Island Southeast Asia Research Articles

Animal Mockery in Southeast Asian and African Origin Mythology

Found in many parts of insular Southeast Asia and the adjacent mainland, a widespread complex of taboos concerns actions that are believed to result in a disastrous storm and, sometimes, petrification of offenders. The most typical offenses involve somehow mocking non-human animals, or in a few cases plants or trees. One aim of the paper is to isolate, as a distinct component of this complex, a series of myths that describe how acts of animal mockery resulted in the formation of lakes or other permanent features of local landscapes. There follows a detailed discussion of resemblances between these origin stories and several African origin of death myths that feature people mocking non-humans by giving them human funerals. The variety of societies that express disapproval of animal mockery then facilitates assessment of recent ontological pluralist theory, according to which cultures differ radically in how they conceive of human-animal relations.

The Reptile-Twin in Insular Southeast Asian Folklore

Narratives and beliefs from insular Southeast Asia depict the double birth of a child and a reptile: snake, monitor lizard, or crocodile. This article is the first systematic attempt to look at the reptile-twin phenomenon across the whole region. The author examines the generally positive connotations of the reptile-twin through snake-, crocodile-, and monitor lizard-twin cases: these are recorded from the 17th century onwards in Indonesia, the Philippines and neighbouring countries. Sources are presented and discussed comparatively, and the putative origins, functions and meanings of the reptile-twin story-complex are examined in cross-disciplinary terms.

Legacies of domestication, Neolithic diffusion and trade between Indian subcontinent and Island Southeast Asia shape maternal genetic diversity of Andaman cattle.

Andaman cattle is a precious indigenous livestock species endemic to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Till date, origin and genetic makeup of the breed which is warranted for breed conservation is not known. Moreover, the spread of zebu cattle from Indus valley to different parts of Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) is not properly understood. Here, we report the genetic diversity, population structure of Andaman cattle and their evolution in the context of epicentre of zebu domestication and ISEA. High genetic diversity in complete mitochondrial D-loop sequences indicated the ability of the breed to withstand impending climate change. Total 81 haplotypes were detected and all of them except three belonged to Bos indicus. The presence of taurine haplotypes in Andaman cattle indicate introgression by European-derived cattle. A poor phylogenetic signal of Andaman cattle with genetic affinities with cattle of Indian subcontinent and ISEA was observed. The poor phylogenetic structure may be due to multidirectional gene flow from Indian subcontinent and ISEA, with which Andaman shares a close cultural and trade relationship from Neolithic age. We hypothesize that Andaman cattle is the outcome of Neolithic diffusion from centre of zebu domestication along with multidirectional commercial exchange between Indian subcontinent and ISEA.

A region in dispute: Racialized anticommunism and Manila’s role in the origins of Konfrontasi, 1961–63

AbstractPrior scholarship has treated the Philippines as an outside party to the conflict over the formation of Malaysia, known as Konfrontasi, which has been dealt with as a dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia. This article demonstrates the centrality of the Macapagal administration to the origins of Konfrontasi. Treating Manila as a core actor gives new insight into Konfrontasi, which can be best understood as a regional conflict over the racial and social shape of island Southeast Asia in the final stages of decolonization. Racialized anticommunism, expressed through the forcible redivision of the region to ensure social stability, emerges as the preoccupation of all the state actors promoting and opposing the formation of Malaysia. At the same time, an examination of developments in the Philippines and the actions of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP) gives new insight into the critical function of the Partai Komunis Indonesia (PKI) in this affair.

The Impact And Response Of Maritime Southeast Asian Countries to Economic Dynamics During The Covid-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this research is to analyze the responses made by each Maritime Southeast Asian country in dealing with economic dynamics during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Southeast Asia region, especially Maritime Southeast Asia, has experienced relatively rapid growth in the last few decades, so several countries in this region are classified as newly industrialized countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. However, this economic development has been disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic since the beginning of 2020. This pandemic has left a sizeable impact on sectors in the world, including in Maritime Southeast Asian countries. The method used in writing this paper is using a qualitative method, this journal will describe the impact of using the data obtained through the Literature Study method. In its development, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on the economies of countries in the Maritime Southeast Asia region. Countries in the region recorded a slowdown in economic growth, most of them even experienced a recession. The result of this research are All countries in the Maritime Southeast Asia region experienced negative economic growth during 2020 except for Brunei. The governments of each country have their policies in dealing with existing problems, starting from providing financial assistance in the form of an economic stimulus package as well as issuing other fiscal and monetary policies

