Toraja set to cultivate its tourism potential<\/p>\n
Text by Johannes Simbolon and photos by Mulkan Salmona<\/p>\n
In conjunction with its 13th Anniversary, The Jakarta Post is
\nholding a Toraja cultural exhibition, Tammuan Toraya (Toraja's
\nGathering) at Bentara Budaya Jakarta from April 25 to May 5.
\nEarlier in March, the Post's reporter Johannes Simbolon and
\nphotographer Mulkan Salmona visited Tana Toraja to learn
\nfirsthand about the culture of the Torajans, the people of the
\nbeautiful land in the northern part of South Sulawesi. They
\nreport on their trip in the following stories and photographs.
\nMore stories and pictures on Pages 7, 8 and 9, including two
\nstories on Toraja's architecture and effigies by Stanislaus
\nSandarupa, a Torajan anthropologist who teaches at the University
\nof Hasanuddin in Ujungpandang.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A French tourist describes Tana Toraja as
\nfollows: \"In many parts of the world, the old traditions can be
\nseen only in museums. In Toraja, the old tradition still exists,
\nis still lived.\"<\/p>\n
Torajans, who live in the regencies of Tana Toraja, Enrekang,
\nLuwu, Poleweli and Mamasa in the mountainous area of South
\nSulawesi and Central Sulawesi, have long been famous for their
\nculture and their land.<\/p>\n
Although its natural beauty is breathtaking, Toraja is
\nprimarily famous for its culture.<\/p>\n
The \"jewel from Celebes\" began sparkling after Dutchman Van
\nRijn visited it late last century. He was the first European to
\nvisit the area. Since then, anthropologists from around the world
\nhave gone there to study its unique culture. They have been
\nfollowed by tourists, who grow more in number every year.<\/p>\n
The most unique elements of the Torajan culture are the
\ncustoms concerning the dead and burial. They don't bury the dead
\nright away but wait for months, and in some cases years, until
\nthey have enough money and time to stage grand burial ceremonies
\nwhich last for days. Over a hundred buffaloes can be sacrificed
\nduring one ceremony. No less unique is the way they bury the
\ndead, in cliffsides, caves, big stones, and trees.<\/p>\n
The exotic culture originates from Toraja's traditional
\nreligion, Aluk Todolo, which is now categorized by the government
\ninto Hinduism, but touted by the hoteliers as animism in order to
\nattract tourists.<\/p>\n
Although the number of followers of this religion's has
\ndecreased -- they are mostly elder Torajans -- due to the arrival
\nof more contemporary religions to the area, Torajans still cling
\nto the old rituals, regardless of which religion they follow.<\/p>\n
Joseph Tangke, vice chairman of the Indonesian Guide
\nAssociation in Tana Toraja, said that during the Pacific Asia
\nTravel Association's 1974 conference in Jakarta, the Indonesian
\ngovernment declared Toraja a tourist destination.<\/p>\n
\"Some tourists had come earlier, if in small numbers,\" Joseph
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The most visited tourist site in the area is the Tana Toraja
\nregency in South Sulawesi. Other regencies are rarely visited
\nbecause they lack tourist facilities and are not very accessible.<\/p>\n
To reach the town of Mamasa in the Poleweli and Mamasa
\nregency, for example, people must trek all day and there is only
\none telephone line available.<\/p>\n
Rudy Badil, a Kompas journalist who recently visited the
\nMamasa area, said, \"There are about 40 potential tourist spots
\nthere, where you can see coffins and graves, but they are only
\naccessible by trekking.\"<\/p>\n
By contrast, all tourist spots in Tana Toraja are accessible
\nby car.<\/p>\n
They include the unique rock graves hewn out of the cliffside,
\nlarge rocks and there are the cave graves with open coffins,
\nexposing human bones and skulls.<\/p>\n
These can be seen in almost all the villages, including the
\nmost well-known of Ke'te' Kesu, Londa, Lemo and Bori. Other
\nattractions include the child mummy in Sangalla; megalithic
\nmenhirs in Bori; and old tongkonan (boat-shaped houses) in Palawa
\nand Ke'te' Kesu.<\/p>\n
Visitors who prefer panoramic views can travel to Batu Tumonga
\non Mt. Sesean, from which they can look down on the breathtaking
\nscene of Rantepao and its surroundings.<\/p>\n
\"There are 59 tourist spots in Tana Toraja. Most of which
\ndisplay the culture,\" said Dalipang, chief of Tana Toraja's
