Study [...]]]> Sometimes a story appears that is so stupid, so inane, that you just have to rant about it. The Malaysian Insider, an online newspaper, today published a story about how some archaeologists have claimed through their “scientific” studies that they have traced the lineage of humankind to the proto-Malay race. This is total bull.

Study claims human race came from Proto-Malays
The Malaysian Insider, 20 January 2012

Be warned, the opening paragraphs are already quite a riot:

Archaeological and genetic research suggests that ancient Proto-Malays who lived in the Sunda Shelf were the ancestors of the human race.

In a video presentation at the conference on the origin of the Malay race here, conference deputy chairwoman Zaharah Sulaiman explained how inhabitants on the Sunda Shelf survived the Toba super-volcanic eruption 75,000 years ago.

She added that the group, having left Africa, was forced to migrate to other parts of the world 25,000 years ago due to global warming, which she said caused floods that divided the Sunda Shelf into islands.

Some clarification of terms are in order here. The Proto-Malays are one of three classifications of the Orang Asli, or the aboriginal people of Peninsular Malaysia, the other two being the Semang/Negritos and the Senoi. These classifications, which encompass the some 18 tribes or aboriginal groups in the peninsula are based on language and customs. Note that the classifications are based on not on genetics, but fairly mutable traits such as language – which can be learned. There have already been published studies about the genetic lineages of indigenous groups in Southeast Asia (see here and here) and that latter paper suggests that the Semang have the deepest ancestry in Peninsular Malaysia. This new claim that the Proto-Malays have a lineage that go back 75,000 years is quite controversial, and frankly unbelievable. If it is true, then where’s the data?

The story later quotes Dr Zafarina Zaifuddin, who has claimed to trace a “pure Malay lineage” through DNA, and that “Malays have genetics which originate from Malay land”. I wonder how this is done, since genetic populations are ordered around haplogroups (either Y-chromosome or mtDNA) , which are labelled with letters, not ethnic groups. The fact is, “Malay” and “Proto-Malay” are cultural definitions, and you cannot simply ascribe DNA groupings to either. The assertion that Proto-Malays can be defined as a genetic group that eventually populated the world makes as much sense as the equation Π + elephant = [The Complete Works of Shakespeare].

Yes, populated the world – and thus the origin to the entire human race is the other part of the story. Here this claim flies in the face of a mountain of fossil evidence showing the movement of anatomically modern humans out of Africa over the last 200,000 years. The reference to floods causing the creation of islands in the Sunda shelf is also amusing. Anyone with a basic knowledge of the palaeoenvironment would know flooding doesn’t quite capture the situation of rising and falling of sea levels due to temperature fluctuations during the glacial and interglacial periods.

With such outlandish claims, and a RM1.4 million (about US$400,000) grant backing this research, I should really expect to see a publication in a major journal out of this. I’m not getting my hopes up though.

The key to understanding these incredulous claims may not be evident to people unfamiliar with the politics of Malaysia. Malaysia’s politics is dominated by tensions between the ethnic Malay majority and other minority groups such as the Chinese and Indians. The ethnic Malays dominate the political sphere, and in recent decades there has been a disquieting trend towards an ideology of Malay supremacy. It is interesting to note that the conference in this story was opened by a known Malay supremacist. In this light, this is really a story of the state using archaeology (actually, junk science) to promote an ideology.

Macassan history and heritage: Building understanding of journeys, encounters and influences Institute for Professional Practice in Heritage & the Arts The Australian National University 9-10 February 2012

This professional [...]]]> The Australian National University is hosting a symposium on the cross-cultural links between traders from Makassar in Sulawesi with northern Australia, including recent archaeological research.

Macassan history and heritage: Building understanding of journeys, encounters and influences
Institute for Professional Practice in Heritage & the Arts
The Australian National University
9-10 February 2012

This professional update symposium will examine the history and heritage of the Macassan trepangers who made the long and sometimes dangerous journey from the port city of Makassar in southern Sulawesi to the northern Australia Arnhem Land and the Kimberley coasts. These voyages date back to at least 1700s and there is new evidence to suggest that the Macassan sailing vessels were visiting northern Australia even earlier.

This event will review inter-disciplinary perspectives on the maritime journeys of the Macassans, as well as their encounters with Indigenous communities in the north. The ongoing impact and significance of these connections in the spheres of language, society and culture will be addressed. This professional update symposium provides an opportunity for people working in government, cultural institutions and academia to hear from leader experts about the current state of knowledge on this fascinating topic.

Click here for more information.

