Tanah Toraja – Land of the Living and the Dead
Tanah Toraja is located in province of South Sulewesi north west of Bali. The gateway to South Sulewesi is the capital Makassar, a short one-hour flight from Bali. Makassar was settled by the Portuguese in the 13th Century, the Dutch arrived four hundred years later and the port was central to the Spice Trade that had boats running to and from the outer reaches of the East and across the oceans to Europe and North Africa. However visitors to Tanah Toraja need to be on their way! It’s about three hours by coast road to Pare Pare, then the road heads inwards and upwards, towards the centre of Tanah Toraja, the market town of Rantepao. Just before you arrive to Tanah Toraja a couple of roadside cafes offer balcony views of an elevated lookout over the mountainous terrain that have been shaped by nature into a series of folds flowing from a central peak, earning the area the name “Erotic Hill”.
Physically isolated from the rest of the island the people of Tanah Toraja were able to retain their animist pagan culture for centuries. Despite the frequent attempts by the ruling Bugis to dominate, the Toraja people held onto their independence, the word Toraja derives from the Bugis word meaning “hill people” but used more like ‘hillbilly’, that is until the Dutch arrived and despite fighting for two years were finally brought under colonial control in 1907. Shortly after this the missionaries moved in dissolving and diluting most of the traditional ceremonies associated with the Torajan beliefs in the afterlife. The last of the rituals, that of funerals and burials survives today, in part due to the dichotomy of its expense and its value to tourism. It is this extraordinary practice that draws tourists from all over the world, this and the beauty of the landscape, the traditional village and market culture and the rustic cuisine are all extremely valid reasons to visit one of the most accessible ‘remote’ areas of Indonesia.
The beliefs of the Torajans influence their culture dramatically. Without a written history the myths and customs are open to varying interpretations but it is clear the Toraja worshipped many gods, and while there was one particular god for each family, the god Paung Matau represented for most Toraja the Supreme Being. When the missionaries arrived they used this concept of Supreme Being to teach about their god, and later when Indonesia gained independence the belief in Paung Matua allowed for the Toraja people to be extended the same exception as the Balinese from one of the five pillars of the Pancasila , the unifying creed of Indonesia, that declares belief in one god.
The burial sites in different areas of Tanah Toraja include custom built houses, twisted ancient trees, limestone caves, enormous boulders and megalithic stones. The process from death to burial is undertaken with formality, celebration, sacrifice and feasting, and is hugely expensive. At Rantepao Market the sight and sound of trussed pigs and leashed buffalo amplify the trade in sacrificial slaughter, with the prized albino buffalo fetching upwards of a thousand dollars. Considering most burials require at least ten buffalo, the amount is determined by the status and age of the deceased, the ‘outgoing’ expenses are astronomical, and often impact negatively on the remaining living members of the family. The Government of Indonesia has imposed a levy on slaughter to deter the practice of so much slaughter but the rituals remain and buffalo travel from as far as East Timor to, post slaughter, provide transport the souls of the dead on their long and arduous journey to heaven. The deceased require much in the way of supplies for the journey and need to be well satisfied in order to make a good impression on arrival and negotiate effectively with the gods for the prosperity of their living family. This requires that the deceased be buried with their possessions, which in the past, and possibly even now tempted grave robbing so the final burial for the richer families are made in especially carved deep caves and stones. Once the dead are inside the caves elaborately carved effigies are placed on balconies outside, and although this practice is recent it has grown more popular over time and the effigies are becoming more life like.
Two funerals take place, the first occurs shortly after death, the second only when preparations have been made and the money raised. This is usually in dry season, August being an optimum time, and a perfect time to visit the area. Until then however the dead remain with the family and are treated as one in transit, not quite yet left. The dead are offered food, if they are very important other people will stay with them, they are greeted and cared for and preserved through embalming or injection. Visitors are sometimes invited to meet with the dead. Should you be given the honor to visit with a dead person address them as if they are alive and take their photograph, this confirms their continued importance to the living.
Fortunately visiting burial grounds also allows visitors to appreciate the beauty of Tanah Toraja’s geography, the deep valleys that are farmed in terraces, the growing of huge amounts of onions on the rockier less fertile sections of hillsides and the grazing of buffalo by river banks. Hiking through remote villages, sleeping in the traditional ‘tongkonan’ houses that are built without nails and enjoying a craftsmen’s renaissance with the increase of tourism, and spending anywhere between three and seven days winding through the hills really gets you into the living culture.
One highlight of living culture is at the Bamboo Music Museum of Sangalla where Pak Marten offers a home to students who learn and then perform the songs and dances of Toraja for visitors who contribute to their welfare, and if visitors wish they can hang out after the performance and engage in some impromptu language lessons, assist with a little homework and enjoy the company of the twenty or so residents of the Music Museum.
Aras Café in Rantepao has a small collection of contemporary art for sale and a good mixed menu of Toraja specialties and international foods. A popular Toraja dish is the Pa’piong, meats slowed cooked in bamboo tubes and only slightly seasoned. Served with sambals and rice it is perfect for a feast after a day of trekking the hillsides and washed down with a shot of the tuak brings on a deep sleep no matter where you are. The passion fruits and tamarillo fruits of Toraja are made into delicious juices and there is plenty of fresh river fish served grilled with the ubiquitous green water spinach and plain rice.
A walk around Makale town centre is also pleasant, the air is fresh and there are often activities in the picturesque main square with its artificial lake, statues and churches nestled under the shadow of the imposing mountain range.
Tanah Toraja works hard to retain its unique culture while encouraging tourism. White water rafting is a recent development that draws another aspect of tourism to the area and in catering to the needs of the ‘been there- done that’ tourist creates a positive opportunity to share more of the indigenous culture. Guides tend to be from the area and licensed or unlicensed are sharing their own history and culture, hotels are staffed from the local areas and local tour operators, like Sella Tours, have grown out of a desire to share the wonder of Toraja from a local perspective.
The combination of the warmth of the living Torajas and their fascinating customs to honor the dead make for an adventure that goes beyond postcard commentary and deep into the core of mankind’s search for meaning in both life and death.
When to go
Tanah Toraja has cooler temperatures that the rest of South Sulewesi, it has a wet season between October and February into early March that can make some roads impassable and the views limited and a large influx of local tourists in July and August at the height of the funeral season. The best time to go is from the end of March to August.
Where to stay – Where to Stop
A lot of Toraja is accessed by vehicle between towns so where you stay is not determined by what you want to do. Just before Makale, the administrative center of Toraja is Hotel Sahid, which is set in large grounds and has a grand swimming pool that opens to the public and provides an excellent base form which to visit the rest of Toraja.
On the way from Makassar stop at Bukit Kenari Restaurant for good food and great views of the coast and on the way back rest at Kupu Kupu Restaurant for a pleasant walk along the beach to break the journey.