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85-619: The local government seat is in the town of Makale , while the traditional center of Toraja culture is in Rantepao . Formerly, the Tana Toraja area covered a larger area, but on 24 June 2008 this was divided into two regencies, consisting of Tana Toraja with its capital at Makale and Toraja Utara (North Toraja) with its capital at Rantepao. The Tana Toraja boundary was determined by the Dutch East Indies government in 1909. In 1926, Tana Toraja

170-537: A clear expression of the psychological and physical effect of loss is a catharsis and sometimes lessens the pain of grief itself. Prior to Suharto 's "New Order" administration, the Torajan economy was based on agriculture, with cultivated wet rice in terraced fields on mountain slopes, and supplemental cassava and maize crops. Much time and energy were devoted to raising water buffalo, pigs, and chickens, primarily for ceremonial sacrifices and consumption. Coffee

255-429: A field waiting for their owner, who is in the "sleeping stage". Torajans believe that the deceased will need the buffalo to make the journey and that they will be quicker to arrive at Puya if they have many buffalo. Slaughtering tens of water buffalo and hundreds of pigs using a machete is the climax of the elaborate death feast, with dancing and music and young boys who catch spurting blood in long bamboo tubes. Some of

340-482: A geometrical tool. On 24 March 2022, about 125 patterns were given communal intellectual property copyright sertificates by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights , in order for protecting of traditional culture expressions. In Toraja society, the funeral ritual is the most elaborate and expensive event. The richer and more powerful the individual, the more expensive is the funeral. In the aluk religion, only nobles have

425-504: A group of boys and girls clap their hands while performing a cheerful dance called Ma'dondan . As in other agricultural societies, Torajans dance and sing during harvest time . The Ma'bugi dance celebrates the thanksgiving event, and the Ma'gandangi dance is performed while Torajans are pounding rice . There are several war dances , such as the Manimbong dance performed by men, followed by

510-400: A living tree that is hollowed out. Tongkonan Pallawa is one of the tongkonan or traditional house that is very interesting and is located among the bamboo trees at the top of the hill. The tongkonan is decorated with a number of buffalo horns that are plugged in the front of the traditional house. Located about 12 km to the north of Rantepao. The place is often referred to as the home of

595-616: A meeting between the Indonesian and Japanese delegations in Poznan, Poland, Saturday 11 November 2010. September 10 in Poznan attended by representatives from about 40 countries in Asia and Europe. Makale, Indonesia The town of Makale is the administrative centre of Tana Toraja Regency , in South Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. The town had about 39,040 inhabitants in mid 2021. It

680-409: A procession in which the deceased is carried from a rice barn to the rante , the site of the funeral ceremony. During the funeral, elder women perform the Ma'katia dance while singing a poetic song and wearing a long feathered costume. The Ma'akatia dance is performed to remind the audience of the generosity and loyalty of the deceased person. After the bloody ceremony of buffalo and pig slaughter ,

765-491: A rocky cliff. The grave is usually expensive and takes a few months to complete. In some areas, a stone cave may be found that is large enough to accommodate a whole family. A wood-carved effigy , called Tau tau , is usually placed in the cave looking out over the land. Whilst a coffin of a baby is embedded into a burrow of a living tree, so called "baby tree". In the ritual called Ma'Nene , that takes place each year in August,

850-421: A saddle-shaped roof. Other Toraja gods include Pong Banggai di Rante (god of Earth), Indo' Ongon-Ongon (a goddess who can cause earthquakes), Pong Lalondong (god of death), and Indo' Belo Tumbang (goddess of medicine); there are many more. The earthly authority, whose words and actions should be cleaved to both in life ( agriculture ) and death ( funerals ), is called to minaa (an aluk priest ). Aluk

935-425: A small minority. Tongkonan are the traditional Torajan ancestral houses. They stand high on wooden piles, topped with a layered split- bamboo roof shaped in a sweeping curved arc, and they are incised with red, black, and yellow detailed wood carvings on the exterior walls. The word "tongkonan" comes from the Torajan tongkon ("to sit"). Tongkonan are the center of Torajan social life. The rituals associated with

