DONG-SON CULTURE

And he goes on to say: "If the drum was brought to Pedjeng. possibly from Java or an area to the cast of Alor (where smaller specimens dating from mere or less modern times were used in bride purchases, and where some of them were imported by the Chinese at a comparatively recent date) then the opinion expressed above about the old drums is valid with regard to both districts. Thee assumption that the 'Moon of Bali' may have been brought to Pedjeng in historic times, that is to say, in the course of Hindu-Indonesian history, cannot be entirely dismissed."

This does no, mean that it is ipso facto excluded that ancient kettledrums found in Indonesia were also mad- there. It should merely be stressed that one cannot be certain about this point. The use of these drums on Alor Island, north of Timor, referred to in the passage quoted is a clear example of the persistent way in which certain ceremonial objects have remained in use to the present day. Their use on Nias Island, where megaliths still play ail important role, has already been noted.

It is worth drawing attention to the representation of figures on certain drums from the region in which the Dong-Son Culture originated. Victor Goloubew has examined these in his Study 'L’age du bronze au Tonkin et dans le Nord Annam'. On the drumhead of a kettledrum preserved at Hanoi are represented strikingly attired figures, apparently performing a dance. Amongst them are men with. Axes of asymmetrical shape. The depicts a ceremony .at which drums were probably also used. The most Interesting thing is that the typical decorations permit comparison with a very similar dance which is still performed today on the Mentawei Islands off the west coast of Sumatra.

info"+---++