Toraja is the one of tour destination that must be visited by traveler. If other place
offered the beautiful sea, beach with the white sands, and many more, Toraja
offered the different things. Yup, you can’t find such a thing in Toraja, more
than that you will be amazed with it
unique culture, beautifulness of traditional houses, and hospitality of
inhabitants. Culture in Toraja is known as the unique one, one thing that might
be explained it is how they treated the dead. This uniqueness will be found in
several historical sites which became tourism object. Bdw, Toraja is my
hometown and I proudly tell you the story about it, happy reading ^^
Londa
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| Tau-tau represented the dead |
Londa, cave cemetery in the hill is located about 5 km south of city of
Rantepao. When you visits this site, the
first thing that you have to do is buying the ticket in the counter. Same as
other sites, in here you can find many souvenir store. You have to go down the
stairs and walk the path that lead you to the cave. In the face of it hill you can see many
wooden coffins are hung and it shape seems buffalo and pig. In old times, that
coffins had been used by Toraja’s people. Besides that, there are several
statue complete with traditional clothes on it’s body are stand in neat rows in
cracks hollowed, seems like the balconies of house. These represented the dead
who buried there. Not only that, in the surface of the hill there are so many
holes, even in the highest of it hill. Base of the culture, the higher the
grave the higher their social status. You may be wondered how toraja’s people in
the old times made the grave in the stone and put it in the very higher hill.
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| Erong, traditional wooden coffin of Toraja |
Before you enter inside the cave, make sure
you rent a lamp because the cave is very dark. When you walk inside the cave,
you will be very welcomed by many craniums and bones that had been placed in
the wall of the cave ^^ Smell of mystical “things” will be increased when you
walk far into the cave, instead the land and the atmosphere is humid, and stack
of the old wooden coffins decorate every side of the cave. People believe that
this cave cemetery has been there since 700 years ago, because of it there are
many brittle coffins. Morever, you can
see several dead body peek at you from it’s coffins.
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| Inside the cave |
There are about a thousand human corpses had
been buried on this cave. However, there is interest love story in this site.
Base of the myth, 70 years ago there was a couple named Lobo’ and Andui. They killed their self
because their love was rejected by their family as the result of family relationship
between the suicide. If you want to see it directly, do come !
Kambira
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| Baby grave |
Kambira is located in Sangalla’, it’s about 20
km south of the city of Rantepao (the capital of Nortern Toraja). As I have
said before, Toraja’s people always has the unique tradition to treated the dead. The next unique tradition is use
the tree as the grave. If you eager to see that kind of grave, you can see it
in baby grave site named Kambira. However, only the babies without teeth could
be buried in the tree. The tree that used to buried the babies was named pohon Tarra’. It’s tree has diameter
about 100 cm – 300 cm. The holes to placed the baby had been made in the
surface of the tree’s trunk. Then, the holes were being closed by Ijuk (palm fiber of the sugar palm).
This funeral ceremony was the simple one, and it was did by adherents of Aluk
Todolo (Reliance before Gospel came to Toraja)
You may be wondered about why the
babies must buried in the tree. Toraja’s people in the old period believed that
if they used the tree as grave, then their babies would be grown as the tree.
Sap of the tree was believed as alternate of mother’s milk. The last, Toraja’s
people believed that if there bird flown on that tree, the babies spirit would
be flown by that bird to Puya. In old period, Toraja’s people believed that
Puya was the place that their belonged when they died. This kind of funeral
ceremony was conducted a dozens or even a hundreds of years ago, nowadays the babies body is blended with the tree. If
you want to see it directly, go grab your bag and visit Toraja ^^
Simbuang Batu (Bori)
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| Simbuang batu |
The other thing that also unique in Toraja is
fabrication a tall stone (menhir) called Simbuang batu. It has been
symbolization of the glorius funeral ceremony. The place that this Simbuang
batu can be found is in the Rante Kalimbuang, which is located in Bori’, it is about
5 km from City of Rantepao.
In this place, many big funeral ceremony had
been presented. For Toraja’s people, ceremony that involved establishment of
Simbuang batu was not the simple ceremony. To hold this ceremony, the families
of the dead must sacrifice at least 24 buffalos. Not only as the symbolization
of glorious ceremony, this stone was used to tied the buffalo to be sacrificed.
As the result of being the place of many big
funeral ceremonies in old times, in this place you will see the several
building with it roof’s like Tongkonan
(tongkonan : traditional house of Toraja). Between the stones, there are
building called Balakkayan. Balakkayan is like a stage that used to
distribute meats that has been cut. In that place, the person was charged to
distribute the meats would shout the name of meat’s receiver. Not far from the
stones, there is a building named Lakkian.
In that place, the body dead would be laid during the ceremony. This building
contained with two part, upstairs for placed the corpse, and downstairs for the
families of the dead.
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| Stone Grave |
The atmosphere of this place is very cool and
fresh because there are many trees and bamboos. Not far from the stones, after
walk the path you will see the big stone with holes on it as the place to bury.
Each hole is owned by the family, so a hole can be used to bury the several
corpses.
If you are looking for the different holiday,
then Toraja will be the best choise. This town is very simple but reach with
unique tradition and hospitality of inhabitants. Happy holiday ^^