Diversity and continuity in the pottery traditions of the Wallacean islands: New evidence from Makpan Cave, Alor island, Indonesia

This study examines a pottery assemblage from Makpan Cave, Alor, Indonesia dating from ∼3300 BP to historic times, constituting one of only a few documented ceramic studies from the Nusa Tenggara Timur archipelago. The assemblage is characterised by idiosyncratic decorative features along with a range of surface finishes not commonly emphasised in other research in the region. The Makpan pottery exhibits a notable consistency over time suggesting an enduring and stable pottery tradition, yet petrographic examination reveals a number of manufacturing locations with the possibility of offshore imports. The study also reports on the occurrence of baked clay, mostly concentrated in levels dating to around 11,500 BP. Finds of baked clay in Island Southeast Asia are little known with only one other major documented example and its use and purpose at Makpan is currently enigmatic.A long history of inter-island communications and contact is highlighted as the key factor in bringing new technologies, including Neolithic pottery, to Makpan and throughout the region. Although Austronesian speakers are conventionally credited with introducing ceramics throughout ISEA, the Makpan case study indicates that a variety of peoples may have participated in the dispersal of pottery into southern Wallacea.

Barely scratched the surface: Development and future directions of lithic use-wear analysis in Island Southeast Asia

Use-wear, microwear, or traceological analysis is a method for the identification of prehistoric tool use and associated activities. While this method can be applied to any lithic and some non-lithic materials, use-wear analysis plays, in particular, an important role in understanding amorphous flake tools from Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) during the Late Pleistocene. The absence of formal tool types, including those that are considered as ‘projectiles’ or ‘hafted’ implements, may have hindered our views regarding the actual role these tools played in the development of cognition, behavioural capacity, and complex technologies in the region. Use-wear analysis of unretouched flakes, however, indicate that these were used in a variety of activities, beyond simple actions such as cutting or scraping. In this paper, we provide an overview of the beginnings and development of use-wear analysis in ISEA. Then, we discuss its role in addressing issues such as the bamboo hypothesis, the interpretation of the apparent absence of ‘complex’ lithic technologies from a functional point of view, and in the context of the chronological development of lithic technology. Technological and traceological studies in the region often highlight the presumed presence of a bamboo technology in the past. However, there seem to be limited recurring microscopic wear traces that would allow to verify the hypothetical presence of a ‘vegetal technology’ that would make up for the seemingly simple lithic technology in ISEA. An evaluation of the current state of the art and future directions of use-wear analysis attempts to provide context for the current understanding of prehistoric technology in ISEA. In general, this paper critically examines the development of use-wear analysis as a specialisation in archaeology that was established and developed in the region out of necessity.

Perceptions and priorities for the development of multiplex rapid diagnostic tests for acute non-malarial fever in rural South and Southeast Asia: An international modified e-Delphi survey

Fever is a common presenting symptom in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It was previously assumed that malaria was the cause in such patients, but its incidence has declined rapidly. The urgent need to develop point-of-care tests for the most important causes of non-malarial acute febrile illness is hampered by the lack of robust epidemiological data. We sought to obtain expert consensus on analytes which should be prioritized for inclusion in fingerprick blood-based multiplex lateral flow rapid diagnostic tests (LF-RDTs) targeted towards four categories of patients with acute non-malarial fever in South and Southeast Asian LMICs, stratified by age (paediatric vs. adult) and care setting (primary vs. secondary care). We conducted a two-round modified e-Delphi survey. A total of 84 panellists were invited, consisting of seven each from 12 countries, divided into three regional panels (Mainland Southeast Asia, Maritime Southeast Asia, and South Asia). Panellists were asked to rank their top seven analytes for inclusion in LF-RDTs to be used in each patient category, justify their choices, and indicate whether such LF-RDTs should be incorporated into algorithm-based clinical decision support tools. Thirty-six panellists (43%) participated in the first round and 44 (52%) in the second. There was consensus that such LF-RDTs should be incorporated into clinical decision support tools. At a minimum, these LF-RDTs should be able to diagnose dengue and enteric fever in all patient categories. There was a clear preference to develop LF-RDTs for pathogens not readily detected by existing technologies, and for direct diagnosis through antigen detection. Pathogen biomarkers were prioritized over host inflammatory biomarkers, with CRP being the only one ranked consistently highly. Our results provide guidance on prioritizing analytes for inclusion in context-specific multiplex LF-RDTs and similar platforms for non-malarial acute febrile illness, for which there is an urgent unmet need.

