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| A definitive and foundational volume that serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding Borneo and the Dayak in their full complexity, across multiple dimensions. Exceptional. |
Archaeological discoveries from Niah Cave in Sarawak provide compelling evidence that humans have inhabited Borneo for at least 40,000 years. Human remains uncovered at the site reveal patterns of hunting-and-gathering lifeways that form the deep foundations of what would later develop into Dayak civilization.
Several studies further indicate that stone tools and pottery fragments from Niah Cave closely resemble artifacts found at various Dayak sites, strengthening the argument that the ancestors of the Dayak people have been present in Borneo since prehistoric times.
Other discoveries at Niah Cave point to complex burial practices, reflecting sophisticated spiritual and social beliefs among its early inhabitants. The assemblage of artifacts, including stone tools and food remains, offers a vivid picture of lifeways strikingly similar to practices that continue to endure in contemporary Dayak culture.
Notably, burials at Niah include interments in a flexed position, a practice that closely parallels modern Dayak traditions (Manser, 2005). Ancient DNA research conducted on human remains from Niah Cave further demonstrates genetic continuity with present-day Dayak populations. This constitutes strong evidence that the Dayak are not recent arrivals but indigenous inhabitants of Borneo who have lived there for tens of thousands of years. The sustained presence of communities inhabiting Borneo across generations underscores that Dayak roots were firmly established long before the emergence of other major civilizations in Southeast Asia.
Findings from Niah Cave also suggest that prehistoric humans in Borneo possessed remarkable adaptive capacities in relation to their environment. From hunting animals to managing forest resources, they developed social systems that enabled long-term survival. This body of evidence reinforces the conclusion that the Dayak are not the product of external migration but integral to a long-standing human ecosystem in Borneo dating back to the prehistoric era. Such adaptations included the use of fire to modify forest landscapes, creating small savanna-like clearings for hunting purposes (Hunt et al., 2007).
On the basis of the available scientific evidence, it becomes increasingly clear that the Dayak did not originate from Yunnan but are instead indigenous to Borneo. The author endorses the view that “the Dayak did not come from elsewhere; they are from here, and of this place.”
Across a growing body of scholarship and literature, this perspective is reinforced by archaeological, linguistic, and historical data. Consequently, the Yunnan migration theory should be set aside and replaced by a more scientifically grounded understanding of Dayak origins as native inhabitants of Borneo.
Discoveries at Niah Cave demonstrate that humans have lived in Borneo for tens of thousands of years, and that contemporary Dayak culture represents the continuation of an ancient civilization that has long adapted to its environment. As research increasingly supports this hypothesis, interpretations of Dayak origins must rest on empirical evidence rather than on myth or theories lacking robust data.
Many prevailing theories concerning Neolithic populations in Southeast Asia propose that these groups were migrants from outside the region, particularly from Taiwan and surrounding areas.
According to the Austronesian migration model, these movements exerted a major influence on the development of agricultural cultures across Southeast Asia. However, research by Jessica Manser (2016) challenges this view by demonstrating that Neolithic communities at Niah Cave maintained direct links with earlier populations that had occupied the site during the Pleistocene.
Based on morphological analyses of skeletal remains, Manser argues that there are no marked physical differences between Neolithic and Pleistocene humans at Niah. She therefore proposes that Neolithic populations may represent a continuation of earlier groups rather than newly arrived migrants. This interpretation is further supported by evidence of continuity in burial practices (Manser, 2005).
Manser’s Contribution
In her research, Manser emphasizes the importance of understanding burial practices at Niah Cave. She examines a range of burial forms, including interments found in the West Mouth Cave, which provide new insights into the social systems of prehistoric communities. Evidence of diverse burial practices suggests variation in ritual and belief, possibly reflecting social differentiation within these societies (Manser, 2005).
Burials featuring distinctive body positions, as well as interments accompanied by animals or artifacts, point to deeply held spiritual beliefs within these cultures. These findings offer a more nuanced and complex picture of how prehistoric communities at Niah Cave understood death and the afterlife.
Significantly, such practices bear notable similarities to Dayak Kaharingan traditions, which also recognize the concept of secondary burial (Rabett, 2012).
