General Information:
Up until the Dutch came in 1907, the Torajan people practiced animism. Today, there are four religions: Catholic, Christianity, Islam and Animism. Many of the villages still function like mini kingdoms with Nobles, Middle class, and the lower class (or slaves). A leader is selected from the Nobel class for the village and acts to keep peace and justice. There is still a National Government in place, but in the villages, the leader is in charge. Nobles receive the most benefits. Generally, they are richer which also allows them to have carvings (specifically for Nobles), horns, and better burial options at funerals. For marriage, any man can marry a class below, but a woman must always marry at the same class, or higher.
Middle class: most people fit here. Still allowed carvings and other perks, but not at the same status as nobles.
Slaves/Lower Class: This class only exists because of head hunting. Seventy years ago, Torajans still practiced head hunting. Sometimes villages would fight each other and some captives would ask to be slaves rather than loose their life. Slaves are not allowed to any carved houses and coffins, or own land. They are to serve their “master” for the rest of their life by working in the rice fields and such. If a slave was caught being dishonest or testing authority (trying to gain status), the master would bring the priest in and have him pray over the slave (very spiritual, voo-doo like). If the slave or his/her children died within a few days, they were dishonest/wrong and deserve punishment. The master is required to care for the slave and his family, providing a house, education, and funeral arrangements.
Life revolves around death (ironic) and funerals are the biggest ceremonies, even more important than weddings. Torajans believe that their deceased ancestors still speak to them through dreams and offer advice.
Traditional Houses
Traditional houses are shaped like buffalo horns or a boat, but a curved roof. They are on stilts, they have bamboo roofs, and they are carved with incredible detail (except slaves’). Carved Buffalos represent strength, roosters’ justice, and the sun life (?).The house always faces north and south. When the people sleep, the head is in the East for good luck because the sun rises in the east. There is a chamber for Mom and Dad, a main room for eating, cooking, and bathroom, and the sleeping corridors for the children. Across from the house is the rice barn, which is like a small house to store the food. The wife is in charge of keeping track of the rice and all that the family needs. At the front of the house is a post with all of the buffalo horns on it, showing the wealth and status of the family from previous funerals. Some houses may even have skulls from the dead hunting days.
Funerals
When a Torajan dies, they are treated as if they are still alive. They are kept in the family house, in the parent’s room and receive attention like food and greetings. The family preserves the corpse by injecting a fluid into the corpse. At this stage, they are only half head. They are not considered completely dead until the last Buffalo at the funeral is slaughtered, signifying the release of the soul. A funeral usually takes years to prepare for, which means the body could stay in the family home for up to 10 years. When the family has enough money for the preparations and buffalo they will have a proper funeral. Funerals may last a few days or a week.
To prepare for the funeral, the family sets up temporary booths on their property, sends out invitations, lines up the details and rolls that people will play, and of course, buy as many buffalo and pigs as they can afford. The more buffalo they can buy, the more status the family has. A noble funeral might have as many as 40 buffalo and thousands of guests present. Friends and family come from all over the country to attend the funeral. Close guests bring a pig. They have to register with the government when they come, and they generally expect a similar gift in return for funeral they might have in the future. Other guests bring cigarettes, tobacco, or sugar.
Day one of the funeral is the procession. Everyone wears black, but some people also wear red and white. For Torajans, Red is blood, black is death, white is purity, and yellow is prosperity. Yellow is traditionally only used for weddings, which never happen at the same time as a funeral (also, about 75% of them are now free choice, and 25% arranged). The procession is when the coffin is brought from the main street, to a special house built at the family property. The coffin requires many men (maybe 20) to carry it, since it is so heavy. At the front of the coffin is a huge red cloth that extends out, under which, the women of the family walk. At the front of the processional line is a drum, then some dancers, all the buffalo, children carrying bamboo flags, and finally the coffin. The atmosphere is generally happy and there are continuous shouts and screams of excitement. People are having fun and enjoying themselves. Before the coffin reaches its resting place, the men may even throw around some beer and water.
When the coffin arrives, a drum beat is already going and the coffin carrier is disassembled and the coffin is brought to the top of the special house. The close women of the deceased throw down cigarettes to the men helping. People stand around, or sit in the temporary shelters drinking tea and eating snacks. After the coffin is at rest, the master of ceremonies gives a history of the deceased, and then the first buffalo or two are slaughtered.
