Tana Toraja
Tana Toraja is the provincial capital city of South Sulawesi, located 300 km north of Makassar, Indonesia. Tana Toraja literally translates to the Land of the Kings, where ‘Tana’ means Land, ‘To’ refers to its residents, and ‘Raja’ means Kings; land of the Kings. Tana Toraja is one of Indonesia’s highly rated tourism site, where you will be presented with the fascinating culture of its residents, which supplements its beautiful sceneries. Toraja welcomes many domestic as well as international tourists, with its main attraction of exploring their inexplicable heritage.
The Torajans have a very spectacular way of respecting the dead, where families throw major death ceremonies for their loved ones, inviting hundreds of people, including tourists; as some may say, the more the merrier. Such ceremonies are rather expensive, and families tend to wait for a while while saving money before throwing such events; therefore most of these death ceremonies do not happen immediately after a person’s death. Most of these death ceremonies take place in July and August, as it is believed to be the best timing of the year. Meanwhile, the corpse of the loved one is kept at home and treated as if they were a living a person; they would still be greeted every morning, and prepared meals for every breakfast; and to prevent their bodies from rotting, they are covered with traditional oil which keeps the body looking and smelling fresh.
After money had been collected and invitations had been sent around, the ceremony begins. Prior to the ceremony, the corpse is taken around the village one last time, as a final goodbye. The ritual initiates with the welcoming of guests and receiving the gifts they bear upon. These gifts include the sacrifices, which will later be mass eaten by the public, which are Buffalos and Boars. The sacrifice given represents how much the corpse was respected as a person. The better the sacrifice, the more respected or the closer the relationship they had; but obviously the more expensive the price lies. In terms of Buffalos, the most expensive buffalos may price over B$ 35,000. This depends upon its body size, horn size and shape, as well as its colours. The most expensive buffalos are those with the largest bodies, and those who appear strong and fierce. This requires time and exercise to build up their muscles. These buffalos are not sent to work in paddy fields, but pampered in their cage with the occasional trips outside under sunlight. These buffalos are exercised to stand tall and strong, in which their nose is regularly strapped up and elevated up high, practicing an almost arrogant way of standing up; which in this case is a great thing, making them more expensive. Another aspect that affects a buffalo’s price is the colour of their bodies. Most buffalos have a nice sheer black colour, which sets the standard has the lowest prices. A slightly different type of buffalos have 2 coloured bodies, black and white; and the more rationally mixed these colours are, the more expensive they become. Additional sacrifices include boars, these are the typical black coloured boars and prices differ according to their size. All these sacrifices are to be mass cooked for the celebration afterwards, to be served to the public.
After the celebration part of the ceremony, the corpse is buried and sent away to Mother Nature. There are several different ways including placing them in coffins and locate them up high in hills and cliffs, or excavating holes in large mountain rocks, burying them in trees. However burial of corpses in trees are only done for baby corpses, where the bodies are inserted into the bark of a living tree, in a way that would not hurt the tree to keep it growing. By burying these young souls in the trees, it means that they keep growing up too, as their souls have been intertwined to the tree. A tourism site where you can see baby tree graves is called ‘Kanbira Pasirihan’. Adult corpses are usually wrapped up in beautiful coffins made out of wood, where it is beautifully shaped and carved with traditional patterns. One coffin is made to be large enough to be able to hold the skeletons and bones of one family, and you can often find bones piling on these coffins. These coffins are then either placed high up in hills or mountains, or placed in caves. Many Legend has it that in the olden times, corpses walk by themselves to the top of the hill where they rest in their allocated coffin, it was a time where you could see the walking dead, unfortunately nowadays, the dead remains dead and no longer climbs the hills. The corpses are placed and hung up high on the sides of hills and mountains to show that they are highly respected, and to illustrate the way they have left to heaven. One of the tourism sites of this grave is called ‘Londo’. Another option of placing the coffin is below the ground in caves, where they are believed to be able to rest in peace. One of the touristic locations includes ‘Lemo’. Other than placing corpses in coffins, they can be placed in large rocks, where allocated holes are pre-excavated for burial. You can see such graves in ‘Bori’. Large rocks and stones play a major role in respecting the dead, where tall rocks are often planted as monuments to symbolize the sign of their love. One of the locations that showcase these love monuments includes ‘Rante’. This is another ceremony held after the burial of the corpse.
Another interesting tradition if the Torajans is their traditional house. It is interestingly shaped to represent the hors of buffalos. The roofs are made out of Bamboo where plants can grow on it and become a respiring, living roof as well as acting as a chimney. The structure of these houses are made out of a fast growing wood, similar to bamboo called Banga, which is strong, reliable and environmentally friendly. The traditional houses of Tana Toraja represents the way green conceptualized housing had been thought out from centuries ago, and it is definitely not a new concept. These houses are passed down through generations, and it is most commonly used for family gatherings, where every member of the family can reunite with each other. In front of the house itself, there is a board listing all the generations who previously owned the house, and it is a sort of family tree where it is common to find ten generations living in these houses. An interesting feature of these houses includes the decoration outside. Most houses put out an array of buffalo horns to show their social status. The larger the collection of buffalo horns, it usually means the higher social status you have, and the more respect you get. However, some people may not like to show off their collection even though they have a high status, so be careful not to judge the Torajans. A location which you can explore these housings is called Ke’te’ Kesu.