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1020-634: A total number of 150,000 foreigners had visited the Regency (in addition to 80,000 domestic tourists), and the annual number of foreign visitors was recorded at 40,000 in 1989. Souvenir stands appeared in Rantepao, the cultural center of Toraja, roads were sealed at the most-visited tourist sites, new hotels and tourist-oriented restaurants were opened, and an airstrip was opened in the Regency in 1981. Tourism developers marketed Tana Toraja as an exotic adventure—an area rich in culture and off-the-beaten-track. Toraja

1105-409: A traditional Torajan house. Each tongkonan has a name, which becomes the name of the village. The familial dons maintain village unity. Marriage between distant cousins (fourth cousins and beyond) is a common practice that strengthens kinship . Toraja society prohibits marriage between close cousins (up to and including the third cousin)—except for nobles, to prevent the dispersal of property. Kinship

1190-411: A uniform explanation must be presented to tourists. Torajan wood carvings are composed of numerous square panels, each of which can represent various things, for example buffaloes as a wish of wealth for the family; a knot and a box, symbolizing the hope that all of the family's offspring will be happy and live in harmony; aquatic animals , indicating the need for fast and hard work, just like moving on

1275-650: A unique culture, makes this highland area in South Sulawesi chosen by tourists to see and learn Toraja culture. In 1974, Tongkonan Siguntu' dirara (traditional ceremony / Rambu Tuka') was attended by delegates from 60 foreign countries who attended the PATA conference in Jakarta in 1974. Since then Toraja has become known as a cultural tourism destination in Indonesia. Tongkonan/house where Puang Sangalla' (king of Sangalla') lives. As

1360-521: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Torajan people The Torajan are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi , Indonesia . Their population is approximately 1,100,000, of whom 450,000 live in the regency of Tana Toraja ("Land of Toraja"). Most of the population is Christian , and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk ("the way"). The Indonesian government has recognised this animistic belief as Aluk To Dolo ("Way of

1445-518: Is actively reciprocal , meaning that the extended family helps each other farm, share buffalo rituals, and pay off debts. Each person belongs to both the mother's and the father's families, the only bilateral family line in Indonesia. Children, therefore, inherit household affiliation from both mother and father, including land and even family debts. Children's names are given on the basis of kinship, and are usually chosen after dead relatives. Names of aunts, uncles and cousins are commonly referred to in

1530-750: Is in the northern part of South Sulawesi and can be reached by bus from Makassar . Makale used to be a place for trading goods and then became one of the biggest towns in Tana Toraja . People in Makale mostly work as businessmen. They trade livestock, rice, and pigs. There is a six-day cyclic market that has become the main attraction of the city. This town can be reached by bus from Makassar using inter-city transport. It takes around eight hours from Makassar to Makale, Tana Toraja. 3°06′S 119°51′E  /  3.100°S 119.850°E  / -3.100; 119.850 This South Sulawesi location article

1615-412: Is mountainous; its minimum elevation is 150 m, while the maximum is 3,083 above the sea level. Tana Toraja Regency comprises nineteen administrative Districts ( Kecamatan ), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 census and the 2020 census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2023. The table also includes the locations of the administrative centres of the districts,

1700-450: Is not just a belief system ; it is a combination of law, religion, and habit. Aluk governs social life, agricultural practices, and ancestral rituals. The details of aluk may vary from one village to another. One common law is the requirement that death and life rituals be separated. Torajans believe that performing death rituals might ruin their corpses if combined with life rituals. The two rituals are equally important. The decline of

1785-457: Is noted that a large majority of Tana Toraja's population (85.94%) adhered to Christianity , including 69.49% following Protestantism and 16.45% Roman Catholicism . Most of the remaining population (12.17%) followed Islam , with smaller minorities adhering to Hinduism (1.71%) and Buddhism (0.17%) and other faiths (0.01%). The life of the indigenous people, namely the Toraja people, as well as

