The Megalithic Tradition of West Sumba, Indonesia: An Ethnoarchaeological
Investigation of Megalith Construction
Megaliths have figured prominently in discussions of sociopolitical complexity
and ideological systems in prehistoric societies, leading to a very wide range
of interpretations concerning their significance. What has limited these discussions
is the paucity of ethnoarchaeological studies of the living processes associated
with megalith building. In this dissertation, I present an ethnoarchaeological
examination of the continued traditional practice of erecting megalithic tombs
in West Sumba, Indonesia. The construction of megalithic tombs has occurred
for hundreds of years on the island of Sumba. The persistence of this practice
to the present day, particularly in West Sumba, makes Sumba an incredibly
unique context in which to examine megalith building and its larger social
context from an ethnoarchaeological perspective. This ethnoarchaeological
analysis of megalith construction in West Sumba approaches the subject from
a political ecological perspective guided by the following primary objectives:
1) to examine the social aspects of megalithic tomb building in West Sumba
in order to determine whether there are sociopolitical and economic advantages
associated with the practice; 2) to investigate the household material signatures
of megalith building; and 3) to develop a model for the sociopolitical processes
that surround megalith building which can be applied to prehistoric contexts.
Ethnoarchaeological data on megalith building and its social significance
in West Sumba was collected in interviews and household material culture
inventories. Analysis of this data indicates that megalith erection provides
a visual representation of individual and group power and is enmeshed in a
larger feasting economy through which power is achieved and relations are
defined. From this analysis and a review of ethnographic accounts of megalithic
cultures in other areas, I have developed a model which links megalith building
to the power of individuals and groups in contexts of corporately controlled
resources, relational power, competition over key resources, and the importance
of group sociopolitical power.