Tana Toraja is an exceptional ethnic group that lies to the north of Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi. Though they have somewhat embraced modern lives, especially since they were converted to Christianity by Protestants missionaries in the early 1900s, but the Torajan culture and ancient practices still prevail.
The namesake “toraja” was considered to derive from the Bugis word to riaja which means “people who live in the land above” and in 1909 the Dutch adopted the name. The Torajan indeed live in the land above in the mountainous region, with a heavy concentration in Mamasa village near Kalumpang valley and Sa’dan to the south of the land.
It does feel otherworldly when you venture into their land as green-carpeted hills and rice fields open to rows of the Toraja traditional house called “tongkonan”, that in local myth was first constructed in heaven by their creator, “Puang Matua”.
Their distinctly boat-shaped houses are built on stilts with a saddleback roof and has three levels that symbolize the upper world, the middle world, and the underworld.
Some of the oldest “Tongkonan” houses reside in the Sanggalangi district in north Toraja.
The “Tongkonan” in Sanggalangi dates to the 17th century and is still preserved beautifully today. But, mind you, a class system is also at work amongst the Torajan: the grander tongkonan belongs to the aristocrats while the commoners live in more modest lodgings called “banua”. A much simpler house existed before for slaves, but thankfully the practice was abolished in 1909 by the Dutch.
The Toraja people rank in Death
The position of someone’s grave also signifies social class. The village of Ke’te Kesu is home to the oldest burial site: the hill of Buntu Kesu on which the holes on its walls were designated for the deceased. The higher the grave (and the closer to god) the higher in social position the deceased were.
Another popular burial site is the Lemo cliff in Makale village and the Londa cliff in Sandan Uai village, where the dead are placed inside open caves along the cliff walls and are guarded by tau-tau, a wooden effigy of the dead.
The Toraja funeral procession “Rambu Solo”
To some people, the funeral procession of the Torajan (the rambu solo) will be the main highlight of their visit. Just like any other remote tribe across the archipelago, the mystical is still strong and the dead are still present among the living.
Toraja is no exception and to be present during a funeral procession is an experience unlike no other. It feels almost celebratory; grieving is felt still but the chanting and the singing and the dancing with hundreds of people gathered infuse a sense of festivity as they symbolically send off their loved ones to the stars.
Many rituals are performed before the funeral.
Bullfights, or “Ma’ Pasilaga Tedong”, are chief amongst them, followed by magnetic traditional dances such as the militaristic “Ma’randing” by the men as an homage to the courage of the deceased as the corpse is carried to the ceremonial site. In turn, the women will perform the “Ma’Katia” dance whilst singing, which is meant to convey the kindness and faithfulness of the deceased.
But be warned because their ceremonies are not for the squeamish heart (or vegans), though, as hundreds of animals will be sacrificed to the gods.
But often the dead are not immediately given such solemn rituals as the family is preparing the necessities.
The ritual “Ma’nene”
The Toraja people dress their deceased and they are cared for by family members even up to years after they die!
The corpse will remain at the Tongkonan house as if they are still alive and the family members will only perform the ritual once they accumulate enough capital as the funeral procession is quite expensive, especially with animals like buffalos and pigs required for sacrificing.
The Torajan belief called “Aluk Todolo”
To understand the Torajan sacred relationship with the departed, one simply needs to study the origin of their ancient religion called Aluk Todolo.
In a nutshell, the animistic beliefs cover three powers, with the first one being the rulers of the sky, Puang Matua. He created Laukku, the first man, but he remains in the celestial realms, and Laukku eventually created a set of teachings called Sukaran Aluk, to be adhered to by other humans. Laukku then sends his son, Poang Mola, to earth to spread his teachings.
The second power is the Deata (which, interestingly, must come from the Latin word deity) or the gods. There are three most powerful gods:
- “Deata Tangngana Langit” which governs the upper world
- “Deata Kapadanganna” which governs the middle world
- and Deata Tanggana Padang” which governs the underworld.
And, last but not least, there is “To Membali Puang”:
The spirit of the ancestors who have now become gods themselves. They are assigned to watch over the lives of their descendants and to ensure they show their respects to the dead. And that they did.
Though many Torajan have embraced Christianity, Aluk Todolo still guides their everyday lives.
If you’d like to explore more articles like this then check out our Culture section
English