\ntourism office.<\/p>\n
Tourist facilities in Tana Toraja are plentiful. There are
\nabout 1,500 rooms available, including star-rated hotels, economy
\nhotels and homestays, with prices ranging from Rp 7,000 (US$3) to
\nRp 231,700 ($100) per day. The star-rated hotels are concentrated
\nin Rantepao, the main tourist spot, and Tana Toraja's capital,
\nMakale.<\/p>\n
About 100 guides, local youths who speak English, French,
\nGerman and Italian, are available in Rantepao, with fees ranging
\nfrom Rp 25,000 to Rp 50,000 per day.<\/p>\n
For visitors who want to travel the area alone, a tour service
\nin Rantepao, Jet, which is managed by the local branch of
\nIndonesian Guide Association, hires out bicycles at Rp 7,000 per
\nday and motorbikes at Rp 30,000 per day.<\/p>\n
The number of visitors is steadily increasing. According data
\nfrom the Tana Toraja Tourism Office, about 12,500 foreign
\ntourists and 84,000 domestic tourists arrived in the regency in
\n1984. Ten years later, foreign tourist arrivals have risen to
\n55,000 and domestic tourists to 200,000.<\/p>\n
Sam Lande, manager of the Toraja Garden Cottages in Rantepao,
\nTana Toraja said that during the peak season, from June to
\nSeptember, all accommodation in the area is fully booked.<\/p>\n
\"Some tourists end up sleeping in hotel lobbies,\" he said.<\/p>\n
France has sent the largest number of visitors, followed by
\nGermany, the Netherlands, the U.S., and Italy. Tourists from
\nAsia, including Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, who are
\ngenerally considered as not being very interested in culture,
\nhave also recently begun arriving.<\/p>\n
Stanislaus Sandarupa, a lecturer at the Hasanuddin University,
\nwho moonlights as a guide, said, \"French tourists are very
\nspecial. They never look bored, moving from one village to
\nanother where they see the same things. Tourist from America will
\nusually comment 'it is a repeat',\"<\/p>\n
The regency, which is expecting to earn Rp 400 million from
\ntourism this year -- a quarter of its total revenue -- is now
\nplanning ways to develop the sector and especially to increase
\nlengths of stay. This task has been handed over to the newly-
\nformed Tana Toraja Tourist Promotion Board.<\/p>\n
On average, tourists who come in groups stay for about two
\ndays and backpackers stay 10 days.<\/p>\n
Tana Toraja's regent, Tarsis Kodrat, said \"We have many
\nstunning mountains, hills and jungles which remain uncultivated.
\nWe call on the interested private sectors to cultivate these
\npotential tourist sites.\"<\/p>\n
One problem faced is that Tana Toraja can't make a definite
\ncalender of events because most cultural events, which are all
\norganized by the local people, can't be scheduled a year ahead.
\nThe funeral ceremony, which attracts many tourists, can suddenly
\nbe canceled by the family holding it, even though it has been
\nprepared for months.<\/p>\n
\"So, if tourists are lucky they can get to see a funeral
\nceremony, meaning they arrive at a time when there is a funeral
\nceremony being held,\" said Joseph.<\/p>\n
Although Tana Toraja can be reached by land, sea and air,
\ntransportation is another problem.<\/p>\n
Most visitors prefer traveling the 350 kilometers from
\nUjungpandang to Rantepao by car, which can take seven to eight
\nhours.<\/p>\n
Others go by ship to the town of Pare-Pare and continue on to
\nRantepao by car for another three hours. The road stretches along
\nthe coast but there are no spectacular views that help pass the
\ntime, except in the area close to Tana Toraja.<\/p>\n
Flights from the airport in Hasanuddin to Pongtiku airport in
\nRantepao, which take about half an hour, provide spectacular
\nviews. Unfortunately, the runway at Pongtiku is too short to
\nserve large airplanes. One 17-seat Cessna flies the route once a
\nday.<\/p>\n
\"Extension of the Pongtiku runaway is now in progress, which
\nwill enable bigger airplanes to land. When completed, we hope
\nmore people will come here,\" said Tarsis.<\/p>\n
The saying \"Toraja After Bali\" has repeatedly been mentioned
\nto promote the area. Toraja has far to go to realize the dream.
\nIf access to the area is not improved, there might be a new
\nsaying: \"It's a long, long way from Bali to Toraja\".<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/toraja-set-to-cultivate-its-tourism-potential-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}