Toraja country, in Central Sulawesi, is known for it’s dramatic mountains, hills and terraced rice fields, but even more for their elaborate and massive funeral ceremonies. Arriving in Rantepao was amazing! The steep mountain cliffs, lush vegetations and rolling hills full of terraced rice fields was spectacular. I went for a great run that evening around the valley, with the hills on one-side and rice fields on the other. The rice had just been transplanted, and the 6-10 inch shoots were a fluorescent green in the waning sunset. The sky was orange and pink with light, white clouds and reflected off the standing water in the rice paddies. It is one of the most beautiful things i have seen while traveling. I went around 8 kilometers, waving at the locals and acting like I thought it was funny when they ran in placed, imitating the crazy, running white man. The setting was superb and it was nice to have such clean and clear air.
The next day a couple friends and I went to see some of the local sights. We walked through the countryside on small trails connecting various communities with various “grave” sites. Most of these were either carved into the cliffs or in various caves. Coffins are placed in the caves, often housing the bodies of hundreds of ancestors in a single cave. It was very interesting, but a bit strange to visit the sites.
The Toraja people are very matter-a-fact about death. Coffins are open, bones and skulls scattered about (often showing very creative interior design by locals) and offerings, such as cigarettes, money and clothes are left behind. At times I must have been within three meters of about 30-40 dead bodies. Some not dead for long! The amazing thing is that it didn’t smell. A bit dank in the caves, but nothing overpowering.
One pretty cool thing was how they dealt with the death of young children. If they hadn’t yet grown teeth, they were often placed in small graves in the trees so they would fly away with the birds. Or so that’s how I was told the story. Kind-of a cool idea. After all the dead bodies, tombs, skulls and bones, I was ready for something more livelily. In Toraja land, nothing is more lively than a funeral!
The people of Toraja, although now mostly Christian, have been, and still are very much into ancestor worship. Funerals for the dead are huge events. Often the dead person is kept in the house for weeks or months before their funeral so the family can save up money. I must say, they put on quite a funeral. They truly rival, in certain cases, and often exceed the extravagance that we put into marriage ceremonies.
The ceremony we attended was actually a rather small one. Traditionally, the deceased member of the family is kept in the house until taken out to the funeral grounds. Until this time they are still considered alive and are talked to, fed and generally treated as a living member of the family. The first two days are for the family and friends to come by and pass on their regards. Everyone brought gifts, whether sugar and cigarettes, pigs or even their most prized possession, water buffaloes. We brought sugar and cigarettes.
As people arrived, a procession of the deceased relatives came and offered cigarettes and beetle nut. Later, tea or coffee and some snacks were offered. Numerous permanent, and lots of temporary, shelters were set up to house everyone and there was plenty of socializing and occasional excitement at the arrival of another pig or buffalo. We hung out for a few hours and just before we were ready to leave, everyone got up and rushed over to the rice field for the ever-popular buffalo fighting.
It was my first, but had to be the umpteenth for most of them. Even so, I had no chance of matching their excitement and enthusiasm. It was quite entertaining. So was the bullfight! Anyway, about four different fights took place, some quite good and others lasted about 30 seconds before one had the better judgment and ran away through the rice fields, its opponent hot on its heals. During one of the fights I was doing my best imitation of a photographer, when all of a sudden, two buffaloes, previously attached at their huge extended horns, broke free and headed straight for me. A quick jump up the terraced rice field saved me. close! The rest of the fights I enjoyed from the higher ground.
Two days later I returned for the sacrificing of the water buffaloes. In previous days, the pigs were butchered and the meat dispersed to those coming by the funeral. The final day was saved for the sacrificing of the buffalo. It was a scene that I won’t describe in detail. You kind of had to be there. Needless to say, there was lots of blood, but in the setting it wasn’t that disturbing…….for me. Anyway, it was all handled very professionally and nonchalant, with people enjoying themselves, laughing and joking around. The sacrifice was done quickly and the animals didn’t suffer excessively. In all 12 buffaloes where sacrificed. At larger ceremonies as many as a hundred or more buffalos and possibly hundreds of pigs are sacrificed. Twelve was sufficient for me!
I really enjoyed my time in Toraja. I was very impressed by the amazing scenery and by the friendliness of the people. They were very open to sharing their lives and customs and did it in a very matter-of-fact way. They didn't see themselves, or their customs, as any better or more significant than any other. They simply believed them to be important and were more than willing to share. I felt very welcomed, included and accepted. I believe that says a lot!
