Uniqueness lures tourists to Toraja
Uniqueness lures tourists to Toraja
The Jakarta Post, Makale, South Sulawesi
Despite its distance from any airport, Tana Toraja (Toraja land),
remains the favorite tourist destination in South Sulawesi, and
one of the most visited sites in the country.
Toraja is best known for its traditional Torajan houses,
locally called tongkonan.
The houses are decorated with carvings of geometric designs
with buffalo horns that indicate the status and wealth of the
family.
The roofs of the houses rise at both ends like the bow and
stern of a ship, and legend has it that this was the shape of the
vessels that carried their ancestors here.
The most popular tongkonan houses are found in the traditional
village of Sillanan, about 15 kilometers south of the Toraja
regency capital of Makale. These houses belong to the
aristocratic Ke'te Kesu family.
Another attraction in Tana Toraja is the animal market in
Rantepao, where hundreds of animals, such as buffaloes and pigs,
are traded. Rantepao is 20 kilometers north of Makale.
Buffaloes and pigs are important to Torajans, especially
traditional Torajans who cling to the tradition of Aluk Todolo,
for various traditional rituals.
The number of Torajans adhering to the Aluk Todolo tradition,
however, keep decreasing and are estimated at around 5 percent of
Toraja's 400,000 people.
The majority of Torajans have converted to Christianity.
Nevertheless, many Torajan Christians still perform traditional
rituals, especially in welcoming guests.
Aluk Todolo regulates Torajans' daily activities of how to
build houses, cook meals, greet people of different ages and
status and conduct rituals.
Among the many traditional ceremonies, the most prestigious is
the funeral ceremony.
A funeral ceremony usually lasts about one week, with
feasting, chanting and dancing continuing through the nights.
Traditional Torajans lay their dead to rest in tombs chiseled
and carved in steep cliffs.
People access these tombs by climbing up bamboo ladders.
One of the most popular traditional graves is located in Lemo.
Here, visitors see a balcony full of local wooden or bamboo
statues called tau-tau, mixed up together in the steep coral
stone museum in the open air.
Another famous grave is in Londa, where the grave is located
inside a cave. Here visitors are greeted by a wide balcony filled
with tau-tau at the entrance of the cave.
However, visitors need to rent a strong flashlight or kerosene
lamp to go inside the cave. They are in abundance at the entrance
of the cave, for Rp 10,000 (US1.10) each.
Coffins and bones are found scattered around the cave.
There are many more places of interest in Toraja. They include
the baby cemetery in Sangalla, more Tongkonan houses in Marante
and Palawa, the King of Suaya graveyard in Suaya, traditional
rice barns in To'Barana S'dang and Nanggala, more tau-tau in
Tondong, menhir stones in Batutumonga and Bori.
Most of these places are operated by private entities. The
local administration has awarded 77 licenses to private and
locally owned institutions to operate tourist attractions in Tana
Toraja. However, 57 of the license holders have not yet started
their operations.
To get around Toraja is not difficult as there are plenty of
tour operators. To get to Toraja, however, visitors need overland
transportation. The easiest route is through Makassar, the
provincial capital of South Sulawesi, where the nearest airport
from Toraja is located.
Nevertheless, the long trip from Makassar, usually taking
about seven to eight hours overland from Makassar, offers a
unique experience to holidaymakers, with spectacular views of the
mountains, steep terraced slopes and tall bamboo forests.