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1870-625: Is the Toraja tribe. The Toraja people are a tribe who live in the mountainous region of the northern part of the province of South Sulawesi , Indonesia. The population of the Toraja people is estimated at around 1 million people, and 500,000 of them are in Tana Toraja Regency, North Toraja Regency , and Mamasa Regency . Most of the Toraja people embrace Christianity , while some adhere to Islam and an animist belief known as Aluk Todolo. The Indonesian government has recognized this belief as part of

1955-517: Is the official language and is spoken in the community, all elementary schools in Tana Toraja teach Toraja language. Language varieties of Toraja, including Kalumpang , Mamasa , Tae , Talondo , Toala , and Toraja-Sa'dan , belong to the Malayo-Polynesian language from the Austronesian family. At the outset, the isolated geographical nature of Tana Toraja formed many dialects between

2040-747: The Kecamatan building in Rantepao. To express social and religious concepts, Torajans carve wood , calling it Pa'ssura (or "the writing"). Wood carvings are therefore Toraja's cultural manifestation. Each carving receives a special name, and common motifs are animals and plants that symbolise some virtue. For example, water plants and animals, such as crabs , tadpoles and water weeds , are commonly found to symbolise fertility. In some areas noble elders claim these symbols refer to strength of noble family, but not everyone agrees. The overall meaning of groups of carved motifs on houses remains debated and tourism has further complicated these debates because some feel

2125-445: The Ma'dandan dance performed by women. The aluk religion governs when and how Torajans dance. A dance called Ma'bua can be performed only once every 12 years. Ma'bua is a major Toraja ceremony in which priests wear a buffalo head and dance around a sacred tree. A traditional musical instrument of the Toraja is a bamboo flute called a Pa'suling ( suling is an Indonesian word for flute). This six-holed flute (not unique to

2210-509: The Sulawesi highland region. "Toraja" (from the coastal languages' to , meaning people; and riaja , uplands) was first used as a lowlander expression for highlanders. As a result, "Toraja" initially had more currency with outsiders—such as the Bugis and Makassarese , who constitute a majority of the lowland of Sulawesi—than with insiders. The Dutch missionaries' presence in the highlands gave rise to

2295-410: The tongkonan batu . The exclusivity to the nobility of the tongkonan is diminishing as many Torajan commoners find lucrative employment in other parts of Indonesia. As they send back money to their families, they enable the construction of larger tongkonan . Architecture in the style of a tongkonan is still very common. Various administration buildings were built in this style in recent years, e.g.

2380-546: The 17th century, the Dutch established trade and political control on Sulawesi through the Dutch East Indies Company . Over two centuries, they ignored the mountainous area in central Sulawesi, where Torajans lived, because access was difficult and it had little productive agricultural land. In the late 19th century, the Dutch became increasingly concerned about the spread of Islam in the south of Sulawesi, especially among

2465-439: The 1970s, Western tourism was almost unknown in the Toraja highland area. In 1971, about 50 Europeans visited Tana Toraja. In 1972, at least 400 visitors attended the funeral ritual of Puang of Sangalla, the highest-ranking nobleman in Tana Toraja and the so-called "last pure-blooded Toraja noble." The event was documented by National Geographic and broadcast in several European countries. In 1976, about 12,000 tourists visited

2550-462: The 20th century, Torajans lived in autonomous villages, where they practised animism and were relatively untouched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries first worked to convert Torajan highlanders to Christianity. When the Tana Toraja regency was further opened to the outside world in the 1970s, it became an icon of tourism in Indonesia : it was exploited by tourism development and studied by anthropologists . In 1977, Hinduism

2635-421: The 20th century, the Toraja tribe still lived in autonomous villages. They previously still adhered to animism , and had not been touched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries arrived and began to spread Christianity. Then, around the 1970s, Toraja people began to open up to the outside world, and Tana Toraja district (before it was expanded) became a symbol of Indonesian tourism. Then there

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2720-816: The Ancestors") as well as Hindu Alukta , namely, a form of Hinduism in Indonesia . The word Toraja comes from the Buginese language term to riaja , meaning "people of the uplands", this cognates with the Toraja language to raya / to raja / to raa which also means "inland/upland people" or "northern people". The Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909. Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites , burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses known as tongkonan , and colourful wood carvings . Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days. Before

