The Walandawe tradition from Southeast Sulawesi and osseous artifact traditions in Island Southeast Asia

Abstract

This chapter describes a sample of points and other osseous artifacts recovered from Holocene contexts at three sites in Walandawe, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Microscopic observations of use traces and manufacturing techniques are presented as well as metrical observations and morphological classifications. The points show a suite of temporal trends apparently related to a shift from a predominant use as hafted projectile points to their growing use as penetrative tools. Trends include a higher incidence of wear and decline in tip damage, a decrease in bipoint production, an increased focus on unipoints, and a manufacturing shift from predominantly scraping cortical bone to frequently grinding suid incisors and long-bone shafts. Notwithstanding these changes, the Walandawe osseous artifacts constitute an identifiable tradition with systematic differences from other Island Southeast Asian assemblages located in southwest Sulawesi and especially Borneo, the Aru Islands, the northern Moluccas and the New Guinea Bird’s Head. Show more