The use of these drums for dowry is an example of objects of social prestige entering into ritual (or marriage).Because these drums are now rare, and not commonly made by anyone, most people must just temporarily rent the one for their marriage.Can you think of similar practices in your home area?So, from the use of these drums, we can see:(1) Evidence of animistic rituals throughout Southeast Asia.(2) Evidence of prehistoric trade networks, which distributed such objects to many places.(3) The esteem given to ancestral heirlooms (e.g. the drums) in many locales, which is evidence of adat in ritual.(4) The importance of status as an element of ritual (as people try to demonstrate higher status by using prestigious objects in rituals of marriage).No culture stays the same forever, but many have preserved ritual practices that go back to prehistoric times.One example of this is megalithic (= giant stones) culture, in which objects such as stones have ritual importance. This, too, is a manifestation of animistic society.The people of the island of Nias, for instance, continue to revere ancestral spirits in the form of megaliths that they erect near their villages. It is thought that they have been living this way since at least 12,000 years ago.Most of the Nias people converted to Protestant Christianity during the colonial era, when Indonesia was ruled by the Netherlands. Nonetheless, we can see continued signs of their megalithic culture.