Mark Anthony R.

Faune
Arkiyoloji 1 - WFX

Barkcloth beater of Arku Cave

The Neolithic Period is characterized by improvements in human technology from

the Paleolithic Period and is a clear cut evolution from the Paleolithic way of creating,
manufacturing and development of tools as well as other requirements for their survival.
The differences between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic spans from how tools are
manufactured to how the lifestyle of humans changed. This transition is also known as
the Neolithic Revolution, which shows that human cultures have changed their lifestyle
from being hunters and gatherers and moved on to becoming an agricultural settlement.
Because of said transition, new methods and tools were developed. Tools for farming,
weaving, cultivating and other agricultural functions were invented and consistently
perfected. As a consequence, socioeconomic changes and transitions took place and
changed the landscape of human progress (Ashraf and Michalopoulos 1-2).
In the Philippines, the Neolithic culture can be observed from archaeological
excavations in Cagayan. The Callao limestone formation found in Cagayan is made up
of caves and rock shelters; at the central part of this formation is Arku Cave. This cave
serves as a transition between the Cagayan Valley and Sierra Madre Mountains, and is
located in Penablanca, Cagayan. From 2200 to 50 B.C., Arku Cave was used as a
burial cave (Thiel). An excavation was carried out in the site by Barbara Thiel from
September to November 1976. The excavation was carried out by dividing the natural
soil layers into 15 to 20 cm arbitrary levels. The 9-week excavations yielded the
discovery of different artifacts including lingling-o, shell ornaments, earrings, human and
animal remains, clay artifacts, adzes and a sandstone barkcloth beater.
The excavation yielded a particular lone artifact, the barkcloth beater. The
sandstone barkcloth beater was found in Level 4, which is 74 cm, along with bones,
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sherds, a spindle whorl, a jade earring, beads and a piece of charred bamboo. The
beater has a projection and a groove on opposite ends, and the sides has six (6)
parallel ridges, 3 to 4 mm high and are 5 mm apart, and has twenty-two (22) parallel
ridges, 1 mm high and are 1.5 mm apart, on the other side (Thiel 258). The barkcloth
beater of Arku Cave is unique because of the presence of the projection for hafting on a
two-sided beater, as aforementioned (Thiel 262). The hafting may be used for a more
effective leverage when in use. Some barkcloth beaters from other countries share
similarities in the morphology of the beater but not entirely.
In Dingmo, Bubin basin, Guangxi, China a barkcloth beater was excavated in
situ. The beater was trapezoidal in shape with a rectangular beater face, which contains
six (6) horizontal grooves, 5.5 mm apart and 1 mm deep, and eight (8) vertical grooves,
16 mm apart and 0.5 mm deep. These grooves intersect at about 90 . A clear
difference between the Arku barkcloth beater and the Dingmo barkcloth beater can be
easily recognized since the two beaters have different shapes and features. The
Dingmo beater only has one beating face, while the Arku beater has two and also
includes a protrusion, which the Dingmo beater clearly lacks. Instead, the Dingmo
beater has a groove for hafting. A similar characteristic the two share is that the Arku
beater and the Dingmo beater are found to be the earliest barkcloth beater found in the
Philippines and in Guangxi, China, respectively (Dawei et al 1-5). This comparison
shows how a single object or artifact may differ depending on location, culture and
tradition, as well as necessity.
The director of the excavation, Barbara Thiel, after analysis of the artifact, has
concluded that the barkcloth beater found in Arku Cave was used to manufacture
barkcloth and is in relation with the spindle whorl found in the same level, giving the
artifacts the same time period of usage. Thiel concluded that the people used the beater
and the whorl to spin fibers into thread and weave cloth.
I think the artifact is a good way of interpreting many customs of the country as
well as the economic and social status of the people using the beater. In my opinion,
this artifact shows a transition of the way of life of the people in the Philippines, moving
away from hunting and gathering and settling down with agriculture. This artifact shows
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that people are starting to create societies and settlements as evidenced by the creating
of cloth, which could signify rank or could simply be used as ornamentation. This
signifiess that people are becoming more accustomed to one place, hence, signifying a
continuation in barkcloth manufacturing.

FIGURES

Figure 1. Location Map of Arku cave

Figure 3. Barkcloth beater from Arku Cave

Figure 2. Floor Plan of Arku Cave

Figure 4. Barkcloth beater from Dingmo

REFERENCES

Ashraf, Quamrul & Michalopoulos, Stelios. The Climatic Origins of the Neolithic
Revolution: Theory and Evidence. Web. 4 May 2015.

Dawei Li, Wei Wang, Feng Tian, Wei Liao & Christopher Bae. The oldest bark cloth
beater in southern China (Dingmo, Bubing basin, Guanxi).

Thiel, Barbara. Excavations at Arku Cave, Northeast Luzon, Philippines. Web. 29 April
2015

(Figure 1) Thiel, Barbara. Excavations at Arku Cave, Northeast Luzon, Philippines.

Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May. 2015.

(Figure 2) Thiel, Barbara. Excavations at Arku Cave, Northeast Luzon, Philippines.

Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May. 2015.

(Figure 3) Thiel, Barbara. Excavations at Arku Cave, Northeast Luzon, Philippines.

Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May. 2015.

(Figure 4) Dawei Li, Wei Wang, Feng Tian, Wei Liao & Christopher Bae. The oldest
bark cloth beater in southern China (Dingmo, Bubing basin, Guanxi). Digital image.
N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May. 2015.