From Stone to Textiles: The Sustainable Tradition of Rock Art in Woven Cloth in Southwest Maluku, Indonesia

Lucas Wattimena1*, Hermien L. Soselisa2, R. Cecep Eka Permana3, Adhi Agus Oktaviana4, Marlon NR. Ririmasse1, and Vecky Maanary5

To date, the oldest known rock art has been identified in Indonesia, Southeast Asia, with an average age of approximately 50,000 years. This makes Indonesian rock art a particularly important subject of study, especially given that significant aspects of its cultural history remain insufficiently reconstructed. This paper examines the apparent hiatus, or disconnection, between contemporary communities and ancient rock art traditions in Indonesia. It focuses on symbolic ornaments in woven cloth as a socio-cultural medium through which potential continuities between rock art motifs and textile symbolism can be explored, as well as the polarization of symbolic ornamentation systems. The objectives of this research are twofold: (1) to determine whether a continuous tradition exists linking symbolic ornaments in rock art with those found in woven textiles, and (2) to identify and interpret patterns of polarization within the symbolic ornamentation system. The results indicate a clear continuity between symbolic ornaments depicted in rock art at sites in the Southwest Maluku region and those found in woven fabrics. These symbolic ornaments can be classified into several categories, including human and anthropomorphic figures, faunal motifs as well as geometric and symmetrical forms. In addition, this study documents the polarization of symbolic ornaments across multiple rock art sites, including Intutun, Liotitin, Sor Sorot Her, Irmula, Tutliran, Salpuru, Here Sorot Entapa, Kulwasuru, and Wakurai (Wetang).