WHY STUDY PREHISTORY?
Humanity and culture did not appear suddenly in recent times. Both have evolved for long periods of time and have their deep roots in the remote past, i.e., prehistoric times. Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this reality and neglect the knowledge of prehistoric ways of life. Whereas, studying prehistoric life will allow us to know ‘who we are, where we are from, and the direction we are going to go’.
Prehistory may provide us with knowledge from which we can learn about the history of human beings as well as the wisdom they possessed in the past. Such knowledge may in fact be well worth considering even in the modern world. For these reasons, prehistoric remains cannot be left as muted evidence of the past or merely as fashionable, unique artifacts in museum displays.
On the contrary, prehistoric remains should be seen as ‘living legacies’ which are potentially able to furnish explanations about the dynamics of the past and other human phenomena, especially the Austronesian phenomenon. It is only in this way that we can make prehistory meaningful and relevant to the present.
The various forms of prehistoric remains are indeed important for the development of science as well as the building of nation-states. These remains are believed to contain and may reflect many aspects of the human past, including wisdom, philosophy and cultural values which may be beneficial and relevant to the present day as inspiration, model, and even cultural identity. The courage to sail the vast oceans and to explore new frontiers, the wisdom in living harmoniously with nature, the great achievements of ancient technology, and the good judgment of external cultural influences are only a few examples which may be taken from prehistory.