Excavations in 2004 at the Pokekea Site confirmed the presence of ancestral worship activities. At this ceremonial site dedicated to ancestral spirits, there were also post-ceremony activities. One such ritual involved the deliberate disposal of pottery filled with ritual items — meaning that these sacred objects were not taken home. This practice may be interpreted as an offering. It appears that ritual participants intentionally broke and buried these pottery vessels in the excavation pit.
Two megalithic statues standing behind a dolmen further reinforce the impression that this location was used for ritual purposes. The large number of decorative pottery fragments, in the absence of everyday tools or weapons, suggests that the activities here were related to specific rituals or ceremonies involving a considerable number of people.
Figure: Statues used in worship rituals
Source: Collection of Mohammad Sairin, 2023
Drone imagery supports the assumption that Pokekea was indeed a place of worship, as proposed by Indonesian archaeologists. Its elevated position and slightly level terrain resemble a tiered terrace.
