Borneo and the Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related Networks. An Insight into the Pottery Collection from the French-Indonesian Archaeological Surveys in East Kalimantan

Résumé En

From 2003 to 2016, a French-Indonesian archaeological research project (MAFBO) has been developed in the karstic region of East Kalimantan (Mangkalihat Peninsula, Indonesia) to investigate human occupations and developments during prehistory. Numerous surveys have been conducted, in particular in the Lesan and the Marang valleys. These surveys allowed collecting 9840 pottery fragments. Part of the pottery material has already been analysed and published, in particular the red-slipped pottery [Plutniak et al. 2014] and the assemblage from Liang Abu rock shelter [Plutniak et al. 2016]. This presentation focus on the Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related sherds found in East Borneo and provide fresh information and hypothesis on a little known area. Within the pottery fragments collected by the French-Indonesian archaeological project, one hundred sherds with Sa Huynh-Kalanay- related features have been identified. These sherds come from nine sites all located in the Marang valley. After giving a brief introduction on the MAFBO project, sites and pottery collection in order to provide basic information to archaeologists, the Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related samples are described, analysed and classified. A specific attention is paid to pottery decorations (i.e., decorative techniques, tools and motives). Fragments from the nine sites are compared altogether in order to examine the distribution of pottery decorative styles and to question the relation between sites. Decorations are then compared with those from Sa Huynh-Kalanay-related sites surrounding the South China Sea. Although some recurring motifs typical of Sa Huynh-Kalanay are absent in our sampling, comparisons clearly suggest that East Borneo can be included in the Sa Huynh-Kalanay distribution area in Southeast Asia.