Introduction

The Toraja people are located in central southern Sulawesi, Indonesia.  They lead lives comparable to most other modern  Indonesian and have embraced the Protestant Christian faith.  However, they maintain some animist beliefs known as aluk (“the way”) that include ancestor worship and animal sacrifice.  Their traditional homes are boat shaped.  Some believe the style is from when they were seafaring people living by the coast.  Encroachment from other people and religious traditions pushed them into the highlands over time.

Our Stay

For the most of our stay we were ensconced at the Indra Toraja hotel in downtown Rantepao.  Lodging included a breakfast buffet and afternoon tea or fresh fruit juice.  The staff were kind, helpful and considerate.

Rantepao is a city of around 30,000 surrounded by numerous peaks.  Rice terraces were ubiquitous, the weather hot and humid, and the people warm and welcoming.

Much of the rice is thrashed manually. Go Simone!

Funerals

The most striking tradition amongst the Toraja is their elaborate funeral ceremony.  This can take many days, entail the sacrifice of dozens of animals and cost well over $100,000 USD.  The cost and preparation can require a few years to organize during which time the departed, although embalmed, is not considered dead but merely sick.  They are usually placed at rest, in a coffin, in the family home and included in conversations as though alive and present.  Because Islam requires a prompt burial, it was not able to gain many Torajan converts unlike the more accommodating Christian sects.

An effigy of the deceased, who had been dead for 4 years before her funeral.

Domesticated animals, particularly water buffaloes, are traditional measures of wealth.  Albinos are especially valued.

Bull Market in Rantepao

The animals slaughtered for funeral ceremonies are considered to pass with the deceased and to confer wealth and status in the afterworld.  Not only does this provision the deceased, but they will be better able to intervene and help their loved ones still alive.

We hired a local Toraja guide who provided the intel and invitations to two funeral ceremonies and one wedding.  

When we arrived, numerous pavilions had been setup to seat all the guests.  

As a customary gift we brought cartons of cigarettes and were always warmly welcomed, seemingly regardless of the gift, and were offered a steady stream of food and drink.

The more prestigious funerals may slaughter dozens of animals.  Every multiple of 24 water buffalo grants the right to place a stone menhir at the families ancestral home.  These are often paid for by overseas relatives, living either in the west or working in the shipping or mining industries based in Papua.

When water buffalo are slaughtered, they usually remain silent and docile, with a pitiful look of disbelief towards their beloved master when their necks are slit.  

  A customary gift from the more important local families was a live pig.   Pigs squealed like there was no tomorrow as they were wrangled, dispatched, rendered and parceled out.

At times there were more animals being butchered than I could keep track of.  A certain blood frenzy filled the air and the eyes of the butchers.  Once I had an uneasy feeling of being far from home and had to assure myself that Simone and I were safe.

Due to a historical lack of refrigeration that persists to some degree, the meat is distributed far and wide through the family, relatives, community and church.  The rich families, with a greater number of sacrifices, made a larger contribution to their community - a form of wealth redistribution.

Butchery was a casual part of the wedding ceremony as well.  Here pigs heads are auctioned off in front of the bride and groom for charitable causes such as the local church.

During the funeral ceremony, the coffin is placed in an open area where most of the activities take place.  Later is it carried for one last tour of the neighborhood. 

Since the family has already had months or even years to grieve, there is a festive air and some members may be in traditional costume.

Later in the day, there were bull fights in a field nearby.  Most of the match sees very little action, with the bulls locking horns, lowing and standing their ground.  Mad betting goes on in the sidelines.  After a few minutes of bated breatch, one of the bulls will call it quits by backing away and high tailing it with the other in hot pursuit

Once the ceremony is over, which could take days, the family will usually place the coffin in a mausoleum, although more esteemed people may be placed in a cliff wall with effigies placed nearby.