Prehistoric Human Migrations in Southeast Asia through the Lenses of Burial Practices

Abstract

Burial practices commonly reflect cultural manifestations shared by a community. How deceased are interred can reflect belief systems, hygiene measures, or complex social diversification, among other factors. In modern times, these practices are highly standardized based on belief and social systems, with static rites repeated throughout time. In prehistoric times, it could be assumed that similar static systems would have been present, with the standing burial practices adopted by a community or including limited modifications. As such, similar mortuary practices in distant regions can provide evidence of migrations or cultural transmission. Extensive research carried out in Southeast Asia reveals diverse burial treatments during both synchronic and diachronic periods. Through a review of the burial practices identified in sites dated from the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene (until 3000ya) in Mainland and Island Southeast Asia, this chapter aims to address how mortuary practices can inform on prehistoric human migrations in Southeast Asia before the Austronesian dispersal. A specific case study is presented summarizing previous research in Tron Bon Lei (Alor Island, Indonesia).