Stones Alive!

Abstract

Abstract This article explores the significance of stone in Southeast Asia, arguing that within the animistic ontologies of the region stone is a central cosmological concept. Stone, for the people of this region, is a locus of sentience, expressed through the presence of spirits. Cosmic power, which is equivalent to vital force, is believed to flow through the cosmos, flowing fastest in water and coalescing in stone. Stone is a source of power and life and is associated with origins and ancestors; the placing of stone is associated with status and becoming a significant ancestor. Southeast Asian ontologies, which regard the material world as made up of a constant flow of cosmic power, closely identified with life itself, do not separate mind and matter and see stone as alive. Stone is a lens through which we can view these ontologies and perhaps even question our own.