Negri team studying Indonesian megaliths for ancestral ties

SEREMBAN: Lembaga Muzium Negeri Sembilan (LMNS) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute of the Malay World and Civilisation (Atma) will focus their collaborative research into megaliths in West Sumatra, Indonesia.

According to LMNS director Shamsuddin Ahmad, the research is aimed at looking at commonalities in the use of the stones by communities in West Sumatra and Negri Sembilan, where some 3,500 of such giant stones dating back to prehistoric times can be found.

Initial findings of the research undertaken over a six-day period from Dec 19 include commonalities in terms of language and lineage.

The research effort was led by Atma deputy director Assoc Prof Dr Zuliskandar Ramli, who was assisted by two of his students, as well as LMNS assistant curator (antiquities division) Asrul Effendi Kamaruzzaman and Shamsuddin.

Shamsuddin said the findings will be used in a number of ways including serving as resource material for Muzium Megalith Kompleks Sejarah Pengkalan Kempas in Linggi, Port Dickson, and in the publication of a journal.

Replicas of megaliths found in West Sumatra will also be on display.

The 3,500 megaliths in Negri Sembilan are between 200 and 3,000 years old, with about 70% located around the Kuala Pilah district, specifically in Terachi.

“The discovery of the megaliths in this district is a sign of the expansion of early human settlements. Their existence here is still a mystery and all stones found will be preserved as part of the country’s heritage, ” said Shamsuddin. — Bernama