Tana Toraja is located in South Sulawesi, one of the big islands in Indonesia. The people are called Toraja or Torajan; the traditional architecture of the home is one of the most famous and easily identified. Besides that, Toraja is also known for its death rituals.
If one travels to Toraja, most likely the pictures they have in the camera are not about the sceneries, museums, foods but the unique architecture, cemeteries, death rituals, and... the dead.
So what makes the Toraja death ritual so unique and unusual?
Toraja people believe that the dead are only unwell or weak. They are not afraid of it; they believe it is merely a step of their journey to the afterlife, the Puya.
In Toraja, death and funeral are two separate events; funeral can only be held when all the costs are covered.
The funeral cost is exorbitant; they would need to sacrifice cows, pigs, host multi-day events, feed hundreds of guests, and the list goes on. The cost depends on the status of the deceased, but proportionally, it could easily cost ten to one hundred times their annual salary. It's not a stretch to say that it can take a lifetime for a Torajan to save up for a funeral, so it's a norm that a funeral can be delayed months or years.
So, during this 'delay,' the deceased stay at home or at the Tongkonan. Tongkonan is Torajan's traditional ancestral house.
The family goes into daily routine with them; they are given meals and talked to, they are treated just like every other living family member. The Torajans have their way of preserving the dead; they are mummified soon after the death, cleaned and changed regularly, they even 'watch' their favorite TV program. It's not uncommon that a husband or wife 'waits' for the other so that their funerals can be held together; it's also practical for economic reasons.
Tongkonan (Source: Instagram@metrosulawesitours)
RAMBU SOLO
It's a multi-day event, where cows and pigs are sacrificed. To put it simply, the cost of a cow is equivalent to the cost of a car, and there are different levels of cars and cows. The number of cows sacrificed at Rambu Solo in Toraja depends on the status of the deceased, from a few to hundreds. The family of the deceased could also receive the animals as gifts, expressions of love or compassion; it could also be payback for a deed done in the past. However, if you receive a gift, you should pay it back one day. There are actually recorded as 'cow debt' or 'pig debt' but can be paid by the recipient as and when they can afford it.
The most expensive type of cow is called kerbau belang, based on the unusual pattern of the cow. It could easily cost one billion Indonesian Rupiahs (which is equivalent to over seventy thousand American dollars).
These cows are raised like kings; they have their caretakers, eat the freshest grass, are bathed with special treatment and shampoo, walked and protected from mosquito bites.
Source: berakhirpekan.com/kerbau-mahal-Toraja
There is also a specific way to sacrifice the cows. It has to be done by assigned algojo (executioner), called pa'tinggoro tedong, and the sacrifice process is called ma'tinggoro tedong. Tedong is Toranjan's language for cow. The cows are put in a standing position with neck up and killed with a single stroke.
Anyone can watch the process, even children. The parang (Indonesian machete) is also specially treated, it should only be used for this purpose, well taken care of, and the handle is decorated with Torajan's carving.
There are quite a number of different segments and types of Rambu Solo, and they are all determined by the status and position in the society. It is a complex multi-day event open to public; guests from everywhere are welcome. They are served food, drink and something that is probably not normal outside Indonesia, cigarettes. The guests also enjoy the feast, entertainment like dancing, singing, and cow fighting. The meats from sacrificed animals are distributed to the poor, and for every animal sacrificed, taxes are collected and used to build public facilities.
Even though Rambu Solo's cost is exorbitant, it is viewed as respect, sacred ceremony and tradition that Torajans work hard to preserve; it's a culture that strengthens bonds between family and society, and it is also viewed as sharing with the society. Torajans believe without Rambu Solo, misery would fall upon deceased family and affect their journey to reach Puya.
On the last day of Rambu Solo, the deceased are brought to their final resting place on the cliff, cave or special house for that purpose. Once the coffins are put there, it indicated that the spirits of the deceased have left and are manifested into Tau-tau. Tau means people. Tau-tau means people likeness. Tau-tau are specially made statues to resemble the dead, they are made by specialists who spend the time crafting beside the deceased, and the process can take months. They can only be 'ordered' when death happens. Only those who sacrifice at least 24 cows are permitted to make Tau-tau. The cost is also only affordable by those as it could easily cost twenty-five million Indonesian Rupiahs (equivalent to around eighteen-hundred American dollars).
Tau-tau are placed on the cliff, considered sacred and dressed just like the deceased.
The materials of the statues are again, based on the status.
Tau-tau (Source: tribunnewswiki.com)
So, up to this point, is the ritual unique and special enough?
Yes or no, there is more.
MA'NENE FESTIVAL
Every couple of years, the family of the deceased visit, pray and take the deceased out from the coffin. They are cleaned, changed into fresh clothing and introduced or reunited with the family.
Ma'nene festival is done every couple of years, around 3-4 years, it is done after harvest season and the timing is decided together by the community. It is treated as reunions and meetings with the ancestor, the family will take pictures with the deceased. After the ritual is done, the deceased are put back into the coffin.
Ma'nene festival is regarded as family bonding, that death shouldn't mean the end of relationships, it is also respect for ancestors. Ma'nene is happy event.
(For pictures, you can google and there are plethora of them, not for the faint-hearted)
The ritual might sound peculiar for outsiders, but there is a background story.
Legend has it that there was a hunter named Pong Rumasek who found a unidentified body. It was in poor condition. Taking pity for it, Pong Rumasek took care of the body and even took off his own clothes and put them on the body; he then moved it to a better resting place.
When he reached home, he found that his crops were ready to harvest even though it should take much longer. He was also continued to be blessed.
From there, the belief that it's kindness to take good care of the death was born.
So, there you have it, the special death ritual of Toraja.