2805-464: The Creator . The cosmos, according to aluk , is divided into the upper world (heaven), the world of man (earth), and the underworld. At first, heaven and earth were married, then there was a darkness, a separation, and finally the light. Animals live in the underworld, which is represented by rectangular space enclosed by pillars, the earth is for mankind, and the heaven world is located above, covered with

2890-605: The Dutch for political protection and to form a movement against the Bugis and Makassarese Muslims. Between 1951 and 1965 (following Indonesian independence ), southern Sulawesi faced a turbulent period as the Darul Islam separatist movement fought for an Islamic state in Sulawesi. The 15 years of guerrilla warfare led to massive conversions to Christianity. Alignment with the Indonesian government, however, did not guarantee safety for

2975-533: The Hindu religion. The word Toraja itself comes from the Bugis language , namely "to riaja" which means "people who live in the land above". In 1909, the Dutch colonial government called this tribe the Toraja. The Toraja tribe is famous for its funeral rituals, Tongkonan traditional houses and also various types of wood carvings typical of Toraja. Toraja funeral rituals are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days. Before

3060-408: The Indonesian government strive for Tana Toraja to be known internationally, one of which is to nominate Tana Toraja to UNESCO for became a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009. This is supported by Japan to make Tana Toraja a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Japan itself will participate in the conservation efforts, especially related to traditional houses in the area. This support was conveyed in

3145-674: The Makassarese and Bugis peoples. The Dutch saw the animist highlanders as potential Christians . In the 1920s, the Reformed Missionary Alliance of the Dutch Reformed Church began missionary work aided by the Dutch colonial government. In addition to introducing Christianity , the Dutch abolished slavery and imposed local taxes. A line was drawn around the Sa'dan area and called Tana Toraja ("the land of Toraja"). Tana Toraja

3230-498: The Saʼadan (eastern Toraja) in the island of Sulawesi (Celebes), Indonesia, there are homosexual male toburake tambolang shamans; although among their neighbors the Mamasa (western Toraja) there are instead only heterosexual female toburake shamanesses. The ethnic Toraja language is dominant in Tana Toraja with the main language as the Sa'dan Toraja. Although the national Indonesian language

3315-518: The Toraja ethnic consciousness in the Sa'dan Toraja region, and this shared identity grew with the rise of tourism in the Tana Toraja Regency . Since then, South Sulawesi has four main ethnic groups—the Bugis (the majority, including shipbuilders and seafarers), the Makassarese (lowland traders and seafarers), the Mandarese (traders and fishermen), and the Toraja (highland rice cultivators). From

3400-568: The Toraja highland, giving the Toraja a celebrity status within Indonesia and enhancing Toraja ethnic group pride. The Torajan people had little notion of themselves as a distinct ethnic group before the 20th century. Before Dutch colonisation and Christianisation , Torajans, who lived in highland areas, identified with their villages and did not share a broad sense of identity. Although complexes of rituals created linkages between highland villages, there were variations in dialects, differences in social hierarchies, and an array of ritual practices in

3485-611: The Toraja languages themselves. After the formal administration of Tana Toraja, some Toraja dialects have been influenced by other languages through the transmigration program , introduced since the colonialism period, and it has been a major factor in the linguistic variety of Toraja languages. A prominent attribute of Toraja language is the notion of grief. The importance of death ceremony in Toraja culture has characterised their languages to express intricate degrees of grief and mourning. The Toraja language contains many terms referring to sadness, longing, depression, and mental pain. Giving

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3570-459: The Toraja people themselves. The formation of North Toraja Regency was finally determined through the plenary session of the People's Representative Council on 24 June 2008. However, the inauguration of North Toraja Regency was carried out two months later, which was coupled with the commemoration of the 51st anniversary of Tana Toraja Regency, namely on 31 August 2008. Tana Toraja is centrally placed in

