Dilail Abimanyu spoke with one of the archeologists team member, Hendri Kaharudin, a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University.
Hendri said that archaeology is studying ancient humans through the remains of objects, such as food remains, artifacts, or tools they used.
To reach Australia, they (Indigenous Australians) have to go through Indonesia, because there is no other way.Hendri Kaharudin, Indonesian Archaeologist
He said that long time ago, there were two shelfs, Sunda or commonly known as Sundaland. And the other one is the Sahul shelf.
He explained that millions of years ago, two continental shelves existed: Sunda, often referred to as Sundaland, and Sahul.
Sundaland encompasses Southeast Asia, including Java, Sumatra, Bali, and Borneo. Sahul comprises Australia and Papua. Historically, these shelves were never connected, with a group of islands called Wallacea separating them.
Hendri cited Alfred Russel Wallace’s observation that despite Australia and Indonesia being relatively close, their animal life is vastly different compared to the dissimilarities between Europe and America, which are separated by thousands of kilometers.
Gua Elivavan menjadi salah satu lokasi penggalian arkeologi ANU. Source: Supplied / Hendri Kaharudin
Hendri emphasized that these are estimations, as the migration process spanned thousands of years. He suggested that ancient populations often left their original homes due to overcrowding or resource depletion.
In the Tanimbar Islands, Hendri discovered evidence of seafaring and navigational skills dating back 42,000 years.
The archipelago's location and the diverse origins of its inhabitants support this finding. Notably, some Tanimbar communities have traced their roots back to Papua, indicating a reverse migration from Papua to the Wallacea region.
