Tana Toraja Funeral

[DrAndy]

I thought I would get out a few old snaps of one of the funeral ceremonies I went to visit when I was in Sulawesi

These are held in the mountains of Toraja, amongst an ancient community who still believe in spirits and the importance of the dead

It is normal to scarifice water buffalo for the ceremony; the richer you are, the more you sacrifice. Considering the cost of a buffalo, around a years wages for a field worker, funerals can be expensive occasions. They are also very important and relatives have to come back to the village when a relative is being celebrated, usually at the end of the rice harvest.

If someone dies at another time of the year, they are kept under the house until the right time has come!!

anyway....here is a contingent of relatives from the next village bearing gifts; they also brought a couple of live pigs to be slaughtered and cooked



as you can see, the houses are very massive, traditional places, quite beautiful

The bufflao are brought out one by one and their jugular severed with a blow of the machete



this funeral had 12 buffalo sacrificed

after they are all killed they butcher them and the relatives all get a piece to take home. The bit they get depends on their importance




around the area are ancient burial sites, often in caves but also hanging coffins from cliff faces. The coffins slowly rot and the bones pile up



also, a small Tao-tao is placed in the cave (or on a ledge in the cliff) to represent the dead person




The funerals are stupendous, the burial sites are amazing and the countryside beautiful. Walking from one site to another was great

I was given a coffee at one funeral, it was amongst the best I have ever had. It is possible to buy Toraja coffee in Jakarta and it costs!

The above is merely a small part of what is to be seen and the whole visit is an exceptional experience....go before the tour groups start to ruin it

[Bobcock]

Awesome pics, I would love to do something like this again, alas to find something not seen before is hard...but i never seen this.

[sunsetter]

is this the tribe that believe that humans came from the stars?

[Mr R Sole]

Interesting stuff...the slaughter of the buffalo's looks like something from 'Apocalypse now'

Have you seen the Mentawai people by any chance??

[DrAndy]

not by any chance

they like to have sharp teeth, but their funeral ceremonies are not so good

[sagegong]

As a photographer my self, I found those pics. very interesting!

[Mr R Sole]

^If you weren't a photographer then would you think they were crap?????

Sorry had to make a joke there... No offence..