| Abstract: |
The rock paintings of Muna Island first became the subject of research by Indonesias National Research Centre of Archaeology in Jakarta, Indonesia, almost 40 years ago. Since then, a large assortment of images has been documented, the majority of which are done using brown pigment. The rock art includes figurative motifs such as anthropomorphs, zoomorphs, sun and boat imagery, sometimes in active scenes like hunting and sailing, as well as non-figurative motifs. In 2005, the first observations of negative hand stencils on Muna Island were made at Gua Pominsa by the Makassar Archaeology Office. In 2015, more negative hand stencils were recorded at two further Muna Island sites (Gua Mentanduno and Gua Kabori) by the Directorate of Cultural Property Preservation and Museums, and in 2016 a new site with parietal art (Gua Lakan Taghu) was discovered. Analysis of the Muna Island boat imagery documents the depiction of five propulsion methods, providing an insight into the navigation technology of Muna Islands Austronesian inhabitants. These new developments in rock art research on Muna Island are described here, expanding the catalogue and contributing to a wider understanding of Island Southeast Asian rock art.
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