3655-508: The Toraja religion began with the Christianization under rule of the Dutch . During the time of the Dutch missionaries, Christian Torajans were prohibited from attending or performing life rituals, but were allowed to perform death rituals. Consequently, Toraja's death rituals are still practised today, while life rituals have diminished. The traditional Toraja religion is today only practiced by

3740-511: The Toraja) is played at many dances, such as the thanksgiving dance Ma'bondensan , where the flute accompanies a group of shirtless, dancing men with long fingernails. The Toraja have indigenous musical instruments, such as the Pa'pelle (made from palm leaves) and the Pa'karombi (the Torajan version of a jaw harp ). The Pa'pelle is played during harvest time and at house inauguration ceremonies. Among

3825-468: The Torajans. In 1965, a presidential decree required every Indonesian citizen to belong to one of five officially recognised religions: Islam, Christianity ( Protestantism and Catholicism ), Hinduism , or Buddhism . The Torajan religious belief ( aluk ) was not legally recognised, and the Torajans raised their voices against the law. To make aluk accord with the law, it had to be accepted as part of one of

3910-411: The bodies of the deceased are exhumed to be washed, groomed and dressed in new clothes. Torajans perform dances on several occasions, most often during their elaborate funeral ceremonies. They dance to express their grief, and to honour and even cheer the deceased person because he is going to have a long journey in the afterlife. First, a group of men form a circle and sing a monotonous chant throughout

3995-477: The body of the deceased is wrapped in several layers of cloth and kept under the tongkonan . The soul of the deceased is thought to linger around the village until the funeral ceremony is completed, after which it begins its journey to Puya . Another component of the ritual is the slaughter of water buffalo . The more powerful the person who died, the more buffalo are slaughtered at the death feast. Buffalo carcasses, including their heads, are usually lined up on

4080-484: The descended person from heaven, lived in tongkonans , while commoners lived in less lavish houses (bamboo shacks called banua ). Slaves lived in small huts, which had to be built around their owner's tongkonan . Commoners might marry anyone, but nobles preferred to marry in-family to maintain their status. Sometimes nobles married Bugis or Makassarese nobles. Commoners and slaves were prohibited from having death feasts. Despite close kinship and status inheritance, there

4165-596: The destination was too commercialised. This resulted in several clashes between Torajans and tourism developers, whom Torajans see as outsiders. A clash between local Torajan leaders and the South Sulawesi provincial government (as a tourist developer) broke out in 1985. The government designated 18 Toraja villages and burial sites as traditional tourist attractions. Consequently, zoning restrictions were applied to these areas, such that Torajans themselves were barred from changing their tongkonans and burial sites. The plan

4250-438: The district of Tana Toraja consisted of 9 definitive districts, 6 district representatives, 22 districts, and 63 villages. Then Law No. 22/1999 on Regional Government was issued, and followed up by issuing Regional Regulation No. 18 of 2000 dated 29 December 2000, 6 district representatives were changed to definitive districts, bringing the total number of districts to 15 definitive districts, 22 districts and 63 villages. In 2001,

4335-416: The exceptions of funerals for young children, and poor, low-status adults. The ceremony is often held weeks, months, or years after the death so that the deceased's family can raise the significant funds needed to cover funeral expenses. Torajans traditionally believe that death is not a sudden, abrupt event, but a gradual process toward Puya (the land of souls, or afterlife ). During the waiting period,

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4420-550: The exchange of water buffalo and pigs on ritual occasions. Such exchanges not only built political and cultural ties between families but defined each person's place in a social hierarchy: who poured palm wine , who wrapped a corpse and prepared offerings, where each person could or could not sit, what dishes should be used or avoided, and even what piece of meat constituted one's share. In early Toraja society, family relationships were tied closely to social class . There were three strata: nobles , commoners , and slaves (slavery

4505-420: The house and held a large ceremony. The construction of a tongkonan is laborious work and is usually done with the help of the extended family. There are three types of tongkonan . The tongkonan layuk is the house of the highest authority, used as the "center of government". The tongkonan pekamberan belongs to the family members who have some authority in local traditions . Ordinary family members reside in

