People of The Mountains
Of all the incredibly interesting cultures found in Indonesia, perhaps none is more fascinating than that of the Torajas. Isolated by difficult terrain and fierce privacy, the people of Tanah Toraja remained free of outside influence until early this century when the Dutch finally made contact. For centuries, the mountainous Torajas barely interacted with their seafaring Bugis neighbours and escaped the attention of the Dutch.
In a setting of steep rocky mountains, this green jungle and fertile rice paddies, Torajaland's geography mesmerizes even the most travelled adventurers. But the Torajan culture itself surpasses the physical beauty of the place.
Torajan houses are beyond distinct: traditional houses, tongkonan, are raised on piles. The rooftops rear up very high on both ends, suggestive of the horns of a water buffalo (Torajans revere the water buffalo as sacred). Every tongkonan faces north and is accompanied by a matching though smaller rice barn. Underneath each rice barn, a wooden sitting platform makes the familiy's meeting place: sitting there, the villagers might ask you to join them for a glass of home-made palm wine.
The most unique aspect of Torajan culture revolves around death. When a person dies, they must be sent to the after-world with the greatest attention. An elaborate funeral follows, with special bamboo huts being built to house hundred – sometimes even thousands – of guests who might come from as far away as Jakarta. From an overlooking tower, the deceased presides over the festivities, which include animal sacrifices and might last as many as seven days. For rich ornoble people, tau-tau (wooden effigies of the deceased) are carved and dressed. In a lasting and impressive gesture, the tau-tau are placed in hollowed-out cliff faces for all the world to see.
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