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The barkcloth beater of Sulawesi and its changes over time

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2025

Muhammad Nur Open the ORCID record for Muhammad Nur [Opens in a new window] ,
Hasanuddin Open the ORCID record for Hasanuddin [Opens in a new window] ,
Andi Muhammad Saiful Open the ORCID record for Andi Muhammad Saiful [Opens in a new window] ,
Suryatman Open the ORCID record for Suryatman [Opens in a new window] ,
Bernadeta AKW ,
Ratno Sardi Open the ORCID record for Ratno Sardi [Opens in a new window] ,
Muhammad Alif ,
Fakhri Open the ORCID record for Fakhri [Opens in a new window] ,
Nani Somba  and
Nur Ihsan Open the ORCID record for Nur Ihsan [Opens in a new window]
Muhammad Nur
Affiliation:
Archaeology Department, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia Collaboration Research Centre Archaeology of Sulawesi, Makassar, Indonesia
Hasanuddin*
Affiliation:
Archaeology Department, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia Collaboration Research Centre Archaeology of Sulawesi, Makassar, Indonesia Research Centre for Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
Andi Muhammad Saiful
Affiliation:
Archaeology Department, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia Collaboration Research Centre Archaeology of Sulawesi, Makassar, Indonesia
Suryatman
Affiliation:
Archaeology Department, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia Collaboration Research Centre Archaeology of Sulawesi, Makassar, Indonesia
Bernadeta AKW
Affiliation:
Collaboration Research Centre Archaeology of Sulawesi, Makassar, Indonesia Research Centre for Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
Ratno Sardi
Affiliation:
Collaboration Research Centre Archaeology of Sulawesi, Makassar, Indonesia Research Centre for Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
Muhammad Alif
Affiliation:
National Archaeology (NALAR), Makassar, Indonesia
Fakhri
Affiliation:
Collaboration Research Centre Archaeology of Sulawesi, Makassar, Indonesia Research Centre for Archaeometry, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
Nani Somba
Affiliation:
Collaboration Research Centre Archaeology of Sulawesi, Makassar, Indonesia Research Centre for Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
Nur Ihsan
Affiliation:
Archaeology Department, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia Collaboration Research Centre Archaeology of Sulawesi, Makassar, Indonesia Antwerp Cultural Heritage Sciences Research Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
*
Author for correspondence: Hasanuddin hasa009@brin.go.id
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Abstract

The tradition of beating bark to produce cloth probably emerged in South China before spreading to Island Southeast Asia with the Austronesian cultural expansion (5000–3500 BP). Type IV barkcloth beaters found on the island of Sulawesi mark a technological leap from mainland examples and the discovery of 16 such beaters at Buttu Batu pushes the local adoption of this type back to c. 2111–1933 BP. Combining archaeological examples with extensive ethnographic research, the authors document an early-twentieth-century diversification in the patterning of grooves on type IV beaters, revealing a unique innovation aimed at improving barkcloth quality in response to increasing competition.

Keywords

Southeast AsiaButtu BatuAustronesiantypologybarkcloth beater type IVPalaeometallic
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 99 , Issue 405 , June 2025 , pp. 815 - 830
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd

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