As well as having captivating cultures and heritage, Tana Toraja also has mesmerizing views of nature, where it displays the beauty of agriculture in Toraja. Sites that are popular viewing spots to tourists include ‘Batu Tumonga’, there is a nice relaxing hotel and restaurant, where you can truly enjoy the scenery. Tana Toraja is certainly one of the must-visits locations before you die.
The Torajans have a very spectacular way of respecting the dead, where families throw major death ceremonies for their loved ones, inviting hundreds of people, including tourists; as some may say, the more the merrier. Such ceremonies are rather expensive, and families tend to wait for a while while saving money before throwing such events; therefore most of these death ceremonies do not happen immediately after a person’s death. Most of these death ceremonies take place in July and August, as it is believed to be the best timing of the year. Meanwhile, the corpse of the loved one is kept at home and treated as if they were a living a person; they would still be greeted every morning, and prepared meals for every breakfast; and to prevent their bodies from rotting, they are covered with traditional oil which keeps the body looking and smelling fresh.
After money had been collected and invitations had been sent around, the ceremony begins. Prior to the ceremony, the corpse is taken around the village one last time, as a final goodbye. The ritual initiates with the welcoming of guests and receiving the gifts they bear upon. These gifts include the sacrifices, which will later be mass eaten by the public, which are Buffalos and Boars. The sacrifice given represents how much the corpse was respected as a person. The better the sacrifice, the more respected or the closer the relationship they had; but obviously the more expensive the price lies. In terms of Buffalos, the most expensive buffalos may price over B$ 35,000. This depends upon its body size, horn size and shape, as well as its colours. The most expensive buffalos are those with the largest bodies, and those who appear strong and fierce. This requires time and exercise to build up their muscles. These buffalos are not sent to work in paddy fields, but pampered in their cage with the occasional trips outside under sunlight. These buffalos are exercised to stand tall and strong, in which their nose is regularly strapped up and elevated up high, practicing an almost arrogant way of standing up; which in this case is a great thing, making them more expensive. Another aspect that affects a buffalo’s price is the colour of their bodies. Most buffalos have a nice sheer black colour, which sets the standard has the lowest prices. A slightly different type of buffalos have 2 coloured bodies, black and white; and the more rationally mixed these colours are, the more expensive they become. Additional sacrifices include boars, these are the typical black coloured boars and prices differ according to their size. All these sacrifices are to be mass cooked for the celebration afterwards, to be served to the public.
After the celebration part of the ceremony, the corpse is buried and sent away to Mother Nature. There are several different ways including placing them in coffins and locate them up high in hills and cliffs, or excavating holes in large mountain rocks, burying them in trees. However burial of corpses in trees are only done for baby corpses, where the bodies are inserted into the bark of a living tree, in a way that would not hurt the tree to keep it growing. By burying these young souls in the trees, it means that they keep growing up too, as their souls have been intertwined to the tree. A tourism site where you can see baby tree graves is called ‘Kanbira Pasirihan’. Adult corpses are usually wrapped up in beautiful coffins made out of wood, where it is beautifully shaped and carved with traditional patterns. One coffin is made to be large enough to be able to hold the skeletons and bones of one family, and you can often find bones piling on these coffins. These coffins are then either placed high up in hills or mountains, or placed in caves. Many Legend has it that in the olden times, corpses walk by themselves to the top of the hill where they rest in their allocated coffin, it was a time where you could see the walking dead, unfortunately nowadays, the dead remains dead and no longer climbs the hills. The corpses are placed and hung up high on the sides of hills and mountains to show that they are highly respected, and to illustrate the way they have left to heaven. One of the tourism sites of this grave is called ‘Londo’. Another option of placing the coffin is below the ground in caves, where they are believed to be able to rest in peace. One of the touristic locations includes ‘Lemo’. Other than placing corpses in coffins, they can be placed in large rocks, where allocated holes are pre-excavated for burial. You can see such graves in ‘Bori’. Large rocks and stones play a major role in respecting the dead, where tall rocks are often planted as monuments to symbolize the sign of their love. One of the locations that showcase these love monuments includes ‘Rante’. This is another ceremony held after the burial of the corpse.
Another interesting tradition if the Torajans is their traditional house. It is interestingly shaped to represent the hors of buffalos. The roofs are made out of Bamboo where plants can grow on it and become a respiring, living roof as well as acting as a chimney. The structure of these houses are made out of a fast growing wood, similar to bamboo called Banga, which is strong, reliable and environmentally friendly. The traditional houses of Tana Toraja represents the way green conceptualized housing had been thought out from centuries ago, and it is definitely not a new concept. These houses are passed down through generations, and it is most commonly used for family gatherings, where every member of the family can reunite with each other. In front of the house itself, there is a board listing all the generations who previously owned the house, and it is a sort of family tree where it is common to find ten generations living in these houses. An interesting feature of these houses includes the decoration outside. Most houses put out an array of buffalo horns to show their social status. The larger the collection of buffalo horns, it usually means the higher social status you have, and the more respect you get. However, some people may not like to show off their collection even though they have a high status, so be careful not to judge the Torajans. A location which you can explore these housings is called Ke’te’ Kesu.
As well as having captivating cultures and heritage, Tana Toraja also has mesmerizing views of nature, where it displays the beauty of agriculture in Toraja. Sites that are popular viewing spots to tourists include ‘Batu Tumonga’, there is a nice relaxing hotel and restaurant, where you can truly enjoy the scenery. Tana Toraja is certainly one of the must-visits locations before you die.