Muzium Negara - cave paintings

The Early History gallery at Muzium Negara, the National Musuem, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has a feature on cave paintings and drawings.

The stone tools which were used to crush the hematite and charcoal -

Hematite and charcoal

There is quite a nice replica of a cave, showing people preparing a fire and one man doing some cave drawings. There are various cave paintings on the walls.

Around the walls are various drawings

At the front of the cave is a skeleton of an infant from Gua Cha.

Read more about Malaysian cave paintings on my website. And more on the museum displays of cave burials.

© Liz Price No reproduction without permission

Muzium Negara Early History - burials

The National Museum of Malaysia, Muzium Negara, in Kuala Lumpur, has renovated since my last visit. There are 4 galleries and the first one is of interest to me as it is the Early History one.

This gallery covers 3 eras - the Permian, the Prehistoric and the Proto Historic.

The Permian era explains scientific theories on the development of the earth and environment that contribute to the development of human culture.

The Prehistoric era explains the development of human culture from the Paleolithic, Hoabinhian/Epi-Palaeolithic, and Neolithic era up to the Metal Age.

The Proto Historic era include Hindu/Buddhist beliefs.

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There is quite a feature on cave burials.

There are various skulls shown, the first one is from Gua Cha, and the second one is Homo sapiens from Gua Niah

There are several large display cases containing adult skeletons. The temperature and humidity is controlled. But it was difficult to take photos.

This picture shows a skeleton buried with knees drawn up near the chest.

Gua Cha skeleton

There is a nice replica of a cave showing people and cave drawings. At the front of the cave is the skeleton of an infant which was found in Gua Cha in Kalantan.

Some communities especially in Sabah and Sarawak practiced jar burials. Bones and ash were placed in jars which were then put on the floor of caves.

See next albums on museum displays of Perak Man, and stone tools and cave paintings.

© Liz Price No reproduction without permission

coffin exhibition, National Museum, KL

This exhibition depicts coffins and burial rituals from southeast Asia. It is at Muzium Negara, the National Musuem in KL, and is held in the exhibition hall until 18 July 2010. Entry is RM2 and you are allowed to take photos. Apparently there is a RM3 camera fee but I wasn't asked for this!

It starts with the archaeological section, with the hall designed to look like a cave with a wooden plank walkway. This was the most interesting for me, as it showed cave burials - Neolithic & Hoabinhian burials from Gua Cha, Perak Man, Niah Cave, etc.

Gua Cha Neolithic

& Hoabinhian

Perak Man, above and below -

Boat coffins are also featured, such as those from Kuala Selinsing in Perak, and from Niah Caves -

Jar burials started in Neolithic times, and the jars were placed in caves or even in trees. Niah jars -

Stone slab burials have been found from various sites in Perak.

There is a section on burial and funeral customs relating to orang asli - the temiar wrap the body in a mat and carry it in a bamboo cylinder to the burial site. Mah Meri use wooden planks and bamboo coffins.

animal head

Temiar bamboo litter, and Semai & Temiar grave (below)

Bateq place the wrapped corpse in a tree platform.

Mah Meri




The exhibition then turns to the modern ethnic/religious burials. Different Muslim burials are described - generally the Malay community does not use a coffin, except for the east coast coastal regions, as the sandy and marshy areas are not suitable for cavity burials. The coffins are plain with no decoration. There is a hand drawn hearse

Muslim bathing ritual

bamboo litter

Muslim footed wood coffin


Some Muslim wood coffins -

The Indonesian section shows the buffalo shaped coffins. The notice board also mentioned some with a pig motif, but no example was shown!

buffalo coffins from Indonesia

Coffins from Thailand weren't so well represented, with only a single notice board, with examples of a child's coffin -

Kalimantan Dayak coffin

modern Indian coffin

Hindu and Chinese get a small section, but I don't recall seeing much, if anything on Christian burials. There is a gold plated Chinese coffin.


Different tribes and areas from Borneo are represented, including a log coffin from a Sabah cave, and jar burials. There is an elaborate seladang shaped coffin from Sabah - these coffins have survived quite well as they are made of hard wood such as belian and were stored in caves.

ornate Kelabit coffins

Kelabit jars -

kinabatangan log coffin

Sabah jar -

Philippine burials are represented by a jar and also a rattan chair - the corpse is left to rot on the chair and later the skeleton is stored in a jar. The body fluids are collected in a basket under the chair and are dabbed onto family members for blessing.

Quite an interesting assortment of burials.



© Liz Price


No reproduction without permission