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History - Ancient Times

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	Ancient Times  Colonialism & Independence  Newer History Indonesia did not exist as yet during the Paleocene period (70 million years BC), the Eocene period (30 million years BC), the Oligacene period (25 million years BC) and the Miocene period (12 million years BC). Indonesia must have existed during the Pleistocene period (4 million years BC) when it was linked with the present Asian mainland. Fossils of "Java Man" (Pithecanthropus Erectus) which date back some 500,000 years, were discovered near the village of Trinil in East Java by Dr. Eugene Dubois in 1809. This discovery was followed by other finds in later years which are evidence of Java's earliest inhabitants. Major migration movements to the Indonesian archipelago have been traced as far back as 3,000- 500 B.C. These first migrants were of Mongoloid stock from China and Tonkin and have been credited with introducing new Stone, Bronze and Iron Age cultures as well as the Austronesian language. The existence of an ancient civilization in North Sulawesi is shown by the presence of the waruga stone sarcophagi, the oldest reportedly dating back as far as 900AD. Indonesia came under the influence of a mighty Indian civilization through the gradual influx of Indian traders in the first century A.D., when great Hindu and Buddhist empires were beginning to emerge. By the seventh century, the powerful Buddhist Kingdom of Sriwijaya was expanding and it is thought that during this period the spectacular Borobudur Buddhist sanctuary was built in Central Java. Moslem merchants from Gujarat and Persia began visiting Indonesia in the 13th Century and established trade links between this country and India and Persia. Along with trade, they propagated Islam among the Indonesian people, particularly along the coastal areas of Java, like Demak. At a later stage they even influenced and converted Hindu kings to Islam, the first being the Sultan of Demak. This Moslem Sultan later spread Islam westwards to Cirebon and Banten, and eastward along the northern coast of Java to the kingdom of Gresik. In the end, he brought the downfall of the powerful kingdom of Majapahit (1293-1520). By the 16th century, a powerful Muslim empire had developed on the Malay Peninsula, with its center at Melaka (Malacca). North Sulawesi and the Minahasa people there never developed any large empire. In 670 AD the leaders of the different tribes, who all spoke different languages, met by a stone known as Watu Pinabetengan. There they founded a community of independent states, who should stay together and fight any outside enemies if they were attacked. In their search for spices, the Portuguese arrived in Indonesia in 1511, after their conquest of the Islamic Empire of Malacca. They were followed by the Spaniards. Both began to propagate Christianity and were most successful in Minahasa/North Sulawesi and Maluku, also known as the Moluccas. However, it wasn't until the arrival of the Dutch that Christianity became the predominant religion of North Sulawesi. Sources: Sejarah Indonesia - An Online Time-Line of Indonesia Indonesia Tourism Images of Indonesia - Sulawesi		North Sulawesi - Myths of Origin Toar and Lumimuut By Peter J.M. Nas Published in Reimar Schefold (ed.), Minahasa: Past and Present, CNWS, Leiden, 1995, pp. 58-71. "The mother was very handsome. Her name was Lumimuut and she was descended from the gods. Her beauty was fascinating and eternal youth her portion. And her son, named Toar, who had become a young man, left her to explore the world. At their farewell she presented him with a staff of equal length to hers. And she entreated him not to marry any of his relatives and therefore never to propose to a woman who was in possession of a staff of the same length. After many years and long journeys the son returned. He met a beautiful woman, whom he desired to marry. In her he did not recognize his mother who had indeed remained eternally young, while she did not assume that this full-grown man was her son. Before entering into marriage, mindful of the wish of his mother when he had left her, the son laid his staff alongside that of his bride for comparison. Because of intensive use during his travels, however, his staff had been greatly worn down and was no longer of the same length. So there was nothing to prevent the marriage of the ancestors of the Minahasa people." To the people of Sangihe-Talaud, their origins are closely related to the legend known as Modunde: "There was a barren island, known today as Siau Island. To this island came a young, handsome and brave boy by the name of Medunde, supposedly on the back of a huge eagle, which in the Sangihe language is called gaghuda. There were nine springs on this island. At these springs, Medunde saw nine beautiful sisters taking a bath. On seeing them, Medunde tried to approach them. However, as soon as the girls heard his footsteps, they disappeared into the sky. One day, the girls returned and bathed at the same pools. When the girls were dressing Medunde began to play music on an instrument made of bamboo, a kind of trumpet called bansi. The girls were surprised to hear the sound. Simultaneously, they gathered their clothes and flew away. However, the youngest sister was seduced by that sound. To make a long story short, the young man and the girl fell in love and got married. Their children are said to be the original ancestors of the present people of Sangihe-Talaud." (These nine springs still exist on Siau Island and are located between Ulu and Ondong. They used to be visited by married woman who wish to have children. The name of Siau island is taken from the nine springs, ake sio.)
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