4590-726: The indigenous culture and people of Toraja. The government in Toraja has been started since the government Dutch East Indies . Based on the Emergency Law No. 3 of 1957, the District Level II Tana Toraja was formed which was inaugurated on 31 August 1957 with the first Regent of the Regional Head named Lakitta. Decree of the Governor of the First Level Region of South Sulawesi Number 954/XI/1998 dated 14 December 1998,

4675-437: The island of Sulawesi , 300 km north of Makassar , the provincial capital of South Sulawesi. It lies between latitude of 2°-3° South and longitude 119°-120° East (center: 3°S 120°E  /  3°S 120°E  / -3; 120 ). The total area (since the separation of the new regency of North Toraja) is 2,043.62 km, about 4.5% of the total area of South Sulawesi province. The topography of Tana Toraja

4760-553: The location of the statue is at an altitude of 1100 meters above sea level or the location of the tallest statue in the world, while the size of the statue itself is not the highest in the world. Tana Toraja is one of the conservation sites for the PROTO MELAYU AUSTRONESIAN cultural civilization which is still well-maintained today. Traditional culture, music, dance, oral literary arts, language, houses, carvings, weaving and culinary which are still very traditional, have made

4845-455: The lowlands by the Dutch, where they could be more easily controlled. Taxes were kept high, undermining the wealth of the elites. Ultimately, the Dutch influence did not subdue Torajan culture, and only a few Torajans were converted . In 1950, only 10% of the population had converted to Christianity. In the 1930s, Muslim lowlanders attacked the Torajans, resulting in widespread Christian conversion among those who sought to align themselves with

4930-495: The names of mothers, fathers and siblings. Before the start of the formal administration of Toraja villages by the Tana Toraja Regency , each Toraja village was autonomous. In a more complex situation, in which one Toraja family could not handle their problems alone, several villages formed a group; sometimes, villages would unite against other villages. Relationship between families was expressed through blood, marriage, and shared ancestral houses ( tongkonan ), practically signed by

5015-454: The night to honour the deceased (a ritual called Ma'badong ). This is considered by many Torajans to be the most important component of the funeral ceremony. On the second funeral day, the Ma'randing warrior dance is performed to praise the courage of the deceased during life. Several men perform the dance with a sword, a large shield made from buffalo skin, a helmet with a buffalo horn, and other ornamentation. The Ma'randing dance precedes

5100-498: The numbers of administrative villages within each district (totaling 47 urban kelurahan and 112 rural desa ), and its post code. Notes: (a) includes one kelurahan . (b) comprising 4 kelurahan and 13 desa . (c) comprising 3 kelurahan and 9 desa . (d) including 2 kelurahan . (e) comprising 14 kelurahan and one desa . (f) comprising 4 kelurahan and 4 desa . (g) all 5 are kelurahan . (h) comprising 3 kelurahan and 3 desa . The original tribe that inhabits Tana Toraja

5185-413: The official religions. In 1969, Aluk To Dolo ("the way of ancestors") was legalised as a sect of Agama Hindu Dharma , the official name of Hinduism in Indonesia. There are three main types of affiliation in Toraja society: family, class and religion. Family is the primary social and political grouping in Torajan society. Each village is one extended family , the seat of which is the tongkonan ,

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5270-494: The regency and in 1981, Torajan sculpture was exhibited in major North American museums. "The land of the heavenly kings of Tana Toraja", as written in the exhibition brochure, embraced the outside world. In 1984, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism declared Tana Toraja Regency the prima donna of South Sulawesi . Tana Toraja was heralded as "the second stop after Bali ". Tourism was increasing dramatically: by 1985,

5355-627: The regional regulation no. 2 of 2001 dated 11 April 2001 provided for the entire description of the existing "village" to changed their names to "lembang". After the stipulation of Regional Regulation No. 2 of 2001 concerning the First Amendment to Regional Regulation No. 18 of 2000, the Regional Regulation of Tana-Toraja Regency Number 8 of 2004 concerning the second amendment to the Regional Regulation Number 18 of 2000, as well as