Siem Reap Conference on Special Topics in Khmer Studies Religious Studies in Cambodia: Understanding the Old and Tracing the New 9-10 June 2012 Siem Reap

http://www.ucd.ie/archaeology/euraseaa14/

The Chinese University of Hong Kong 4th Annual Postgraduate Student Forum Asian Anthropology: Materiality, Movement, and Change 9 – 10 December 2011

The Department of Anthropology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, invites graduate students in Asia and elsewhere to present their current research at the 4th Annual [...]]]> Deadline for the paper proposals in October 1.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong
4th Annual Postgraduate Student Forum
Asian Anthropology: Materiality, Movement, and Change
9 – 10 December 2011

The Department of Anthropology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, invites graduate students in Asia and elsewhere to present their current research at the 4th Annual Postgraduate Student Forum. The theme for this year’s conference is, “Asian Anthropology: Materiality, Movement, and Change.”

Hong Kong is a global city, a major node for trade, investment, and the exchange of ideas. The Postgraduate Student Forum seeks to encourage communication among young anthropologists in and of the Asian region, to help improve their research and to make the excellent research being conducted in Asia better known internationally.

Full details here.

Ancient Silk Trade Routes – Cross Cultural Exchange and Legacy in Southeast Asia 27–28 October 2011 Singapore Management University Registration details here As key nodes that connected ancient silk routes traversing China, Japan and India, [...]]]> Readers in Singapore may be interested in this conference held at the Singapore Management University. Registration closes 15 September.

Ancient Silk Trade Routes – Cross Cultural Exchange and Legacy in Southeast Asia
27–28 October 2011
Singapore Management University
Registration details here

As key nodes that connected ancient silk routes traversing China, Japan and India, trading hubs, towns and cities in Java and Sumatra and other places in SE Asia were key destination points for merchants, monks and other itinerants plying these routes.

Recent archaeological excavations in countries bordering the South China Sea and around the Indian Ocean unveiled remarkable similarities in artifacts recovered both on land and from the sea. The similarities underlined the many facets of regional exchanges and cross-cultural influences among people and places in these networks. Some of the findings indicate a distinct Chinese presence in the commercial, social and religious activities of these early SE Asian trading posts.

This symposium explores several threads arising from this regional exchange of goods and ideas, in particular, the cross-cultural dimensions of the exchanges. The agenda for the symposium is as follows:

The Textile Trade – The Silk Road not only facilitated commerce, but also brought about exchanges of art and culture. Speakers will discuss the cultural contexts embedded in the textiles as well as interpretations regarding lifestyles and aesthetic orientations of the various ethnic groups;

The Ceramic Routes – Maritime trade routes have been closely associated with the transport of ceramics, and recent marine archaeological investigations in the waters of South East Asia have provided better understanding of the routes, scale and characteristics of this trade;

The Trading Hubs – Research has opened up new paradigms in the interpretation and study of the complex links between insular and mainland SE Asia and their larger South and East Asian neighbours. This panel will discuss recent works on trade exchanges, port polities, settlement patterns and maritime networks;

Arts & Artifacts – This thread explores cross-cultural influences as manifested in forms, motifs, manufacture and materials in works of art. This Panel will discuss the cultural transformation of Buddhist arts in China as a study of the cross-cultural exchange and the multifaceted outcomes, from aesthetics to lifestyles, language and government policies;

Religion – This thread will examine the impact of the cross-cultural exchanges on the development of Esoteric Buddhism. Excavations in Xi’an, China have discovered another thread in this network, underlining the link between SE Asia and Esoteric Buddhism of China and Japan as monks from these countries sojourned in Java or Sumatra on their way to or back from India. Researchers and academics from countries which were part of this ancient network will also explore and discuss diverse and alternative perspectives and interpretations of the iconographs at Borobodur.

Conference on Maritime Archaeology 18 June 2011 ACM Empress Place, Ngee Ann Auditorium

This timely conference examines best practice in maritime archaeology in Southeast Asia and beyond. Comprising panel presentations and discussions, speakers will talk about a range [...]]]> Readers in Singapore may be interested in this conference at the Asian Civilisations Museum next week.

Conference on Maritime Archaeology
18 June 2011
ACM Empress Place, Ngee Ann Auditorium

This timely conference examines best practice in maritime archaeology in Southeast Asia and beyond. Comprising panel presentations and discussions, speakers will talk about a range of strategies including legislation, funding, capacity-building, scholarship, and preservation. The conference hopes to discuss recommendations for archaeology in Southeast Asia.

Co-chaired by Alan Chong, Director, Asian Civilisations Museum and Julian Raby, Director, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, contributors include practising archaeologists and heritage professionals from Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe.

The conference is organised by the Asian Civilisations Museum, in conjunction with the exhibition, Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds