Micronesian Rock Art is Austronesian: Tracking Rock Art Motifs and Austronesian Migration to Understand Southeast Asian Rock Art

Andrea Jalandoni

One of the major difficulties in determining an Austronesian rock art tradition in Southeast Asia is the uncertainty of the artists. Since the Austronesians were the first colonizers and continued inhabitants of Micronesia, the artists of the rock art in that region are confidently Austronesian. In this presentation, I track motifs from Guam, Palau, and Pohnpei in Micronesia that show inter-regional similarities. Significantly, the connections of the rock art align with the latest migration theory. I provide a brief discussion on the geology of Micronesia and how it might determine where we might look for more rock art. For the first time in the Mariana Islands, a motif is recognized using digital archaeology that shares similarities with a motif found in Southeast Asia. Finally, I discuss the problem with the current state of rock art research in the region and call for a rock art database to facilitate analyses and improve understanding of our rock art.