Toraja set to cultivate its tourism potential
Text by Johannes Simbolon and photos by Mulkan Salmona
In conjunction with its 13th Anniversary, The Jakarta Post is holding a Toraja cultural exhibition, Tammuan Toraya (Toraja's Gathering) at Bentara Budaya Jakarta from April 25 to May 5. Earlier in March, the Post's reporter Johannes Simbolon and photographer Mulkan Salmona visited Tana Toraja to learn firsthand about the culture of the Torajans, the people of the beautiful land in the northern part of South Sulawesi. They report on their trip in the following stories and photographs. More stories and pictures on Pages 7, 8 and 9, including two stories on Toraja's architecture and effigies by Stanislaus Sandarupa, a Torajan anthropologist who teaches at the University of Hasanuddin in Ujungpandang.
JAKARTA (JP): A French tourist describes Tana Toraja as follows: "In many parts of the world, the old traditions can be seen only in museums. In Toraja, the old tradition still exists, is still lived."
Torajans, who live in the regencies of Tana Toraja, Enrekang, Luwu, Poleweli and Mamasa in the mountainous area of South Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi, have long been famous for their culture and their land.
Although its natural beauty is breathtaking, Toraja is primarily famous for its culture.
The "jewel from Celebes" began sparkling after Dutchman Van Rijn visited it late last century. He was the first European to visit the area. Since then, anthropologists from around the world have gone there to study its unique culture. They have been followed by tourists, who grow more in number every year.
The most unique elements of the Torajan culture are the customs concerning the dead and burial. They don't bury the dead right away but wait for months, and in some cases years, until they have enough money and time to stage grand burial ceremonies which last for days. Over a hundred buffaloes can be sacrificed during one ceremony. No less unique is the way they bury the dead, in cliffsides, caves, big stones, and trees.
The exotic culture originates from Toraja's traditional religion, Aluk Todolo, which is now categorized by the government into Hinduism, but touted by the hoteliers as animism in order to attract tourists.
Although the number of followers of this religion's has decreased -- they are mostly elder Torajans -- due to the arrival of more contemporary religions to the area, Torajans still cling to the old rituals, regardless of which religion they follow.
Joseph Tangke, vice chairman of the Indonesian Guide Association in Tana Toraja, said that during the Pacific Asia Travel Association's 1974 conference in Jakarta, the Indonesian government declared Toraja a tourist destination.
"Some tourists had come earlier, if in small numbers," Joseph said.
The most visited tourist site in the area is the Tana Toraja regency in South Sulawesi. Other regencies are rarely visited because they lack tourist facilities and are not very accessible.
To reach the town of Mamasa in the Poleweli and Mamasa regency, for example, people must trek all day and there is only one telephone line available.
Rudy Badil, a Kompas journalist who recently visited the Mamasa area, said, "There are about 40 potential tourist spots there, where you can see coffins and graves, but they are only accessible by trekking."
By contrast, all tourist spots in Tana Toraja are accessible by car.
They include the unique rock graves hewn out of the cliffside, large rocks and there are the cave graves with open coffins, exposing human bones and skulls.
These can be seen in almost all the villages, including the most well-known of Ke'te' Kesu, Londa, Lemo and Bori. Other attractions include the child mummy in Sangalla; megalithic menhirs in Bori; and old tongkonan (boat-shaped houses) in Palawa and Ke'te' Kesu.
Visitors who prefer panoramic views can travel to Batu Tumonga on Mt. Sesean, from which they can look down on the breathtaking scene of Rantepao and its surroundings.
"There are 59 tourist spots in Tana Toraja. Most of which display the culture," said Dalipang, chief of Tana Toraja's tourism office.
Tourist facilities in Tana Toraja are plentiful. There are about 1,500 rooms available, including star-rated hotels, economy hotels and homestays, with prices ranging from Rp 7,000 (US$3) to Rp 231,700 ($100) per day. The star-rated hotels are concentrated in Rantepao, the main tourist spot, and Tana Toraja's capital, Makale.
About 100 guides, local youths who speak English, French, German and Italian, are available in Rantepao, with fees ranging from Rp 25,000 to Rp 50,000 per day.
For visitors who want to travel the area alone, a tour service in Rantepao, Jet, which is managed by the local branch of Indonesian Guide Association, hires out bicycles at Rp 7,000 per day and motorbikes at Rp 30,000 per day.
The number of visitors is steadily increasing. According data from the Tana Toraja Tourism Office, about 12,500 foreign tourists and 84,000 domestic tourists arrived in the regency in 1984. Ten years later, foreign tourist arrivals have risen to 55,000 and domestic tourists to 200,000.
Sam Lande, manager of the Toraja Garden Cottages in Rantepao, Tana Toraja said that during the peak season, from June to September, all accommodation in the area is fully booked.
"Some tourists end up sleeping in hotel lobbies," he said.
France has sent the largest number of visitors, followed by Germany, the Netherlands, the U.S., and Italy. Tourists from Asia, including Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, who are generally considered as not being very interested in culture, have also recently begun arriving.
Stanislaus Sandarupa, a lecturer at the Hasanuddin University, who moonlights as a guide, said, "French tourists are very special. They never look bored, moving from one village to another where they see the same things. Tourist from America will usually comment 'it is a repeat',"
The regency, which is expecting to earn Rp 400 million from tourism this year -- a quarter of its total revenue -- is now planning ways to develop the sector and especially to increase lengths of stay. This task has been handed over to the newly- formed Tana Toraja Tourist Promotion Board.
On average, tourists who come in groups stay for about two days and backpackers stay 10 days.
Tana Toraja's regent, Tarsis Kodrat, said "We have many stunning mountains, hills and jungles which remain uncultivated. We call on the interested private sectors to cultivate these potential tourist sites."
One problem faced is that Tana Toraja can't make a definite calender of events because most cultural events, which are all organized by the local people, can't be scheduled a year ahead. The funeral ceremony, which attracts many tourists, can suddenly be canceled by the family holding it, even though it has been prepared for months.
"So, if tourists are lucky they can get to see a funeral ceremony, meaning they arrive at a time when there is a funeral ceremony being held," said Joseph.
Although Tana Toraja can be reached by land, sea and air, transportation is another problem.
Most visitors prefer traveling the 350 kilometers from Ujungpandang to Rantepao by car, which can take seven to eight hours.
Others go by ship to the town of Pare-Pare and continue on to Rantepao by car for another three hours. The road stretches along the coast but there are no spectacular views that help pass the time, except in the area close to Tana Toraja.
Flights from the airport in Hasanuddin to Pongtiku airport in Rantepao, which take about half an hour, provide spectacular views. Unfortunately, the runway at Pongtiku is too short to serve large airplanes. One 17-seat Cessna flies the route once a day.
"Extension of the Pongtiku runaway is now in progress, which will enable bigger airplanes to land. When completed, we hope more people will come here," said Tarsis.
The saying "Toraja After Bali" has repeatedly been mentioned to promote the area. Toraja has far to go to realize the dream. If access to the area is not improved, there might be a new saying: "It's a long, long way from Bali to Toraja".