After breakfast we were greeted by our driver for the day. The area we are in, Tana Toraja, is an area where death is dealt with in a very interesting way! Read on to hear all about this most amazing place ...
Our first stop was the market which only happens once a week. For sale were buffalo and pigs! The buffalos were soooo interesting. The most valuable beasts being the ones that were around 50% white. We have never seen a white buffalo before, but they had the most beautiful blue eyes. There were buffalo in every shape and size and some with the most gigantic horns.
Next stop was to see the pigs. The pigs were not as placid as the buffalo, so they were generally restrained by being lashed to long bamboo poles. The more a pig squealed, the more valuable it was deemed to be.
We stopped in a small shop to buy a gift for our next stop .... a Tana Toraja funeral! When a person dies the people here believe they are sick, not dead. So, the 'sick person' lives with them in their house! The 'sick person' sleeps in the same room and are they are fed, dressed etc .... This is a very interesting concept and very different to the way we would treat a dead body! When the family has saved up enough money they hold a funeral. This usually takes years as the funerals are big affairs and cost an absolute fortune. They are usually held in July, holiday season, as the family can all attend from wherever they may be. We got very lucky as today a funeral was being held in a village! They are usually 3-4 day events with different things happening each day. We got to witness day 2 ...
A huge area is set aside for family and guests. Temporary accommodation areas are constructed of bamboo and decorated. The funerals are public events so all of the villagers also attend and bring small gifts for the family.
The family members all arrive and are all initially led in by a special person, in procession. Gifts from the village are bought into the 'arena' by beautifully dressed ladies all dressed in the same clothes. The coffin is displayed up on a pedestal. It is a very, very elaborate event.
Many buffalo and pigs are made as a sacrifice by the deceased's family and the meat is shared between the guests. Dinner is served and some meat distributed as a gift. The quantity the guests are given depends on their family / community status. We ate with the rest of the visitors but then left to continue on our tour.
We believe day 3 is when the coffin is carried in a beautiful Toraja chariot to its final resting place in a colourful procession. The final day ends with bull and cock fighting, some thing we didn't feel we needed to see!
Next stop for us was to visit a series of local graves. Holes are cut into sheer rock faces, big enough for a number of family members to be placed. A wooden door then finished off the grave, often with a beautifully carved representation of a buffalo. Also cut into the rock is a space allocated for life sized wooden carvings of each family member. Some of the graves were very old and as tools have improved over the years, you could clearly see how the carvings had become more 'life-like'!
In Tana Toraja babies are treated a little bit differently. If a baby dies before having teeth, a hole is cut in a special tree. It is then covered with a small mat of fibres from a palm tree (we think?). As the tree continues to grow the hole heals over and the baby is returned to nature as part of the tree. We liked this idea ...
Moving on from here we visited some Toraja homes, which are truly spectacular. They look like crescent moons with the most beautiful carvings and decorations. The carvings are painted in 4 colours. Black represents death, white purity,yellow justice and red blood.
After a great day of learning about a fascinating culture we were driven back to our hotel.
Our first stop was the market which only happens once a week. For sale were buffalo and pigs! The buffalos were soooo interesting. The most valuable beasts being the ones that were around 50% white. We have never seen a white buffalo before, but they had the most beautiful blue eyes. There were buffalo in every shape and size and some with the most gigantic horns.
Next stop was to see the pigs. The pigs were not as placid as the buffalo, so they were generally restrained by being lashed to long bamboo poles. The more a pig squealed, the more valuable it was deemed to be.
We stopped in a small shop to buy a gift for our next stop .... a Tana Toraja funeral! When a person dies the people here believe they are sick, not dead. So, the 'sick person' lives with them in their house! The 'sick person' sleeps in the same room and are they are fed, dressed etc .... This is a very interesting concept and very different to the way we would treat a dead body! When the family has saved up enough money they hold a funeral. This usually takes years as the funerals are big affairs and cost an absolute fortune. They are usually held in July, holiday season, as the family can all attend from wherever they may be. We got very lucky as today a funeral was being held in a village! They are usually 3-4 day events with different things happening each day. We got to witness day 2 ...
A huge area is set aside for family and guests. Temporary accommodation areas are constructed of bamboo and decorated. The funerals are public events so all of the villagers also attend and bring small gifts for the family.
The family members all arrive and are all initially led in by a special person, in procession. Gifts from the village are bought into the 'arena' by beautifully dressed ladies all dressed in the same clothes. The coffin is displayed up on a pedestal. It is a very, very elaborate event.
Many buffalo and pigs are made as a sacrifice by the deceased's family and the meat is shared between the guests. Dinner is served and some meat distributed as a gift. The quantity the guests are given depends on their family / community status. We ate with the rest of the visitors but then left to continue on our tour.
We believe day 3 is when the coffin is carried in a beautiful Toraja chariot to its final resting place in a colourful procession. The final day ends with bull and cock fighting, some thing we didn't feel we needed to see!
Next stop for us was to visit a series of local graves. Holes are cut into sheer rock faces, big enough for a number of family members to be placed. A wooden door then finished off the grave, often with a beautifully carved representation of a buffalo. Also cut into the rock is a space allocated for life sized wooden carvings of each family member. Some of the graves were very old and as tools have improved over the years, you could clearly see how the carvings had become more 'life-like'!
In Tana Toraja babies are treated a little bit differently. If a baby dies before having teeth, a hole is cut in a special tree. It is then covered with a small mat of fibres from a palm tree (we think?). As the tree continues to grow the hole heals over and the baby is returned to nature as part of the tree. We liked this idea ...
Moving on from here we visited some Toraja homes, which are truly spectacular. They look like crescent moons with the most beautiful carvings and decorations. The carvings are painted in 4 colours. Black represents death, white purity,yellow justice and red blood.
After a great day of learning about a fascinating culture we were driven back to our hotel.
