New Museum Shines Light on Origins of Austronesian Family
With its wealth of artifacts shining a light on the long history of the Austronesian language family, the new Keqiutou Site Museum in Pingtan, East China's Fujian Province has garnered widespread attention following its grand opening.
Located in the northern part of Pingtan, the Keqiutou site represents one of the earliest Neolithic shell midden sites discovered along the coastal areas of Fujian.
International archaeologists regard it as a crucial source for the prehistoric cultures of Fujian and the island of Taiwan, as well as a key region for studying the origins of Austronesian-speaking peoples. In March, the Keqiutou site was selected as one of the "Top 10 archaeological discoveries in 2023."
"Current research suggests that the artifacts unearthed at these sites represent the most direct evidence of the early ancestors of the Austronesian-speaking peoples. These materials allow us to explore the origins of this group and provide a tangible reflection of their material culture," Zhou Zhenyu, director of the Human Origins and Evolution Research Center at the Institute of Archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The newly opened Keqiutou Site Museum displays over 600 artifacts, focusing on Pingtan's prehistoric culture while showcasing the results of core excavations augmented by cutting-edge technology to recreate the daily lives of ancient people in the region. The artifacts include items such as chipped stone tools, pottery, and shells from relic sites, where early inhabitants relied on fishing, hunting, gathering, and agriculture for survival.
Tsang Cheng-hwa, director of the Institute of Anthropology at Tsing Hua University on the island of Taiwan, expressed at the opening ceremony on Monday that the spread of the Austronesian peoples was likely multi-faceted, with Pingtan playing a pivotal role. "I believe the local government can leverage this platform to promote further scholarly exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits," he said.
Qiao Yunfei, deputy head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, further noted that the Keqiutou site provides concrete evidence of the shared roots between Fujian and the island of Taiwan.
The opening of the Keqiutou Museum has also garnered attention beyond the Taiwan Straits. Jiao Tianlong, chief curator of the Bowers Museum in the US, explained that the museum is collaborating with Pingtan to display 276 items, including wood carvings, pottery, shell ornaments, and traditional clothing, all related to Austronesian culture.
"The Austronesian language family stretches from Easter Island in the eastern Pacific to Madagascar in the Indian Ocean in the west, from Hawaii and Taiwan island in the north to New Zealand in the south," Jiao elaborated in a previous interview with paper.cn.
Barry Rolett, a US professor of anthropology at the University of Hawaii, posits that Pingtan may have been the "first stepping stone" in the Austronesian maritime migration, particularly for Polynesian peoples.
"Whether it's the genetic traces of plants or outrigger canoes, the evidence suggests that Pingtan could very well be a starting point in the study of Polynesian origins."
According to the Fujian Daily, in recent years, Pingtan has actively engaged with Austronesian countries like Fiji, promoting exchanges on prehistoric archaeology under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
On the museum's opening day, Pingtan signed "sister museum" agreements with institutions including the Bowers Museum, the Museum of Tahiti and The Islands, and the museum of New Caledonia.
"Looking ahead, we will continue with archaeological work not just in Pingtan or Fujian Province, but across the entire southeastern coastal region to promote research and exploration on a broader scale," Zhou said.
By Sun Langchen
