Buffaloes are status symbol for the Toraja, and are of paramount importance in various religious ceremonies.
Pigs and chickens are slaughtered at many rituals such as consecration of houses, but buffaloes are usually saved for the biggest celebrations of all – funeral feasts.
One of the most noticeable aspects about Tana Toraja is the size and grandeur of tongkonan (traditional houses). The massive houses are reminders of the nobility whose descendants alone have the right to build such houses.
The tongkonan is also symbolic of the unity of the clan, a meeting place for family gatherings and may not be bought or sold. All tongkonans face north – possibly because ancestors came from the north by boat. Others maintain that the north (and east) is regarded as the sphere of life, the realm of the gods.
Tana Toraja is one of the few places in Indonesia where traditional houses are built and the skills to make them survive. Construction of a tongkonan is normally preceded by the sacrificial killing of chicken, pigs or buffaloes. The successful completion of the house is celebrated with a large feast in which many pigs and at least one buffalo are slaughtered.
The towering roof, rearing up at either end, is the most striking aspect of a tongkonan. Some believe that the roof represents the horns of a buffalo; others suggest it represents the bow and stern of a boat.
Of all Torajan ceremonies, the most important is the tomate (funeral; literally ‘deceased’). Without proper funeral rites the soul of the deceased will cause misfortune to its family. The funeral sacrifices, ceremonies and feasts are also carried out to impress the gods, so that the soul of the deceased can intercede effectively on behalf of living relatives.
Torajans generally have two funerals, one immediately after death and an elaborate second funeral after preparations have been made.
Before the second funeral, the deceased remains in the family house; these days preserved by injection instead of embalming herbs.
Torajans believe that that the souls of animals should follow their masters to the next life – hence the importance of animal sacrifices. They believe the soul of the deceased rides the souls of slaughtered buffaloes and pigs to heaven.
TAU TAU
The Torajan believe that you can take possession with you in the afterlife, and the dead generally go well equipped to their graves. Since this led to grave plundering, the Toraja started to hide their dead in caves or hew niches out of rock faces.
These caves were hollowed out by specialist cave builders who were traditionally paid in buffaloes, and since the building of a cave would cost several buffaloes, only the rich could afford it. Although the exterior of a cave grave looks small, the interior is large enough to entomb an entire family. Coffins go deep inside the caves, and sitting on balconies in the rock face in front of the caves are tau tau – life-size, wooden effigies of the dead.
Babies who have died before teething are placed in hollowed-out sections of living trees.
It took five hours to reach Rantepao from Makassar where the practices are observed.