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BORNEO Linguistic evidence suggests that the expanding Austronesian populations migrated into Indonesia in two directions, with one branch of the language family occupying the western portions of the Indonesian Archipelago and another branch the east. On the western route, Borneo lies just beyond the Philippines. The best-known arts from Borneo come from the interior peoples, known collectively as “Dayak” (although each group has its own name and distinctive culture). Carved wooden sculpture, mats and baskets, and woven textiles are common to many groups. Memorial fi gures for the deceased are among the most widespread of Borneo genres. The Fowler collection includes one of the most famous of such fi gures, a minimalist masterpiece from the Bahau peoples of the Mahakam River (fi g. 5). SUMATRA AND THE MALAY WORLD The Riau Islands are considered the homeland of the Malay peoples. From there, they spread through much of Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and coastal Borneo. Many Sumatran groups with distinctive identities, such as the Minangkabau, are in fact very closely related in language and culture to the Malays. The strategic importance of the Strait of Malacca along the trade routes connecting India and China fostered early Malay polities. In more isolated parts of the region, such as the Batak homeland in the mountains of northern Sumatra, or on offshore islands like Nias (fi g. 4), which have historically been diffi cult to access, indigenous cultures have been much less infl uenced by Malay traditions. At the 95 FIG. 6 (above): Ceremonial textile (detail). Lampung peoples, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia. Radiocarbon dated 1652–1806. Cotton, silk; supplementary weft. 295 x 65 cm. Thomas Murray Collection. Photo courtesy of the Fowler Museum at UCLA. ART OF THE AUSTRONESIANS


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