Tana Toraja is one of the famous tourist attractions in Indonesia, located in selatan. Distance from sulawesi province about 350 kilometers north of provincial capital city makasar south sulawesi. To get to Tana Toraja district can be reached by overland travel about 7 hours or 45 minutes by a small aircraft that serve routes makasar – Tana Toraja, but unfortunately the flight was only once a week. The name originally given by the Toraja Bugis Bugis Sidendreng and Luwu. Sidendreng people call this area the population with the title To Riaja, which means “those who dwell in the land above or mountains”. It Tana Toraja is located approximately 300-600 meters above sea level.
Some interesting things from Tana Toraja :
The traditional house called Tongkonan.
Tongkonan is a building shaped like the Chinese empire boat roof made of nipa or palm leaves and can survive up to 50 years. Tongkonan a suitable degree of aristocratic strata of society, knife scratches on the red board shows the status of its owner. Rows of buffalo horns mounted / hung in front of the house, also add to the uniqueness of the wood structure. Unique building form with carving can be found in almost every yard of this Toraja community. Tongkonan word comes from tongkon, which means sit. In the past this house is the center of government, customs authority, and the development of socio-cultural life of Toraja people. so that the first house can not be owned by individuals but by family heredity or tribal clan of Tana Toraja.
Death ceremony in Tana Toraja.
In Tana Toraja has a tradition of respect for the death of the call ‘Rambu Solo’. For Tana Toraja society, people who have died not by itself a degree of the dead. For them before the ceremony Rambu Solo then the dead person was only regarded as a sick man. Because of its status is still ‘sick’, then the man who died had to be admitted and treated like people who are still alive, like with her, providing food, beverages and tobacco or betel.
Rambu Solo ‘is an event very festive tradition in Tana Toraja, because eating days to celebrate. The ceremony is usually held during the day, when the sun began leaning to the west and usually takes 2-3 days. Even up to two weeks for this nobility . Ceremony circles for each community group must differ. When the nobleman who died, then the number of buffalo that will be cut for the purpose of the event was far more than for those who are not royal. For the royal family, the number of buffalo may range from 24 to 100 water buffaloes. While middle-class residents are required to slaughtering buffalos 8 plus 50 pigs, and long ceremony about 3 days.
Her own grave is made at the top of the cliff at the height of the rock because, according to the trust Aluk Dolo (Tana Toraja people’s confidence was higher where the body was placed, so the sooner his soul to paradise). But, before the amount was insufficient, the body should not be buried on cliffs or in high places. Hence, the body often stored for years in Tongkonan family until the late / deceased can prepare the sacrificial animals. and for the adherents of Christianity and Islam, the corpse can be buried in the ground first, then dug up again after the family is ready to perform this ceremony.
Baby graves in the tree.
Baby graves in the Tarra trees designated for baby 0-7 year-old. Although babies buried in a tree that Tarra was not implemented since the last decades, the tree where “save” the baby’s body was still upright and often visited by tourists. Tarra on the tree trunk with a circle of about 3.5 meters, saved dozens of dead babies. Before the body is inserted into the trunks of trees, first hollowed tree trunk. Dead baby is placed inside, then covered with coconut tree fiber black.
After decades, the baby’s body will be merged with the tree. This is an appeal to the traveler and to Tana Toraja people still regard the place as sacred as the newborn child. Placement baby’s body on the tree, adapted to the social strata of society. The higher the degree of the family’s socio higher infant lies buried in the trunk of the tree Tarra. In addition, babies who die are placed in the direction where the bereaved family lived. If the house is in the western part of the tree, then the child’s body will be placed in the west.
