Saturday 27/10 - RANTEPAO (Tana Toraja) - discovery of the South
Tana Toraja Funeral
Torajans work their whole life to fund their familiy's funeral rites.
Without proper funeral the soul of the deceased will cause misfortune to the family.
They keep the dead body months, even years, in the family house,
before having sufficient money to organize the ceremony.
Giant buffalos, each costing the equivalent of a car, are killed for the ceremony..
The horns are kept to decorate the traditional houses.
The more horns on the house, the higher the family status.
All these constructions are temporary, build just for the ceremony.
They house the hundreds of guests during the four to five days.
Tana Toraja Market
At the buffalo market.
(picture received from Tenny Yanutriana)
Buffalos taking their bad in a pond
An albino buffalo, reserved for the royal family.
Tasting the palm wine at the market.
Tana Toraja Wedding.
We became VIP invited to a wedding party. 80% of the Torajans are Christian.
(picture received from Tenny Yanutriana)
Happy?
Happy?
Happy?
(picture received from Tenny Yanutriana)
The first little smile.
They changed their wedding clothes for a traditional dress.
Rock Graves.
Rock graves, with wood carved TauTau effigies in balconies.
(picture received from Tenny Yanutriana)
Tau Taus in the Lemo rock cemetary.
Only the upper class can have Tau Taus.
Lunch time.
People working in the rice fields.
Hanging Baby Graves.
Our guide showing the baby graves.
Babies are burried in phoetus position in cavities made in the rubber tree.
After some time the tree completely closes.
The tree becomes the mother, the white latex symbolizes milk.
Cave Graves.
Coffins in a cave.
Also Tau Taus.
Tongkonan Traditional Houses.
A Tonkonan, the traditional houses of Tana Toraja.
Notice the huge number of buffalo horns.
There are thousands of these houses.
Still they build the houses this way.
Buffalo horns.
Buffalo horns.
The roof shape represents the shape of the boats used by their ancestors.
With local friends.
The dream team with the two old friends met at this place.
From left to right: Miss Rantepao, Gin, Mister Rantepao, Tenny, Michel.
Picture made by our guide, Piter.
One more shot from Piter.
(picture received from Tenny Yanutriana)
Our Guide was Piter. He can be contacted by email: suipiter_yahoo.com.
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