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Gold plaque from Indonesia representing Vishnu

(Gamma)

Tom Harrisson brought in outside specialists to do special studies on both Niah and Santubong. Lord Medway, later the earl of Cranbrook, produced a large number of important papers on the animal bone recovered at Niah and other sites (see Index to Sarawak Museum Journal by Loh 1980, 171–172, 136). Tom Harrisson also brought in Sheilagh Brooks, a physical anthropologist, to join Barbara Harrisson in reporting on the cemetery burials (Brooks and Brooks 1968; Sheilagh, Brooks, et al. 1977; Harrisson, B. 1967), and the deep skull was reviewed by Brothwell (1960). Harrison brought in Solheim to work with the earthenware pottery from Santubong and Niah (Solheim 1959, 1965; Solheim et al. 1959 and 1961). The most recent major report on the Great Cave at Niah is a Ph.D. dissertation by Zuraina Majid (1982).

Three of Harrisson’s major publications were on Santubong, with Stanley O’Connor (1967, 1969, 1970) while the Harrissons were at Cornell University in the United States. Besides reporting on the Tantric shrine that they found there, one of the conclusions they arrived at concerning the iron industry they recovered was that the iron working was based on a technique from India and that a common stoneware ceramic artifact found was a crucible. These conclusions were later refuted, after Harrisson’s death (O’Connor 1977; Christie 1990).

Some of Harrisson’s more important published reports were on artifacts. With Lord Medway (1962) he did a study of the bone tools from Niah. He authored two reports on double spouted earthenware vessels (1971a, 1971b). He published a number of articles on prehistoric megaliths and the continuing megalithic traditions lasting until the recent past. Probably his two most important archaeological reports were his summaries of Borneo prehistory (1970, 1972).

Tom Harrisson was of such major importance to Sarawak, Borneo, and Southeast Asian archaeology that three different journals published special issues in his memory after his death in 1975. Solheim did an article in each of these on some phase of Harrisson’s contribution to archaeology (1977a, 1977b; Solheim and Jensen 1977). Each of these special issues had several other articles on Harrisson’s contributions. A more detailed review of the Niah program is found in Solheim 1977b.

Following the departure of Tom and Barbara Harrisson there were no archaeological staff with the Sarawak Museum who were trained to plan and direct major archaeological projects. As a result little archaeological research was done, other than needed salvage excavations, while the search went on to find a person who could be sent away for advance training. Several sites, near the coast and inland, were the subject of salvage operations and some twenty of these produced unexpected results. Tom Harrisson