Borneo Schematic -
The Schematic tradition is markedly distinct from its predecessor (Table 1).
The repetitive raised-arm figure finds direct analogy among contemporary Kenyah and Iban pelian (healing ceremonies). During trance, shamans ( manang ) adopt the "bird posture" (arms upraised to mimic hornbill flight) to travel to the sky-world. Clusters of identical stick figures may represent successive trance states or the shaman’s spirit retinue.
Chazine, J. M. (2005). Rock art and the 2005 archaeological mission in East Kalimantan. INQUA SEQS Conference Proceedings . borneo schematic
The rock art of Borneo is broadly classified into two main chronological and stylistic phases: the early "Mega-fauna" or Naturalistic tradition (c. 40–20,000 BP) and the later "Schematic" tradition (c. 4000–500 BP). The Borneo Schematic tradition, characterized by abstract geometric motifs, anthropomorphs with raised arms, sunbursts, and boat-shaped figures, represents a radical shift in symbolic behaviour. This paper synthesizes current archaeological evidence from sites across East Kalimantan (Indonesia), Sarawak (Malaysia), and Sabah (Malaysia). It argues that the Schematic tradition is not a degenerate form of earlier naturalism but a deliberate symbolic system associated with Neolithic Austronesian expansion, shamanistic ritual practice, and the marking of agricultural landscapes. Through analysis of motif distribution, superimposition, and direct radiocarbon dating of pigment and associated materials, this paper establishes a robust chronology and offers an interpretive framework based on ethnographic analogy with contemporary Dayak and Punan art.
Tan, N. H. (2014). Rock art research in Southeast Asia: A synthesis. Arts , 3(1), 73-104. The Schematic tradition is markedly distinct from its
Fage, L. H., & Chazine, J. M. (2009). Borneo, Memory of the Caves . Le Kalimanthrope.
Perston, Y. (2019). The spatial organization of rock art in the Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat region. Archaeology in Oceania , 54(2), 89-104. Clusters of identical stick figures may represent successive
The Borneo Schematic Rock Art Tradition: Chronology, Symbolism, and Landscape Use in Island Southeast Asia