Trade in Southeast Asian Box Turtles from Indonesia: Legality, Livelihoods, Sustainability and Overexploitation

Southeast Asian box turtles Cuora amboinensis are distributed in mainland Southeast Asia and throughout most of insular Southeast Asia and are often found in habitats shared with humans. In the 2000s evidence emerged of an enormous illegal export of Southeast Asian box turtles from Indonesia estimated at a hundred times larger than the legal exports. Using publicly available data we show that one or two exporters in Sampit in the province of Central Kalimantan, one of nine provinces where harvest of Southeast Asian box turtles is authorised, continue to trade above permitted levels. Harvest quotas for Central Kalimantan are set at 1000 turtles a year, and this is divided between five approved traders, two of whom are based in Sampit. A single visit to one of these two traders in April 2019 documented the presence of 549 Southeast Asian box turtles. Based on documented data from middlemen we estimate that the number of Southeast Asian box turtles that are harvested in Central Kalimantan to supply the traders in Sampit amounts to 19,000–45,000 individuals a year. If the Sampit traders stay within their quotas potential profits are less than USD 400 year−1, compared to up to USD 40,000 year−1 when trading the higher numbers. It is not known how many box turtles are traded by the other three exporters in the province. With the annual harvest quota for all of Indonesia set at less than 15,000 the massive illegal trade as documented in the 1990s and 2000s continues unabated. Assessments of the harvest and trade in Southeast Asian box turtles must consider both the sustainability and legality of this trade.

Smart Partnership in The South: The History of Tanzania-Malaysia Economic Engagements, 1960-2015

The history of Tanzania's and Malaysia's economic interactions and engagements is explored and examined in this paper. It is a qualitative study that examines Tanzania's historical contacts and relationships with Malaysia from 1960 to 2015. It does so using a descriptive and historical-analytical method. Tanzania and Malaysia had historically established very close commercial and cultural relationships with significant Southeast Asian maritime traders before connecting with European international trade from the 15th century onwards. However, the formal political relations between the two countries did not begin to exist until after they had gained their independence and had been successful in forging bonds and reciprocal ties in several political settings and possibilities within the South-South partnership. Between 1980 and 2015, the two countries' relations did, however, shift from a political posture to more economic collaboration. This came about because of Tun Mahathir Muhamad and Mwalimu Julius Nyerere's attempts to commission a South-South commission, which was charged with tackling the economic problems affecting the countries of the southern hemisphere. This example of the growing relations between Tanzania and Malaysia shows how similar ties between and among other southern nations may be beneficial for stronger regional cohesion

Geography, governance, guns: characterising Islamist terrorist sanctuaries in Maritime Southeast Asia (2014 – 2021)

ABSTRACT Sanctuaries are strategic assets that are both the means and end objectives of terrorist groups. Groups with sanctuaries are often more devastating than groups without. Hence, it is critical to investigate the cause of persistent terrorist sanctuaries. The literature on terrorist sanctuaries identified history, geography, and governance as key factors contributing to the persistent terrorist sanctuaries. This article supplements existing arguments by contextualizing history, geography, and governance while discussing the role of terrorist capabilities. Hence, in the context of maritime Southeast Asia, the data suggest that the combination of the geographical features at the Sulu-Celebes Seas, the relationship between Terrorist-Territory-Tribe, and access to firearms significantly improves the group’s ability to hold territory.

Undescribed Diversity in a Widespread, Common Group of Asian Mud Snakes (Serpentes: Homalopsidae: Hypsiscopus)

Mud snakes (Serpentes: Homalopsidae) are a morphologically diverse family of aquatic snakes distributed from eastern Pakistan, eastward through South Asia, mainland and maritime Southeast Asia, and extending to New Guinea and northern Australia. Some species of homalopsids represent the most abundant tetrapods in aquatic systems in tropical Asia, but with few evolutionary studies investigating their diversity with dense geographic and taxonomic sampling. The genus Hypsiscopus includes two named species that inhabit freshwater systems throughout most of Southeast Asia: H. matannensis of Sulawesi, and the widespread H. plumbea found in rivers, lakes, and rice paddies in the remainder of Southeast Asia. We use a multilocus dataset of two mitochondrial and three nuclear genes with dense sampling of H. plumbea to elucidate the evolutionary history of this genus. We find that H. plumbea is paraphyletic with respect to H. matannensis, with populations around and north of Central Thailand's Khorat Plateau phylogenetically outside of a clade containing H. matannensis and H. plumbea south of the Khorat Plateau. This lineage differs morphologically and genetically from H. plumbea sensu stricto (south of the Khorat Plateau) and H. matannensis. We describe this lineage as a third species of Hypsiscopus based on its phylogenetic position and meristic and color pattern data. This study exemplifies the need to investigate widespread, abundant taxa to better understand the evolutionary histories of aquatic snakes in Southeast Asia.

