Employing intricate cycles of ritual observance punctuated with marvelous pageantry and even bloody spectacle, the Toraja devote much time and effort to the care of their ancestors. The Toraja believe their forebears reside in heaven and participate directly in the welfare of the material world through their blessing. To conduct the souls of the deceased safely into the next world, the Toraja mount elaborate ceremonies which also serve to solidify bonds of mutual obligation among the traditionally suspicious clan groups.
Villages can swell to many times their normal populations as families stage enormous funerals, often years after the loved one has passed away. In the invariably muddy field and pathways hundreds of chickens and pigs are summarily dispatched. Events range from quiet prayers and solemn processions to stirring hymn singing and exciting battles between water buffaloes, all conducted in a festive atmosphere of clan solidarity and reunion.
For visitors, this is a magnificent show, as the ever hospitable Toraja will make arrangements to accommodate everyone who attends the ceremonies. Even a young backpacker stumbling into a Toraja funeral is offered a space in the temporary shelters erected for the occasion. The shelter set aside for tourists is generally in a good location, behind the closest relatives and community leaders, of course, but often far closer to the action than shelters reserved for distant or impoverished relations. Foreigners are considered honored quests, whose arrival from afar adds a cosmopolitan element to the festive occasion.
The ceremonies, which are complicated in nature and last for days, culminate in the dramatic spectacle where water buffaloes and pigs are slaughtered with great ceremony using a machete (called Parang) right in front of everyone's eyes while young boys jostle to catch spurting blood in long bamboo tubes. Many tourists find this utterly disgusting and are coming away feeling a little out of sympathy with this particular set of customs. The more buffaloes sacrificed, the quicker the journey will be, it is thought, to Puya, the Aluk To Dolo afterworld. Buffaloes piebald in color are especially valued for these ceremonies and are accordingly very expensive in the region.
Villages can swell to many times their normal populations as families stage enormous funerals, often years after the loved one has passed away. In the invariably muddy field and pathways hundreds of chickens and pigs are summarily dispatched. Events range from quiet prayers and solemn processions to stirring hymn singing and exciting battles between water buffaloes, all conducted in a festive atmosphere of clan solidarity and reunion.
For visitors, this is a magnificent show, as the ever hospitable Toraja will make arrangements to accommodate everyone who attends the ceremonies. Even a young backpacker stumbling into a Toraja funeral is offered a space in the temporary shelters erected for the occasion. The shelter set aside for tourists is generally in a good location, behind the closest relatives and community leaders, of course, but often far closer to the action than shelters reserved for distant or impoverished relations. Foreigners are considered honored quests, whose arrival from afar adds a cosmopolitan element to the festive occasion.
The ceremonies, which are complicated in nature and last for days, culminate in the dramatic spectacle where water buffaloes and pigs are slaughtered with great ceremony using a machete (called Parang) right in front of everyone's eyes while young boys jostle to catch spurting blood in long bamboo tubes. Many tourists find this utterly disgusting and are coming away feeling a little out of sympathy with this particular set of customs. The more buffaloes sacrificed, the quicker the journey will be, it is thought, to Puya, the Aluk To Dolo afterworld. Buffaloes piebald in color are especially valued for these ceremonies and are accordingly very expensive in the region.
The most well-known ceremonial field in Tana Toraja is the touristy rante in Bori, the most authentic one, however, is Ranre Tendan in Balusu. Also refer to Rante Rarassik and "The Toraja Monoliths".
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