Day 63 Great experiences had reserved for us. Settle on the island of Sulawesi (also called Célebes Island) It is not especially easy. If you arrive in the afternoon flight, It is quite possible that you are forced to spend the night in the bland city of Makassar (Capital of Southern Celebes), But we were lucky and we could take a night bus that left us, At dawn the next day, in the Tana Toraja region. In case one comes asleep, The first "Tongkonans » They confirm that you are in the right place, the one you have been reading in the guide for months and dreaming of reaching.
Transport on the island of Sulawesi They are not easy or short. It is the eleventh largest island in the world, But it is his particular form of "k" and the status of his roads that complicates things to the visitor.
If one comes asleep to Sulawesi, The first "tongkonans" confirm that you are in the right place
Arriving to Tana Toraja and fascinating with its culture is the same thing. Not only the funeral famous Toraja are reason to approach this Indonesian island; also its rice landscapes, its green meadows and its mountain horizons justify the trip. And it is comfort for those who sigh to find magnificent beaches, Although you will have to go to the north.
Toraja are a small Christian community in the country with more Muslims in the world. this community, full of ancestral beliefs and rites, lost in the time of the Dutch East Indies many of those rituals, but they were able to keep those related to funeral celebrations. We were lucky to be able to attend one of them.. And of course we will never forget it.
The funerals of the toraja last days, weeks or even months, And they can be repeated several times after death
The funerals of the toraja last days, weeks or even months, And they can be repeated several times after death, usually in the dry summer months. The wealthiest classes have the possibility of making them longer and more ostentatious, But all transform death into a real celebration to which Westerners attend with astonishment and admire in silence.
In these "mortuary parties" the joy reigned, The songs and struggles of buffalo. His subsequent sacrifice ensures the eternal rest of the deceased and the trip back from his soul to heaven. After death, The body of the dead man is covered with clothes or bandages and is stored in the traditional ones «Tongkonans » Until the final burial, that several days later it is usually practiced in rocks or stone caves.
In these "mortuary parties" the joy reigned, The songs and struggles of buffalo, sacrificed to ensure the eternal rest of the deceased
We start touring the northern market of the small city of Rantepao, called Bolu Market. There, Apart from enjoying the charms of Indonesian markets, We were able to verify the very prices of the animals that were sold. We dive into the origins of the kings of the market, buffaloes. These animals are a sign of wealth and the relatives of the deceased seek the most ideal to make sense of death. They usually come from the islands of Borneo, Java or the farthest Sumatra, although there are also from the north of the same Sulawesi. Albino buffalo are the most valuable, being able to duplicate or triple the price of a water buffalo. Pigs were also common merchandise in the Bolu Market. Stuck in bags or exposed and tied in bamboo platforms, They sold for a more affordable value.
Then we headed south to attend a funeral near the town of Article. At that funeral, The dead man was only for a week and it was the second day of celebration.
The cries of the agonizing pigs drowned with the music of the "mabadongs", their traditional songs and dances
About 25 or 30 pigs and no less than five buffalos lay in the epicenter of the party. So many were already being prepared to feed the guests. Appetizer, food, drink, the, again drink, food ... everyone was welcome there and relatives and assistants paraded with how much food, Drink and tobacco were necessary to thank the visit to the guests. The cries of the agonizing pigs drowned with the music of the «mabadongs» (traditional songs and dances interpreted by men), composing a symphony that our mind did not end up understanding but it did enjoy. And meanwhile there, From the top of a structure, The body of the deceased watching his celebration. Physically involved in his coffin but with his soul walking to heaven as they wanted.
Just a couple of meters beyond, The voice of a «speaker» It came out at full volume by some speakers as if it were a town verbena. The announcer shouted guest names, Its origin, gifts that had brought the family ... next to him, In another of the structures that the family has to build for the party, Several people cut the meat of the animals already sacrificed. Under the farm, Other assistants chamuscan the skin of pigs and prepared food with pigs of pigs and buffalo. There they offered us “Balok”, A strong palm wine that we tested directly in bamboo branches.
From the top of a structure, The deceased's body watched his celebration while his soul was walking to heaven
We continue to witness the celebration. For that moment, The mind had already decided to keep this day in that corner that never darkens completely, Like when you walk next to the Ganges by Benares or enjoy the infinite loneliness of the cemeteries Great rubber On Easter Island.
We talked to a local guide that turned off our thirst for questions. We are interested about the fortune of that family that, Under what has been seen, He sensed great. The smiling response of the locals: “No, son, Here in Tana Toraja we spend our lives working to pay our funerals. Is our great day ".
“In Tana Toraja we spend our lives working to pay our funerals. Is our great day ", confesses a place
After part day there, We continue to explore the area. The square and church of Article well deserve a visit. The roads from one town to another are simply extraordinary, where an unusual traditional architecture alternates with adorable rice landscapes. Los «Tongkonans » are the traditional houses of the region. The roofs reach a really impressive height and have a boat shape (Horse riding for others). The former hold their theory by stating that they remember the way the toraja arrived on the island. Its construction has been and a lot of money for years; That is why it is usually built among several families. Your decoration, Despite its size, It is very thorough. Under roofs, carved wood drawing religious motifs extends to the pillars. Buffalo horns are not missing everywhere, decisive animal for this community, both in life and beyond. The Tongkonans its, ultimately, THE CENTER OF THE SOCIAL LIFE OF THE Toraja and, course, The most recognizable image of its culture.
We find caves and rocks where the toraja make their final burials, where relatives return every summer to adapt their dead
With a local guide we find caves and rocks where the toraja make their final burials. In them there are bones, Decorated skulls, small Tongkonans as coffins and even balconies embedded in rock where royalty is buried. It is custom for Toraja Back every summer to niches and upset their dead, decorate them if necessary and, why not, leave a cigar in their mouths. They also told us that children die before taking out their first teeth are returned to nature being "buried" in trees. Course, Death in this part of the world is presented to us in the most beautiful of its versions.
We are on the way to Ketekesu, Starch, Batutumonga ... They are story villages, Surely the most beautiful ones we saw. But there is a place above all: The viewpoint of Tinimbayo. A single house. A single bar at the top. The dwelling of the dreams of every traveler, Where Sulawesi opens at your feet and your mind dreams of the following destination.