5440-495: The regional regulation number 6 of 2005 concerning the amendment of the Third Regional Regulation Number 18 of 2000, the Tana Toraja Regency area developed into 40 administrative districts ( kecamatan ), subdivided into 87 urban kelurahan and 223 lembang (rural villages). Next came the discourse of regional expansion, namely North Toraja Regency . The discourse of the expansion has created pros and cons among

5525-485: The resting place of Puang Sangala' and also the palace where the government of the Sangalla' kingdom was managed at that time, Tongkonan Buntu Kalando had the title "tando tananan langi' lantangna Kaero tongkonan layuk". Currently Tongkonan Buntu Kalando is used as a museum to store prehistoric objects and relics of the Sangalla kingdom. The graves of babies whose teeth have not yet grown (aged 6 months and under) are placed in

5610-460: The right to have an extensive death feast. The death feast of a nobleman is usually attended by thousands and lasts for several days. A ceremonial site, called rante , is usually prepared in a large, grassy field where shelters for audiences, rice barns, and other ceremonial funeral structures are specially made by the deceased's family. Flute music, funeral chants, songs and poems, and crying and wailing are traditional Toraja expressions of grief with

5695-442: The rise of political and economic instability in Indonesia in the late 1990s—including religious conflicts elsewhere on Sulawesi—tourism in Tana Toraja has declined dramatically. Toraja continues to be a well known origin for Indonesian coffee , grown by both smallholders and plantation estates, although migration, remittances and off-farm income is considered far more important to most households, even those in rural areas. Before

5780-419: The sacrifice of at least three chickens . However, it is common for at least 25 pairs of chickens to be set against each other in the context of the ceremony. There are three methods of burial : the coffin may be laid in a cave or in a carved stone grave, or hung on a cliff . It contains any possessions that the deceased will need in the afterlife. The wealthy are often buried in a stone grave carved out of

5865-424: The same dishes as their owners, or having sex with free women—a crime punishable by death . Religion of Torajan people Toraja's indigenous belief system is polytheistic animism , called aluk , or "the way" (sometimes translated as "the law"). In the Toraja myth, the ancestors of Torajan people came down from heaven using stairs, which were then used by the Torajans as a communication medium with Puang Matua ,

5950-418: The slaughtered animals are given by guests as "gifts", which are carefully noted because they will be considered debts of the deceased's family. However, a cockfight , known as bulangan londong, is an integral part of the ceremony . As with the sacrifice of the buffalo and the pigs, the cockfight is considered sacred because it involves the spilling of blood on the earth. In particular, the tradition requires

6035-559: The spirits. At the Lemo cemetery, we can see corpses kept in the open air, in the middle of steep rocks. This burial complex is a blend of death, art and ritual. At certain times the clothes of the corpses will be changed through the Ma' Nene ceremony. Located on Burake Hill, Tana Toraja has built the Statue of Jesus Christ Blessing which is claimed to be the tallest Jesus statue in the world. This means that

6120-502: The surface of water. Regularity and order are common features in Toraja wood carving (see table below), as well as abstracts and geometrical designs. Nature is frequently used as the basis of Toraja's ornaments, because nature is full of abstractions and geometries with regularities and ordering. Toraja's ornaments have been studied in ethnomathematics to reveal their mathematical structure, but Torajans base this art only on approximations. To create an ornament, bamboo sticks are used as

6205-417: The tongkonan are important expressions of Torajan spiritual life, and therefore all family members are impelled to participate, because symbolically the tongkonan represents links to their ancestors and to living and future kin. According to Torajan myth, the first tongkonan was built in heaven on four poles, with a roof made of Indian cloth. When the first Torajan ancestor descended to earth, he imitated

6290-450: Was abolished in 1909 by the Dutch East Indies government). Class was inherited through the mother. It was taboo, therefore, to marry "down" with a woman of lower class. On the other hand, marrying a woman of higher class could improve the status of the next generation. The nobility's condescending attitude toward the commoners is still maintained today for reasons of family prestige. Nobles, who were believed to be direct descendants of