Ethical challenges in genetic research among Philippine Indigenous Peoples: Insights from fieldwork in Zamboanga and the Sulu Archipelago.

The Philippines, with the recent discovery of an archaic hominin in Luzon and an extensive ethnolinguistic diversity of more than 100 Indigenous peoples, is crucial to understanding human evolution and population history in Island Southeast Asia. Advances in DNA sequencing technologies enable the rapid generation of genomic data to robustly address questions about origins, relatedness, and population movements. With the increased genetic sampling in the country, especially by international scientists, it is vital to revisit ethical rules and guidelines relevant to conducting research among Indigenous peoples. Our team led fieldwork expeditions between 2019 and February 2020 in Zamboanga and the Sulu Archipelago, a chain of islands connecting the Mindanao and Borneo landmasses. The trips concluded with a collection of 2,149 DNA samples from 104 field sites. We present our fieldwork experience among the mostly sea-oriented Sama-Bajaw and Tausug-speaking communities and propose recommendations to address the ethical challenges of conducting such research. This work contributes toward building an enabling research environment in the Philippines that respects the rights and autonomy of Indigenous peoples, who are the rightful owners of their DNA and all genetic information contained therein.

Assessment of NAAPS-RA performance in Maritime Southeast Asia during CAMP2Ex

Abstract. Monitoring and modeling aerosol particle life cycle in Southeast Asia (SEA) is challenged by high cloud cover, complex meteorology, and the wide range of aerosol species, sources, and transformations found throughout the region. Satellite observations are limited, and there are few in situ observations of aerosol extinction profiles, aerosol properties, and environmental conditions. Therefore, accurate aerosol model outputs are crucial for the region. This work evaluates the Navy Aerosol Analysis and Prediction System Reanalysis (NAAPS-RA) aerosol optical thickness (AOT) and light extinction products using airborne aerosol and meteorological measurements from the Cloud, Aerosol, and Monsoon Processes Philippines Experiment (CAMP2Ex) conducted in 2019 during the SEA southwest monsoon biomass burning season. Modeled AOTs and extinction coefficients are compared to those retrieved with a high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL-2). Agreement between simulated and retrieved AOT (R2= 0.78, relative bias =-5 %, normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) = 48 %) and aerosol extinction coefficients (R2= 0.80, 0.81, and 0.42; relative bias = 3 %, −6 %, and −7 %; NRMSE = 47 %, 53 %, and 118 % for altitudes between 40–500, 500–1500, and >1500 m, respectively) is quite good considering the challenging environment and few opportunities for assimilations of AOT from satellites during the campaign. Modeled relative humidities (RHs) are negatively biased at all altitudes (absolute bias =-5 %, −8 %, and −3 % for altitudes <500 500–1500 and >1500 m, respectively), motivating interest in the role of RH errors in AOT and extinction simulations. Interestingly, NAAPS-RA AOT and extinction agreement with the HSRL-2 does not change significantly (i.e., NRMSE values do not all decrease) when RHs from dropsondes are substituted into the model, yet biases all move in a positive direction. Further exploration suggests changes in modeled extinction are more sensitive to the actual magnitude of both the extinction coefficients and the dropsonde RHs being substituted into the model as opposed to the absolute differences between simulated and measured RHs. Finally, four case studies examine how model errors in RH and the hygroscopic growth parameter, γ, affect simulations of extinction in the mixed layer (ML). We find NAAPS-RA overestimates the hygroscopicity of (i) smoke particles from biomass burning in the Maritime Continent (MC) and (ii) anthropogenic emissions transported from East Asia. This work mainly provides insight into the relationship between errors in modeled RH and simulations of AOT and extinction in a humid and tropical environment influenced by a myriad of meteorological conditions and particle types. These results can be interpreted and addressed by the modeling community as part of the effort to better understand, quantify, and forecast atmospheric conditions in SEA.

