All About Toraja

The Toraja are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 650,000, of which 450,000 still live in the regency of Tana Toraja ("Land of Toraja").

Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk ("the way"). The Indonesian government has recognized this animist belief as Aluk To Dolo ("Way of the Ancestors").

This is map of toraja, which is located at south sulawesi

The word toraja comes from the Bugis language's to riaja, meaning "people of the uplands". The Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909. Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses known as tongkonan, and colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days.

Before the 20th century, Torajans lived in autonomous villages, where they practised animism and were relatively untouched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries first worked to convert Torajan highlanders to Christianity. When the Tana Toraja regency was further opened to the outside world in the 1970s, it became an icon of tourism in Indonesia: it was exploited by tourism developers and studied by anthropologists. By the 1990s, when tourism peaked, Toraja society had changed significantly, from an agrarian model — in which social life and customs were outgrowths of the Aluk To Dolo—to a largely Christian society.

Culture

Tongkonan are the traditional Torajan ancestral houses. They stand high on wooden piles, topped with a layered split-bamboo roof shaped in a sweeping curved arc, and they are incised with red, black, and yellow detailed wood carvings on the exterior walls. The word "tongkonan" comes from the Torajan tongkon ("to sit").

Tongkonan are the center of Torajan social life. The rituals associated with the tongkonan are important expressions of Torajan spiritual life, and therefore all family members are impelled to participate, because symbolically the tongkonan represents links to their ancestors and to living and future kin. According to Torajan myth, the first tongkonan was built in heaven on four poles, with a roof made of Indian cloth. When the first Torajan ancestor descended to earth, he imitated the house and held a large ceremony.

The construction of a The construction of a tongkonantongkonan is is laborious work and is usually done with laborious work and is usually done with the help of the extended family. There the help of the extended family. There are three types of are three types of tongkonantongkonan. The . The tongkonan layuktongkonan layuk is the house of the is the house of the highest authority, used as the "center of highest authority, used as the "center of government". The government". The tongkonan tongkonan pekamberanpekamberan belongs to the family belongs to the family members who have some authority in members who have some authority in local traditions. Ordinary family members local traditions. Ordinary family members reside in the reside in the tongkonan batutongkonan batu. The . The exclusivity to the nobility of the exclusivity to the nobility of the tongkonantongkonan is diminishing as many is diminishing as many Torajan commoners find lucrative Torajan commoners find lucrative employment in other parts of Indonesia. employment in other parts of Indonesia. As they send back money to their As they send back money to their families, they enable the construction of families, they enable the construction of larger larger tongkonantongkonan..

Tongkonan

Funeral rites

A ceremonial site, called A ceremonial site, called ranterante, is , is usually prepared in a large, grassy field usually prepared in a large, grassy field where shelters for audiences, rice where shelters for audiences, rice barns, and other ceremonial funeral barns, and other ceremonial funeral structures are specially made by the structures are specially made by the deceased family. Flute music, funeral deceased family. Flute music, funeral chants, songs and poems, and crying chants, songs and poems, and crying and wailing are traditional Toraja and wailing are traditional Toraja expressions of grief with the exceptions expressions of grief with the exceptions of funerals for young children, and poor, of funerals for young children, and poor, low-status adults.low-status adults.

The ceremony is often held weeks, months, or years after the death so that the deceased's family can raise the significant funds needed to cover funeral expenses. Torajans traditionally believe that death is not a sudden, abrupt event, but a gradual process toward Puya (the land of souls, or afterlife). During the waiting period, the body of the deceased is wrapped in several layers of cloth and kept under the tongkonan. The soul of the deceased is thought to linger around the village until the funeral ceremony is completed, after which it begins its journey to Puya.

Another component of the ritual is the slaughter of water buffalo. The more powerful the person who died, the more buffalo are slaughtered at the death feast. Buffalo carcasses, including their heads, are usually lined up on a field waiting for their owner, who is in the "sleeping stage". Torajans believe that the deceased will need the buffalo to make the journey and that they will be quicker to arrive at Puya if they have many buffalo. Slaughtering tens of water buffalo and hundred of pigs using a machete is the climax of the elaborate death feast, with dancing and music and young boys who catch spurting blood in long bamboo tubes. Some of the slaughtered animals are given by guests as "gifts", which are carefully noted because they will be considered debts of the deceased's family.

There are three methods of burial: the coffin may be laid in a cave or in a carved stone grave, or hung on a cliff. It contains any possessions that the deceased will need in the afterlife. The wealthy are often buried in a stone grave carved out of a rocky cliff. The grave is usually expensive and takes a few months to complete. In some areas, a stone cave may be found that is large enough to accommodate a whole family. A wood-carved effigy, called tau tau, is usually placed in the cave looking out over the land. The coffin of a baby or child may be hung from ropes on a cliff face or from a tree. This hanging grave usually lasts for years, until the ropes rot and the coffin falls to the ground.

cranium

“tau – tau” statue

Customs and culture of Torajanese was rooted in philosophical of life, a belief in power of ancestors spirit which can arrange human life in the world formed in the ways of life. The belief has been known since megalithic age. The tradition of megalithic culture has rooted in Toraja way of life, which be formed in every characteristic and unique culture. The phenomenon of Toraja culture can be seen at the shape of traditional villages, traditional house architecture, death party, and various shapes of traditional cemetery (such as cemetery of natural cave, chisel cave, wooden tree, hanging cemetery, and various shape of coffin such as the shape of buffalo, pig, chicken and boat).

Tana Toraja is one of tourist direction which has many beautiful tourist attractions such as beautiful scenery, traditional life, and various shapes of culture uniqueness. Various souvenirs about Toraja such as traditional house of Torajanese in small shape, sculptures, woven cloth, and various shapes of carving with the characteristic of Toraja which is full of belief symbols and life.

Various Carving of Toraja

Toraja’s Handicraft