Toraja is located in South Sulawesi. Tanah Toraja is very unique, especially in terms of burial. The corpses are not buried, but placed in caves in the rock. The bodies are accompanied by statues that depict the people who died. Here there are graves in the rock. One form of grave is the grave stone that is made at the top of the cliff at the height of the rock. According Aluk To Dolo animistic beliefs among people of Tana Toraja, the higher the place they laid the sooner his spirit met with God or heaven.
The word Toraja comes from the Bugis, to riaja, which means "people who dwells in the high country". The Dutch colonial government named the Toraja tribe in 1909. Toraja tribe famous for funeral rituals, traditional house tongkonan and carving wood. Toraja funeral rituals are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasted for several days.
Religion Of Toraja People
Traditional belief systems Toraja tribe is called animism Aluk polytheistic, or "road" (sometimes translated as "law"). In the mythical Toraja, the Toraja ancestors came from heaven by a ladder which is then used by the Toraja tribe as a way of relating to Puang Matua, the creator god.
The universe, according to Aluk, divided into on world (Heaven) the human world (earth), and the Dunia Bawah (underworld).
In the beginning, heaven and earth to get married and produce darkness, separation, and then came the light. Animals living in the underworld who is represented by a rectangular bounded by four pillars, the earth is a place for humanity, and heaven is located on top, covered with saddle-shaped roof.
Tongkonan (Traditional House)
Tongkonan are traditional Toraja house that stood on a pile of wood and decorated with carved red, black, and yellow. The word "tongkonan" is derived from the Toraja language tongkon ("sitting"). According to folklore Toraja, tongkonan first constructed in heaven with four poles. When the ancestors of the Toraja tribe down to earth, he imitated the house and held a large ceremony.
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| Tongkonan |
Funeral Rituals
In Toraja society, funeral rituals are the most important and costly. The more wealthy and powerful person, the funeral expenses will be more expensive. In religion Aluk, only royal families are entitled to hold a big funeral party. Feast of the funeral of a nobleman is usually attended by thousands of people and lasted for several days. A place called rante funeral procession is usually prepared in a broad meadow, other than as a place of mourners in attendance, as well as a granary, and a variety of other funeral devices made by the family of the deceased. Flute music, singing, songs and poems, weeping and wailing is an expression of grief by the Toraja tribe but all it does not apply to funerals of children, the poor, and low class people.
This funeral was held just sometimes after weeks, months, even years since the death in question, with the goal of keeping the family left behind to collect enough money to cover funeral expenses. In that waiting period, the corpse is wrapped with a few pieces of cloth and kept under tongkonan. Spirits of the dead believed to remain in the village until the funeral is completed, after which the soul will travel to Puya.
Another part of
funeral rituals is the buffalo slaughter. The more powerful person, the more buffalo are slaughtered. Slaughtering is done by using a machete. Buffalo carcass, including head, lined up on the field, waiting for its owner, who is in "sleep time".
Toraja tribe believed that the spirits need a water buffalo to perform the journey and will be faster until at Puya if there is a lot of buffalo. Slaughter of tens of hundreds of buffalo and pigs is the culmination lacks the funeral music and dance of the youth who captures the spurting blood with a long bamboo.
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| The Toraja Tombs |
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| Toraja Funeral Rituals |
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| Toraja Funeral Rituals |
Before the 1970's, Toraja is almost unknown by western tourists. In 1971, approximately 50 Europe people visit Tana Toraja. In 1972, tourists at least 400 people attended the funeral of Sangalla Puang, the highest nobility and aristocracy in Tana Toraja Toraja last pure-blooded. The incident was documented by National Geographic and was broadcast in several European countries. In 1976, about 12,000 tourists visited in 1981 and Toraja, Toraja sculpture exhibited in many museums in North America.
Tana Toraja (Toraja Land), which lies in the north of the province is known for its unique culture and ancient traditions. The center of tourism is Rantepao, 328 km from Ujung Pandang by road. There are several small bungalow hotels at Rantepao, and Makale, the district capital. The entry to Tana Toraja is marked by a gate built in traditional boat-shaped architecture. The road passes through the mountains of Kandora and Gandang on which, according to Toraja mythology, the first ancestors of celestial beings descended from heaven. The majority of the people still follows an ancestral cult called "Aluk Todolo" which governs all traditional ceremonies. From Rantepao, side trips can be made to Kete, a traditional village where there are handicraft and unique shops. Behind the village there is a grave site on a hillside. Life-size statues guard over old coffins. As roads are not always paved, it is necessary to use a jeep or walk if the weather is good (between May and October).
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| Toraja Carved |
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