Weather Prediction for Singapore—Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

Singapore is a tiny city-state located in maritime Southeast Asia. Weather systems such as localized thunderstorms, squalls, and monsoon surges bring extreme rainfall to Singapore, influencing the day-to-day conduct of stakeholders in many sectors. Numerical weather prediction models can provide forecast guidance, but existing global models struggle to capture the development and evolution of the small-scale and transient weather systems impacting the region. To address this, Singapore has collaborated with international partners and developed regional numerical weather prediction systems. Steady progress has been made, bringing added value to stakeholders. In recent years, complex earth system and ultra high-resolution urban models have also been developed to meet increasingly diverse stakeholder needs. However, further advancement of weather prediction for Singapore is often hindered by existing challenges, such as the lack of data, limited understanding of underlying processes, and geographical complexities. These may be viewed as opportunities, but are not trivial to address. There are also other opportunities that have remained relatively unexplored over Singapore and the region, such as the integration of earth system models, uncertainty estimation and machine learning methods. These are perhaps key research directions that Singapore should embark on to continue ensuring value for stakeholders.

Star anise from a fifteenth century Indonesian shipwreck

AbstractMaritime trade routes in Southeast Asia date to at least the last millennium BC evidenced by excavations of port‐cities, entrepôts and early coastal polities in Peninsular Thailand, the Mekong Delta and Island Southeast Asia. This trade network intensified over the next millennium and by the fifteenth century, the number of trade goods throughout Medieval Southeast Asia was prolific. The bulk of studied material comprises trade ceramics, particularly in archaeological investigations of shipwreck cargoes which provide information on regional trading patterns. Although ceramic assemblages constitute the bulk of shipwreck cargo, other types of material have also been found, including the spice star anise. In this paper, we focus on the organic contents from two jars found in the Bakau shipwreck dating to the early fifteenth century AD. The finds are significant as this spice (star anise, Illicium verum) is being transported together with items of high value for trade.

Sea Nomads of Southeast Asia: From the Past to the Present ed. by Bérénice Bellina, Roger Blench, and Jean-Christophe Galipaud

Reviewed by: Sea Nomads of Southeast Asia: From the Past to the Present ed. by Bérénice Bellina, Roger Blench, and Jean-Christophe Galipaud Carol Warren Bérénice Bellina, Roger Blench, and Jean-Christophe Galipaud, editors. Sea Nomads of Southeast Asia: From the Past to the Present. Singapore: National University of Singapore Pres, 2021. 383. The Sea Nomads of Southeast Asia: From the Past to the Present offers impressive studies from an array of disciplines—archaeology, anthropology, history, linguistics, genomics—to piece together the longue-durée of "sea nomad" cultures in the Southeast Asian region. There is a striking paradox that peoples so central to the deep history of globalization should find their cultures marginalized in the modern era. The collection of essays grapples with the relative "invisibility" of sea nomad cultures despite rich, although scattered, historical records of sightings and engagements from the 16th century among Western explorers and earlier still in Arabic and Chinese sources. Challenging also for interpretation are substantial differences in the socioeconomic status and political relationships reported in historical and contemporary ethnographic accounts. The weight of evidence amassed in this volume goes some way toward revising the image of sea nomad populations as subordinated minorities within nation-states today. The sea nomads of Southeast Asia are shown in these studies to have contributed to linking together a Maritime Silk Road between South and East Asia in the ancient world and are credited with playing an important role in the earliest phases of the globalization of commerce. At the same time, evidence on the subsistence, trading, craft producing, and political arts of the sea peoples of the region in the historical and archaeological record leaves unresolved the questions of direct relationship with currently identified groups. Case studies in the book cover multiple disciplines focused primarily on the main contemporary "sea nomad" populations—the Moken and Orang Laut off the Malay-Thai-Myanmar coasts and the Sama Bajau who inhabit the waters of eastern Indonesia, Malaysian Borneo, and southern Philippines. Yet much of the piecing together of material deposits from prehistory, recorded encounters, and contemporary ethnographies leave the tacit connections between past and present groups practicing a more or less mobile, boat-dwelling way of life an open question: Is this a cultural adaptation that saw groups and individuals move in and out of lives on the sea? Or has it been an enduring lifeway for distinctive groups whose cultural core revolved around maritime resources and relations that represent a largely intangible cultural heritage? The chapter structure follows a roughly chronological trajectory, including early evidence of maritime movements as sea levels rose during the Pleistocene-Holocene transitional period that expanded the potential for this remarkable adaptation to the coastal cultural-ecological niche. The introductory chapter 1 by editors Bérénice Bellina, Roger Blench, and Jean-Christophe Galipaud sets out the themes around which core archaeological, historical, linguistic, genetic, and ethnographic questions are pursued in the following chapters: How should we understand the "sea nomads" and their relation to the wider traditions of maritime migration and exchange of goods, material, and intangible culture across the region? What are the relationships between mobile, [End Page 225] boat-dwelling ethnic groups of island Southeast Asia and land-based groups of the estuaries and hinterlands? What roles have they played in the evolution of state societies and of the trading polities that mediated state-building among the emerging kingdoms that rose and fell across the region? How did they fit into the network of trading relations between state societies and the "stateless" cultures of the less controllable mountains and seas, who were more or less successful in practicing the arts of "not being governed."1 Chapters 2, 3, and 4, tease out the archaeological evidence on sea peoples in painstaking detail. They will be challenging for those outside the field, however. The technical vocabulary is unfortunately taken for granted and would have proved more accessible to scholars of other disciplines if a detailed glossary had been provided. Nonetheless the inferences drawn from assemblages of implements, pottery, and ornaments offer tantalizing interpretations and points of debate in these efforts to reconstruct a partially "invisible" world of seaborne fishers...

