You will find stone statues all over Sulawesi, Indonesia. Although none are as big as the famous megaliths of Easter Island, the Sulawesi stone figures are just as intriguing. Fourteen of them have been discovered in the grassy plains of Bada Valley, central Sulawesi.
To see the megaliths, guidebooks warn of days of trekking into a remote part of the island. Surrounded by mountain ranges, many settlements here are linked only by horse trails and footpaths. My mate and I were undeterred. The idea of seeing these ancient carvings was just too hard to ignore.
So early one morning we left the town of Rantepao in southern Sulawesi crammed in a jeep with two other couples. It was a gruelling eight-hour trip, made bearable only by the forested mountain views. We spent the night in a losmen (guesthouse) in Pendolo, an idyllic village on the edge of enchanting Lake Poso. This lake is so big that if you stand on its shore, all you see is water; it is like the sea.
The next day, a ferry brought us to Tentena, a village on the other side of the lake. At our losmen we found a guide for the trip. We were initially sceptical about Karel who appeared to be well into his 50s but all doubts vanished when he produced a map and confidently laid out the plans for our four-day trek.
To see the scattered megaliths of Bada Valley, Karel said we would walk the whole way and sleep in village houses.
The next thing was to get provisions. Karel bought rice, onions, potatoes, cabbage, eggs, flour, instant noodles, coffee and sugar. He must have noticed our concern as we stared disbelievingly at the growing number of bundles. He quickly assured us: “Don’t worry. I carry them. You just take your own things.” Phew!
We set off on our adventure the next day. Our destination was Bomba, the main town in Bada Valley. The journey in a four wheel-drive took four hours because we were slowed down by muddy tracks, shoddy bridges, police blockades and engine problems. During the rainy season, the road is impassable and the trip can take three days.
We began our quest the moment we arrived in Bomba. The walk took us through coconut groves and villages with quaint wooden houses. Right in the middle of the neatly parcelled padi field was our first megalith. It caught us completely by surprise; we even stepped on it thinking it was just a rock until Karel alerted us.
Slim and long, the boulder had facial features carved on one end. It laid half submerged in water, surrounded by stalks of padi, and looked like a water buffalo. No wonder the locals call it Baula or buffalo. The statue is askew because according to local lore, its owner, angry at having lost a pig, kicked it down.
About a kilometre away from this statue was another named Tinoe. Bigger and upright, the statue represented a deity of fertility. We saw several other megaliths that day. One was short and squat, hence the name Oba (monkey). It was in the middle of a field.
Remnants of an ancient culture, the megaliths vary in height from 1m to over 4m. They represent the human form but have oversized heads and are legless. Resembling abstract art, the carvings are minimalistic and highly stylised – curved lines are all that define the facial features.
Some megaliths have arms curving towards the abdomen, others have oversized genitalia.
Our trek took us past village houses with well-tended gardens. It was serene and peaceful. Children were generous with their hellos and insisted on walking alongside us – very unlike the children who hounded us for bon-bons in Ujung Pandang and Rantepao .
Near a stream, we met a woman and a girl, carrying wooden basins not unlike the dulang once used here to pan for tin. “They are looking for gold,” explained Karel.
It seems panning for gold is a major activity in these parts as nuggets wash down the rivers from the mountains. Curiosity piqued, we asked if they had found any that day. The girl nodded and unfolded a tiny parcel of shiny beads. Excited at our very first sight of “raw” gold we offered to buy it. After some haggling, we paid Rp20,000 (RM20) for the lot.
We spent the night in a farmer’s shed. A raised platform served as a bed and sitting place. In the middle of the shed was a fireplace for cooking. When Karel got the fire going to prepare dinner, it smoked up the whole shed. But we were glad for the fire because the night was chilly.
The next morning, we awoke to the delicious smell of pancakes. Yes, our knowledgeable guide was also an able cook. The day saw more walking and megaliths. We were thankful that we had a guide. Locating the megaliths on our own would have been impossible as they were scattered all over the valley and there were no signs or proper trails leading to them.
The surrounding greenery and mist-shrouded mountains made an impressive backdrop for the rugged stone figures. While most of the megaliths are still upright, many have fallen down or lie in shallow streams; their massive faces and unblinking eyes covered in mud and leaves. Others sit forgotten in rice fields, hidden amid the long grass.
One megalith, which locals call Loga (relieved heart), stands askew on a hill. She is said to be gazing longingly at her husband, a statue placed some distance away, who was sentenced to death for adultery.
Large stone vats called Kalamba are another remnant of the megalithic culture. Often found near the megaliths, they are believed to be burial jars.
We walked between 20km and 28km every day. Our blistered feet hurt, but the fascinating encounters with locals and seeing their way of life helped distract us from the pain.
In one village, we tried husking padi the traditional way, by beating the grains with a long stick. At Langkeka, we chanced upon a woman making bark cloth. Having little contact with outsiders, the people here still wear bark cloth.
To make the cloth, strips of bark that have been soaked for days are beaten with a grooved wooden baton till the fibres come together. The cloth is then dyed and dried. The woman said she takes two weeks to finish a piece of bark cloth which she sells for Rp60,000 (RM60).
That afternoon, Karel arranged for us to have lunch in a farmer’s house. Our banana leaf lunch contained an odd combination of rice and spicy instant noodles. We guessed that in this far-flung part of Sulawesi, factory-produced goods like instant noodles are prized commodities.
We sipped fragrant coffee – the farmer roasted and ground the beans himself – while enjoying a tasty dessert of young coconut meat with a sprinkle of palm sugar. For that meal, all the farmer asked for was some medicine – again, a prized item here – for headaches and stomach aches. We gladly traded our limited supply of Panadol and Entox.
After a hearty lunch, we got ready for our last megalith – Palindo. At over 4m tall, it is the biggest and best-preserved of all the megaliths. Indeed, Karel had saved the best for last. The imposing stone figure towered over us, its round eyes giving no hint of its history. Some locals say Palindo represents Tosaloge, the first mythological inhabitant of the nearby village of Sepe. In the past, villagers presented offerings to him before embarking on an enterprise.
The origin of these stone statues remain a mystery. No one knows who made them, when or why. No tools were found. The megaliths are estimated to date back to AD1300 and are believed to be the remants of a 2,000-year-old megalithic tradition which was once spread across Indonesia and Indochina.
In fact, the Sulawesi megaliths resemble stone figures found on Cheju island in Korea. Called harubay, these statues are believed to ward off evil spirits.
There are various explanations for the Sulawesi megaliths. Some locals believe they were used in ancestral worship or may have had something to do with human sacrifice. One legend says they were criminals turned into stone. Interestingly, all the megaliths are made from a type of stone not found in the area.
After two days of exploring the valley, it was time to leave. The next morning, after a delicious breakfast of pisang goreng (banana fritters), we headed for the village of Moa. The walk took us through the lush rainforest of Lore Lindu National Park.
That night, we again stayed in a farmer’s hut. It had only one room and we felt guilty that the farmer’s family had to vacate it for us.
In this remote region, villagers have to be self-sufficient. The farmer makes his own cooking oil by simmering coconut milk until oil floats to the top.
In this relatively untouched part of Sulawesi, there is no such thing as piped water. So, we had to bathe in rivers. After a full day of walking, it was invigorating to just lie in a stream and let the cold water wash over our aching limbs.
We continued our journey on the forest trail to Gimpu. The last 8km of our walk was tough because it was on a gravel road and in the hot sun with no shade.
Eventually we managed to catch a ride on a passing 4WD that took us into the town of Palu. This marked the end of our exciting and rewarding journey.
Credit: Dawn
