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Prehistoric skeletons reveal local history
Old bones: A visitor looks at a replica of a prehistoric female skeleton at the Oluhuta site in Gorontalo in an exhibition at Gorontalo Mall
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span class="inline inline-center">Old bones: A visitor looks at a replica of a prehistoric female skeleton at the Oluhuta site in Gorontalo in an exhibition at Gorontalo Mall. Twelve prehistoric human skeletons have been found in Oluhuta village, Kabila Bone district, Bone Bolango regency, Gorontalo. JP/Syamsul Huda M. Suhari
After conducting a series of studies, archeologists at the North Sulawesi Archeological Center have unveiled their findings on the life history of 12 prehistoric human skeletons discovered in an excavation between 2004 and 2010 in Oluhuta village, Kabila Bone district, Bone Bolango regency, Gorontalo.
One of the female skeletons indicated a life of hard manual labor, perhaps characteristic of women in the region during the prehistoric era.
A researcher at the North Sulawesi Archeological Center, Irna Saptaningrum, told The Jakarta Post that the woman's spine was deformed, believed to be due to sustained, strenuous physical activity.
'She probably worked too hard and lifted heavy objects during her lifetime,' said Irna over the phone.
Of the 12 skeletons, only the female was exhumed and taken intact to the North Sulawesi Archeological Center in Manado for study. A replica made of the skeleton was exhibited at the Archeological Exhibition in Gorontalo in June last year.
The 11 other skeletons have been reburied at the Oluhuta site, located around 20 kilometers from Gorontalo city.
Among the skeletons is a male believed to be aged between 30 and 40 years old with a deformity in the left arm. Some of the skeletons are believed to be of children aged between 14 and 16 years old.
Irna, who was involved in the excavation, estimated the skeletons dated back to between 1300 and 700 BC.
'So far, it can be said that the Oluhuta site is part of the discovery of the first prehistoric human society in Gorontalo,' said Irna.
Several artifacts were also found at the site ' located in the middle of a residential area ' including remnants of iron castings, axes and earthenware fragments. Researchers have determined the objects were used for daily activities and for rituals.
Irna explained that some of the artifacts, such as an oval-shaped stone axe, are thought to have been used in a funeral ritual.
She said that the items were found along with the buried bodies, indicating the people had a belief system in which such items would ensure prosperity for the dead in the afterlife.
When discovered, the skeletons were found buried in a line with their legs facing to the east and heads to the west in the direction of a nearby mountain, which was considered a home of ancestral spirits.
Irna went on to say that Sulawesi was along a migration route for humans and animals in the Asia Pacific in the past.
A number of historical sites on the island, including the Oluhuta dig, have traces of culture and heritage characteristic of other Austronesian cultures, spread by the people of Madagascar, the Pacific islands and Formosa in the north.
Separately, Gorontalo cultural observer and sociologist Alim S. Niode said the Wadda Kingdom once existed in the region. The kingdom, known to be the first in Gorontalo, was founded during the pre-Islamic period around the 9th century.
According to Alim, although Gorontalo had been adhering to a patriarchal culture, three women named Moliye I, II and III had ruled the Limboto Kingdom between the 15th and 17th century.
Queen Moliye II and her husband King Wolanga had expanded their power up to the Tomini Bay area, now part of Central Sulawesi province.
'It remains unclear whether the Moliye family was from the nobility or common people, but obviously, the leaders in Gorontalo were not chosen based on royal descent, rather on leadership capacity, so commoners also had the right to rule if they were deemed able,' said Alim.
