3. The reflection of Southeast Asia's geography. The extensive river basins of the mainland and Java may seem conducive to human settlement, but villages were often separated by wide stretches of forest and by hilly ranges, so that few people travelled regularly outside their own district. This social world was even more limited as one moved away from more populated areas. All served to encourage the growth of communities which were physically distanced from each other.
•Moreover they also linked to ancestor spirits associated with mountains, trees, rivers, caves, rocks and to particular areas under the sway of supernatural deities. As Paul Mushas cogently put it, 'the locality itself is a god'. These defined styles of dress, social customs and particularly language fostered a local identification with a particular area.