grace always knew that in honor of the dead Toraja culture of central importance is. But on her second visit to Tana Toraja in the weeks before Christmas, she found surprising perspectives on what that really means.
skeletons in caves decorated with tau-tau ancestral figures; Tongkonan traditional houses and corresponding rice barns, decorated slaughtered in grave festivals with horns of the bulls; Baby graves in tree trunks. It seems that the Toraja people in constant reminder of how finite life on earth is, and spend this life for the next preparation
Visiting with family and friends during the Christmas season, we started our day at Buffalo Pasar Bolu, which is every 6 days. The slaughter of buffalo is an essential part of the funeral ceremony Toraja, as traditionally considered the vehicle that accompanied the deceased into eternity. Ordinary black buffalo free 20-70000000 Rupiah. The most expensive breed is Tedong saleko , the black and white spotted buffalo with yellow horns, blue eyes and white legs, priced between 0 million to well over one billion rupiah.
a rich family of high social status, in a ceremony to 28 buffalo slaughtering. In other words, success in Toraja community has also made these ceremonies competitive - it is not uncommon to find those who sacrifice more than 100 buffaloes. This does not apply to the pigs, which can cost between 3-7000000 rupiah per piece. In addition, the family has to pay for the expensive Tongkonan -shaped coffins, the construction of the ceremonial grounds and food for those who attend with the help or at the funeral.
"Why go through all these problems and financial stress for a dead?" One may ask. According to local leaders Nathan Salenna: "It is our expression in paying the last respects to our parents to provide absolute best, those who gave us life as it settles in the hereafter, can get these deals and get there happy.. "
Christmas happens to be the time of year when most Diaspora Toraja return home to perform rituals. It is common for a funeral to celebrate someone who has passed away or even a few months ago years. In Tana Toraja, a funeral ceremony more than just a show of wealth and prestige is -. It is a time with relatives and friends to unite not seen very often throughout the year
Since evangelization in 1913, most Torajans today are Christians, but this grave traditions come from their ancestral religion Aluk Todolo. Although polytheistic, Aluk Todolo also recognizes a Supreme Creator Puang Matua named and most Torajans not appreciate the label "animism" in Aluk Todolo . ancestor worship-central to the religion - is based on Chinese influences. Along with the Batak of North Sumatra and Dayak Kalimantan, Toraja are descendants of the same branch of the ancient Chinese migrants from Yunnan.
"Islam did not penetrate Toraja successful because it does not allow us to continue to contain our ancestors rituals and animal sacrifice, pigs. That is, out of tolerance to our Muslim brothers and sisters in Toraja, we usually aside a buffalo in a ceremony on halal slaughter, "Nathan said.
I a funeral ceremony attended in Sangalla and in ceremonial reasons, a female ceremony leader was praying a Christian prayer in the Toraja language. The ceremonial house ornately was maintained in red and gold - somehow it's a little like Chinese New Year felt, except that with instead of knots and lanterns, it had parang (Toraja daggers) and buffalo horns. Barefooted men dressed in mostly black, young and not so young, took their places to carry the coffin. It was in fancy red and gold fabrics covered decorative protected under a red umbrella characteristic of traditional houses Torajan Buffalo Horn.
A parade leader performed the songs together, sing the mourners to the canon. The parade often stopped to do a little dance for the pallbearers. At first I took it this has to be the implementation of such a heavy coffin, but it was always to the hard to reach places, upset with icky mud between the toes. Since we came from the rice fields of the side of the main road in the area, it became clear that my assumption was wrong.
Within seconds I was wet soaking of the rice fields in Buffalo Poop water. It was all to the chaos. The pallbearers stomped harder in the puddles, wet the mourners. The mourners retaliated by jumping in the rice fields and injected with the same poop water that got me in front of seconds. Within a few flashes, pots and pans began to appear. Moving the coffin forward was a game of stop-and-go doused with generous water fights, singing and laughing.
"Oh, they also have you!" Some old women started me laughing. The fact that I have a pink quick-drying sports shirt was not help, I ran out of black and landed a dead giveaway for sporting that I was not on site. "Pay attention to your camera! Here they come again!"
I spent the remaining hours of damp, cold, smells like manure, and laughed with my family and friends. But if there is something that I learned from a Toraja funeral, to move on. When Nathan says. "After the funeral takes joy when we the deceased arrived is happy to believe in their eternal home, we honor them with a feast of love and laughter, if you splashed got, which is upset not for you to be you.. are cleaning easy to go from their mournful spirits way for a new and happy beginning with this life, it is a shower of blessing "
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Fast Facts
country :. Indonesia
Province: Sulawesi (South Sulawesi)
land area: The Toraja regencies - 3,205 77 km 2
Sulawesi Selatan - 46,717.48 km 2
highest peak: Sesean - 2,100 meters above sea level
Largest city: Rantepao - now capital of Toraja Utara regency, tourist center of
Makale - capital of Tana Toraja
population: 437843 - 2010 estimate of both regencies including
Directions: flights from most major cities to Makassar daily
AVIASTAR flights twice a week from Makassar to Makale
[1945006oder] eight-hour trip from Makassar to RantepaoWhat to bring: hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
camera - rain protection or dry -bag optional
Black clothes and a change of clothes
money for ceremonial sacrifice (a few hundred thousand rupees)
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