Tana Toraja, a wonderful land of rituals<\/p>\n
Text and photos by Ida Indawati Khouw<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): My husband and I had a hard time deciding where
\nto spend our holiday in December. We had a long list of possible
\ndestinations but we thought most of the places were "unsafe"
\nbecause the areas were prone to either social tension or natural
\ndisasters.<\/p>\n
After a lengthy discussion, we eventually settled on Tana
\nToraja in South Sulawesi as the best choice. So off we went.<\/p>\n
The choice, we soon realized, was a good one and in no way
\ndisappointing. The good omens started right when we landed in the
\nprovincial capital of Makassar. The nine-hour journey to
\nRantepao, Tana Toraja's main city, was smooth. There was no need
\nto make bus reservation, as a friend of ours had suggested.<\/p>\n
The bus service was excellent. The driver dropped us right at
\nthe homestay belonging to our friend Agustinus Lamba, even though
\nit was located outside of Rantepao.<\/p>\n
We later learned that the drivers of buses and vans in
\nRantepao were very generous and pleasant with their passengers.
\nThey will take you to your destination even if it is a bit far
\nfrom the main road. They will even wait if you happen to have to
\nfetch something from a friend's house along the way -- for free!<\/p>\n
We arrived at the cool town early on a foggy morning. People
\nin the street covered themselves with sarongs to protect
\nthemselves from the cold.<\/p>\n
It was a great place. The homestay was surrounded by paddy
\nfields and swamps. After 7 p.m. it was eerily quiet. In the
\nmorning, we woke up to the sounds of pigs, chickens and dogs.<\/p>\n
We told Agustinus we wanted to see the famous Torajan rituals.<\/p>\n
"Don't worry," Agustinus assured us, "it's easy here to find
\nsuch rituals because they are commonplace. I guarantee you won't
\nmiss them."<\/p>\n
Agustinus was right. Wherever we went we saw preparations for
\nrituals of some sort.<\/p>\n
Tana Toraja is indeed the land of rituals. It is not difficult
\nto get information on cultural events. You can obtain such
\ninformation from people in the street, at bus terminals and in
\nthe market. People also often know of planned rituals in other
\nvillages.<\/p>\n
We were told of a ritual in the outlying village of Pangalla,
\na two-and-a-half-hour journey by minivan through rocky roads with
\nbeautiful hills and valleys on both sides.<\/p>\n
"News about a ritual circulates in town because of the
\npresence of villagers wanting to buy a large number of buffaloes
\nand pigs for the ritual," Agustinus said.<\/p>\n
The event at Pangalla was a thanksgiving party for the
\ncompletion of the renovation of the tongkonan of a Tendeng clan.
\nTongkonan is a Torajan traditional house, which sits on stilts
\nand has an elaborate bamboo roof.<\/p>\n
The main part of the ceremony, which lasted the whole day, was
\nthe slaughter of 80 pigs. Their throats were slit one by one as
\nthe crowd looked on. Blood poured onto the ground and heaps of
\npork were scattered everywhere.<\/p>\n
For first-time visitors, such a scene can be stomach-churning
\nbut for the locals there is nothing unusual about the killing
\nspree. The pigs are turned into a delicacy called piong
\n(pork cooked in bamboo and mixed with vegetables).<\/p>\n
Funeral<\/p>\n
The funeral ceremony is an important part of the Torajan
\ntradition, and there were many of them in December. Again, the
\nslaughter of animals is a main part of the ceremony.<\/p>\n
I do not mean to say that many people died during our visit.
\nAccording to tradition, Torajans are not immediately buried when
\nthey die. It can take months and even years for the deceased to
\nbe buried, because their relatives have to save money for the
\nceremony.<\/p>\n
"Most of the ceremonies are held between June and December to
\ncoincide with the tourist season and school holidays," said our
\ntour guide, Y. Palinggi.<\/p>\n
The funeral ceremony can cost several hundred million or even
\nbillions of rupiah.<\/p>\n
Palinggi said a grand ritual for the dead was important
\nbecause according to traditional belief the ritual, called aluk
\nto dolo, helps the souls of the deceased become deata (deified
\nsouls), meaning the offspring will be blessed. If there is no
\nritual the spirit will wander about and disturb its offspring.<\/p>\n
While waiting for the ritual to be performed, the corpses are
\nlaid out in the tongkonan and treated like living human beings:
\noffered food and drink and spoken to.<\/p>\n
It took more than two years for the family of Erni from
\nTikalla, about five kilometers north of Rantepao, to be able to
\nafford to bury her 70-year-old mother last December.<\/p>\n
Thanks to the use of formalin, the corpse did not decompose.
\nIn the past, spices and magic spells were used to cope with the
\nproblem of decomposition.<\/p>\n
For the two years Erni's mother waited to be buried, the
\ncorpse was guarded by a family member who served her food and
\nother daily needs as offerings. The relative also talked to the
\ncorpse.<\/p>\n
Funeral rituals can last as long as one week. The culmination
\nof the ritual is the slaughter of buffalo. The number of buffalo
\nslaughtered indicates the social and economic status of the
\nfamily, thus people slaughter as many buffaloes as possible in a
\nbid to show off their wealth.<\/p>\n
In Balik, for instance, the family of 115-year-old Galla
\nslaughtered 50 buffaloes, whereas according to local regulation a
\nnoble family like them must only slaughter 24 buffaloes for the
\nritual.<\/p>\n
"I think the cost for this ritual was more than Rp 1 billion,
\nbecause the price of one normal sized buffalo is over Rp 10
\nmillion. They also slaughtered special buffaloes (usually white
\nones with black spots) which cost almost Rp 50 million each,"
\nsaid Anis, one of Galla's grandsons.<\/p>\n
But not all Torajans are as rich as the Gallas. Some people
\nhave been forced to sell their belongings for a lavish funeral
\nceremony.<\/p>\n
Many "modern" Torajans no longer believe in this tradition,
\nwhich has become the target of criticism from religious figures.
\nA Catholic priest openly attacked the practice during Mass last
\nChristmas Eve.<\/p>\n
"I know it is a sensitive issue but as a priest I should say
\nthat holding a lavish party costing billions of rupiah is not in
\nline with Christ's teachings .... The money can be used to help
\nthe poor," said the priest.<\/p>\n
The majority of Torajans are Christian.<\/p>\n
Agustinus said that such sermons were often given, but people
\ndid not listen. "(Changing the attitude) is difficult because
\nthose (from the higher classes) who do not hold expensive rituals
\nwill be excluded from society," said Agustinus.<\/p>\n
This is what happened to Yakobus Lamba, who did not hold a
\nceremony when his wife passed away in Palopo in 1988.<\/p>\n
"I just buried her four days after she died. Her relatives
\nwanted to bring her body to her hometown in Tondon to be buried
\nfollowing the rituals, but I was opposed to the idea because I
\nhad no money.<\/p>\n
"Now villagers are reluctant to interact with me, but I don't
\ncare. For me it is better to use the money to finance my
\nchildren's education," Yakobus said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tana-toraja-a-wonderful-land-of-rituals-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}