ON TRAIL OF THE HISTORY OF KUNAK - PART 4

For a few thousand years the Tingkayu Tribe thrived around the lake. Undoubtedly, the lake habitat had provided them with most of their simple need – water supply, fish and other aquatic fauna from the lake, bountiful hunt, vegetables and fruits from the shores. However, as all good things in life, the wonderful environment at the Tingkayu Lake did not last forever.  There was a low point on the north-eastern part that eroded continuously. As centuries passed, the water became more and more murky and not so suitable anymore for the need of the tribe. Aquatic life became less abundant and animals found it difficult to get to the water. Little by little the prosperity factors of the Tingkayu Tribe weathered away. Clan by clan, the tribe left in search for new and better environment. Eventually, around 16,000 BC the lake drained off and the Tingkayu site was totally abandoned.

To where exactly the Tingkayu Tribe moved, is yet to be ascertained. There is a place about eight kilometers to the south-west of Tingkayu known as Baturong. Bellwood suggests that “during the lake period, the Baturong massive formed a towering limestone island, and the rock shelters along the base of its southern cliff were all drowned.” After the lake drained off, the shelters were exposed and inhabitable. One group from the Tingkayu Tribe, most probably the last one to leave Tingkayu, could have moved to this place. Stone tools had been excavated in this area that were dated to be produced between 17,000 to 12,000 years ago, exactly the time when the Tingkayu Lake dried up and abandoned by the tribe.

Clans that left earlier, even before the Tingkayu Lake drained up completely, could have travelled by mean of the land bridges present during that time to other parts of South East Asia and the Pacific bringing along their unique skill in the art of manufacturing fine stone tools. One very likely destination is Tabon, a place in now the Palawan Island in the Philippines. The Tabon Cave Complex is located in the west coast of Palawan. It is located on a limestone promontory which is visible from any direction for many kilometers and honeycombed with at least 200 caves and rock shelters. In this area archaeologists excavated stone tools very similar to that of Tingkayu, tools but only date back to between 15,000 BC and 18,000 BC. Is it just co-incidence that the date is parallel to the time when the Tingkayu Lake drained out?