Directly after the first slaughter, people begin to eat a meal of rice and freshly cooked pork in the temporary structures. Pigs are slaughtered throughout the day to provide food for all of the guests.
Buffalo fights sometimes take place during a funeral. Several buffalo are brought to an open field. People surround the field and watch as different buffalo take each other on. Most fights end when the scared buffalo runs away towards the crowd, causing the people to scatter as well. Men place bets on which buffalo they think will win. Some buffalo fights can get rowdy, so an officer might be sent to keep an eye on things.
Cock fights, although usually illegal, are allowed during a noble funeral. Men show up at a location with their cocks ready. They measure and find partners to fight against. Each rooster has a blade attached to their leg. They are tested in front of the crowd so that bets can be placed. Then they are set loose. The winner is the cock that lives (or dies last in some cases).
Day’s 2 and 3 are more serious. These are the days when the family receives guests. The guests are welcomed in groups. They learn of their groups through their invitation, and it is all very organized. When they arrive, they sign in, the pigs are prepared, and then they are officially brought in, women in one line, and men in another. They are seated in a special area where the family comes to greet them, and then women bring them refreshments. Different groups come throughout the day. There are dancers, a circle of chanting men, and the history told by the MC, with each new group that comes in. The mood during these days is more sombre and reflective, not as exciting. More buffalo and pigs are slaughtered on these days as well. Palm wine might be brought in as part of the refreshment.
The last days of the funeral involve the slaughter of the rest of the animals. After the last buffalo is slaughtered, they can begin the burial. Since the deceased is now officially dead, it is a time of mourning, and the coffin is brought to the burial place, where ever that may be. The head of the deceased is in the west, opposite of the direction they sleep in.
Graves
There are several different kinds of graves in Toraja, but all are important. Most graves, no matter what type, are often decorated with small gifts or presents from loved ones such as cigarettes, water, or anything the deceased enjoyed in life. These gifts are believed to help them enjoy paradise more fully. Bodies used to be wrapped in a fibber from pineapple leaf, but now wooden coffins are used. Coffins range in price, depending on the carving. A noble coffin could be as much as $2000 and take a month to carve.
1. Aron- These are graves where the coffin is hanging from the side of a rock face. It sits on top of wooden beams. It remains there until it falls, and then there is a ritual involving a sacrifice for the bones and wood to be set up in the area below the hanging grave. One of the Aron grave locations had as many as 2000 skulls. These graves are accompanied by Tau-tau which are wood carved images of the deceased, that sit in a balcony. The higher the coffin, the higher the social ranking.
3. Stone graves- Big boulders or chunks or rock are used to contain coffins. They are carved, or shaped out (often months or years before the person dies) in preparation for the funeral because it is difficult and takes a long time.
4. House Graves- These graves look like small houses made out of concrete, with a roof, and a small door. These can go anywhere.
5. Baby Graves- The Animists are the only ones who have a separate burial for babies (not Christians). They believed that babies who die right after birth or up to 3 months of living are sinless because they have no teeth. Therefore, they are buried in a living tree. A small rectangular hole is cut into the tree where the baby is vertically placed and facing out. The mother believed that the baby was not really dead because it was sinless and that it would go right to paradise. The tree has a natural milky sap, so it continues to nurture the baby after death. After 3 years, the hole that the baby is in, grows closed and the baby is apart of the tree.6. Sometimes, a body is not found because of the cause of death. In this case, the family would bring a wrapping up to the mountain and wait for the animals or insects to come to it, or they fill the wrapping with air and that takes the place of the deceased’s body.
Burial Stones
Burial stones are set up as memorials for a deceased person. They are rock pillars that have been carved out of rock (but not inscribed with names because it is against the law) and stand as high as the person is important (e.g. nobles would have big ones). Traditionally, with head hunting, the villagers would run out to other villages to kill an innocent person and bury their head under the burial stone for luck or proper ‘rest.’ The stones were often very big, and it could take days for them to be moved over to the memorial area. Bamboo is used to help roll the stones to their location.
