The
Sarawak River Delta is the major site where thousands of ceramic sherds
have been discovered and excavated since 1948. Most of them dated
from 11th to the 13th Century A.D. Majority of course originated form
the motherland of ceramics, China, and also some from Thailand, Vietnam,
Japan and Europe. |
The
discovery of ceramics provides the evidence that this coastal area
was once an important trading centre as early as at 11th century A.D.
where traders from China, India and other neighbouring countries began
to arrive in Borneo to trade. champor, beeswax, birds’ nests, hornbill
ivory and other exotic products are traded for textiles,
beads, ceramic and brassware. |
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The
earliest indigenous ceramics were found and excavated from the West
Mouth site in the Niah Great Cave. These ceramics are plain and undecorated
large jars or urns, bottles and other special funerary vessel with
round and globular body. All are coarse-tempered earthenware, handmoulded,
thick bodied and low fired. A previous study by Barbarra Harrison
concluded that most of the ceramic vessels were in connection with
the Neolithic burials either as containers for cremation or as funerary
gifts. |
It
was once a tradition of the Melanau community that when a Melanau
died, the body was dressed and laid out in the house. A blue and white
plate was put under the head, while smaller ceramic plates were placed
under the hands and feet. Placed near the body were some brass objects
and a string of ancient blue glass beads
was then tied around the wrist. A few days later, the body was taken
out of the house and kept outside for a minimum period of a year.
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This
is where the large jar came into the picture. The bones were then
collected and placed inside the jar. The rest of the plates, bowls
and beads were then buried as the gravegoods with the jar containing
the bones. |
All
the excavated artifacts have formed an important source of material
for study in the Sarawak Museum and they are classified into nine
major classes based on their glaze colour and clay body (texture).
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White wares:
sherds with basically white colour, although varying from grey-white
to green- white, in many cases and including Ch‚ing-pai, Ying-ch’ing
and “Marco Polo ware” |
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Yueh types:
sherds with a thin putty-green to blue or grey-green in many
instances resemble the Yueh ware described by Gompertz |
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Celadons:
sherds with a thick olive to blue-green glaze of the type usually
associated with the Sung Dynasty Lung-ch’uan kilns |
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Temmoku:
sherds from bowls with a very dark brown or black glaze, often
called “temmoku”, and like the Chin–yao bowls from Fukien |
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Green glazed wares:
sherds with a thin bright glaze which contains lead |
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T’zu Chou wares:
sherds of the ware usually termed T’zu Chou, with decoration
in dark and/or light slip under plain or green glaze |
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Coarse stoneware include
sherds of coarse stoneware from very large jars to smaller,
but still coarse jars and jugs |
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Siamese wares:
mainly sherds of Sawankhalok celadon thick plates and dishes,
decorated with incised or carved decoration under the glaze
and with burnt reddish brown on the foot |
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Blue and white
wares: sherds with transparent glaze
bluish tone, undulating slow flow containing a haze minute,
almost invisible bubbles and the body greyish white translucent
porcelain |
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Throughout the
centuries, in association with the trade ceramics found in excavation
sites in Sarawak River Delta, there is a strong evidence that the
indigenous people of Sarawak later made their own domestic ceramics.
It has also indirectly contributed to the development of Sarawak
pottery industry.
This wide range
of ceramic collections has been put on display in Sarawak
Museum (Dewan Tun Abdul Razak). They are among the main attractions
of the museum to the public and tourists. Because of its popular
demand, the collection’s catalogue and some local ceramics are produced
and sold in the Museum Shoppe.
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