology, the shape of the orbit of the eye, the depth of nasal bone (nasal), as well as from bone and their body posture typical Mongoloids.

"Morphological characteristics did show their identity as part of the Mongoloid race," said Harry.

Cycle life of individuals were generally buried with eastern orientation (head) and west (foot). Through this kind of burial, reasonably suspected that they are familiar with such a philosophy about life cycles. Eastwards as the location of the head is the direction of sunrise, while the west as the foot is the direction the sun sets. In this context, burial with similar orientation refers to the origin (east) and end (west) of life.

The philosophy is also reflected from the folded burial, which describes the position of the baby in the stomach before he was born. By burying the folded expected at the death in question has been freed from all worldly shackles and returned in early life when he died.

"Thus, the folded burial position above suggests that individual back to the sacred at the time he died," said Harry Widianto.

Through these findings, new theories about human migration flows supporting prehistoric Austronesian culture of the archipelago have to be rebuilt. At the very least, the old theory that the "occupation" of Sumatra by the Mongoloid race from mainland Asia through Taiwan-Philippines-Sulawesi-then the rest of their migration journey to Madagascar through Borneo, Sumatra, and Java (known as the theory of "Out of Taiwan")-not the only truth.

Therefore, the findings of the human frame following the remains of their cultural artifacts in the area of ​​karst hills Padang Bindu, South Sumatra, was also found during the Ulu Tijanko, Jambi-old showed the same age (about 3,500 years) with Austronesian cultures in Sulawesi, for example. New commentary that can be brought forward is that since the early spread of Mongoloid race does not only happen in the middle of the Archipelago (lane Taiwan-Philippines-Sulawesi), but also in the west through mainland Southeast Asia to Sumatra, Java.

"The remains of the human frame in the Tiger Cave, also in Pondok Putri Cave Selabe and are still in the same area, is evidence of movement of 'new channels' are," said Harry.

Presumably these were the early inhabitants of Sumatra. In a further stage of evolution, thousands of years later-after take off status as a "man cave" with life and settled in the valleys and plains broader-they were building a new culture on the mainland which is now called the Island of Sumatra. And, Tiger Cave is one of the location of graves of the ancestors were people of Sumatra.