6375-430: Was a ritual which allowed commoners to marry nobles ( puang ) and thereby gain nobility for their children. However, the image of Torajan society created for the tourists, often by non-aristocratic guides, has eroded its traditional strict hierarchy. High status is not as esteemed in Tana Toraja as it once was. Many low-ranking men can declare themselves and their children nobles by gaining enough wealth through work outside

6460-495: Was established by Key Coffee of Japan, and Torajan coffee regained a reputation for quality within the growing international specialty coffee sector Multinational oil and mining companies opened new operations in Indonesia during the 1970s and 1980s. Torajans, particularly younger ones, relocated to work for the foreign companies—to Kalimantan for timber and oil, to Papua for mining, to the cities of Sulawesi and Java , and many went to Malaysia . The out-migration of Torajans

6545-459: Was first a subdivision of the Luwu kingdom that had claimed the area. In 1946, the Dutch granted Tana Toraja a regentschap , and it was recognised in 1957 as one of the regencies of Indonesia . Early Dutch missionaries faced strong opposition among Torajans, especially among the elite, because the abolition of their profitable slave trade had angered them. Some Torajans were forcibly relocated to

6630-506: Was introduced to the Torajans by a mission from Bali, in which thousands of Torajans converted to Hinduism. That number has been increasing sharply since then. By the 1990s, when tourism peaked, Toraja society had changed significantly, from an agrarian model—in which social life and customs were outgrowths of the Aluk To Dolo—to a largely Christian society. Today, tourism and remittances from migrant Torajans have made for major changes in

6715-411: Was marketed for tourists who had gone as far as Bali and were interested in seeing more of the wild, "untouched" islands. Western tourists expected to see stone-age villages and pagan funerals. However, they were more likely to see Christian Torajans wearing NBA sports caps and denim. Tourists felt that the tongkonan and other Torajan rituals had been preconceived to make profits, and complained that

6800-454: Was opposed by some Torajan leaders, as they felt that their rituals and traditions were being determined by outsiders. As a result, in 1987, the Torajan village of Kété Kesú and several other designated tourist attractions closed their doors to tourists. This closure lasted only a few days, as the villagers found it too difficult to survive without the income from selling souvenirs. Tourism has also transformed Toraja society. Originally, there

6885-540: Was some social mobility , as marriage or change in wealth could affect an individual's status. Wealth was counted by the ownership of water buffaloes . Slaves in Toraja society were family property. Sometimes Torajans decided to become slaves when they incurred a debt, pledging to work as payment. Slaves could be taken during wars, and slave trading was common. Slaves could buy their freedom, but their children still inherited slave status. Slaves were prohibited from wearing bronze or gold, carving their houses, eating from

6970-416: Was steady until 1985. and has continued since, with remittances sent back by emigre Torajans performing an important role within the contemporary economy. Tourism commenced in Toraja in the 1970s, and accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s. Between 1984 and 1997, a significant number of Torajans obtained their incomes from tourism, working in and owning hotels, as tour guides, drivers, or selling souvenirs. With

7055-481: Was the development of Tana Toraja tourism, and it was studied by anthropology . So that in 1990-1s, the Toraja people underwent a cultural transformation, from a society with traditional and agrarian beliefs, to a society that was predominantly Christian, and the tourism sector in the Tana Toraja area continued to increase. Religion in Tana Toraja Regency (2021) Based on data from the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2021, it

7140-463: Was the first significant cash crop produced in Toraja, and was introduced in the mid 19th century, changing the local economy towards commodity production for external markets and gaining an excellent reputation for quality in the international market. With the commencement of the New Order in 1965, Indonesia's economy developed and opened to foreign investment. In Toraja, a coffee plantation and factory

7225-452: Was under the administration of the Bugis state, Luwu . The regentschap (or regency) status was given on 8 October 1946, the last regency given by the Dutch. Since 1984, Tana Toraja has been named as the second tourist destination after Bali by the Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia. Since then, hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors have visited this regency. In addition, numerous Western anthropologists have come to Tana Toraja to study

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