Seeking Dharma Below the Winds: Hindu Particularism in Island Southeast Asia

Seeking Dharma Below the Winds: Hindu Particularism in Island Southeast Asia

Decentering Hegemony and “Open” Orders: Fifteenth-Century Melaka in a World of Orders

Abstract I explain the differences between centered and decentered systems (world orders) by adopting a relational approach to international relations. I argue that centric systems have three characteristics: most meaningful social relations are oriented toward one center; this center establishes the practices governing social relations; and the center recognizes no peers. Conversely, if these attributes are not the chief hallmarks of a social system, then it is decentered. More specifically, I analyze fifteenth-century Melaka to show that simultaneous participation in multiple world orders is a distinct response to hegemony that decenters it. Melaka recognized Ming hegemony but decentered it by also participating in the Persian cosmopolis, and by emerging as a (mini-)center in maritime Southeast Asia. My analysis has two main implications. First, I make the case for “open” orders—multiple, (partially) overlapping orders as viable and long-lasting systems—in contrast to the realist and liberal logics of orders of exclusion/inclusion. Second, this has implications for contemporary Southeast Asian “choices” in the context of the US–China rivalry as these states are likely to “openly” participate in the American and Chinese world orders simultaneously instead of choosing between them. My relational perspective rooted in global history argues against treating historical East Asia as “closed” for such a view is prone to both Sinocentrism and Eurocentrism. Instead, I emphasize the pivotal role played by Melaka—that pursued the strategy of attraction to manage its unequal world—and make the case for “open” orders without flattening power hierarchies or cultural differences.

Origins of Polynesian Pigs Revealed by Mitochondrial Whole Genome Ancient DNA

Simple SummaryRetracing the ancient human migration routes in the remote islands of the Pacific relies on robust models of the origins and spread of animals that were commensal to long-distance ocean voyages. Domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) in Polynesia belong to a rare mitochondrial DNA group whose geographic origins are disputed. We report new complete genome ancient DNA that suggests all founding populations of pigs in Polynesia, first settled by people about 2800–700 years ago, can be traced back to northern peninsular Southeast Asia.Domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) were first transported to Polynesia through a series of long-distance voyages ultimately linked to the Neolithic expansion of Austronesian-speaking people out of Asia. The descendants of the founding pigs belong to a rare mtDNA group referred to as the “Pacific Clade” that may have originated in peninsular or island Southeast Asia. We report the first whole genome mtDNA from domestic pigs from any of the remote islands of the Pacific. In this brief report, we describe the close link we discovered between ancient mtDNA from archaeological specimens from across Polynesia and from that of modern pigs in northern peninsular Southeast Asia, specifically southern China’s Yunnan Province. More complete mtDNA coverage in commensal animals is necessary to improve our picture of the settlement of Polynesia (ca. 2800–700 years before the present) and specify the route, or routes, that pigs took from northern peninsular Southeast Asia.