The Extraordinary Funeral Traditions of Toraja

In the highlands of Tana Toraja on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, death is not treated as a single moment. For the Toraja people, it is a long passage that ends with one of the most elaborate funerals in the world. This article describes what has been publicly reported. It is based on journalism, not on the voices of the Toraja themselves, and practices vary by family.

When is someone considered dead?

Not at the moment of death. The University of Connecticut’s summary of a National Geographic article says that for Torajans death does not truly begin until the funeral procession, which can occur many days, weeks, or even years later. During that time, LensCulture reports, the person is considered “sick” and kept at home. Relatives continue to talk with the person and offer cigarettes, betel leaves, coffee, and meals.

Why does the funeral come later?

Because it takes time and money. LensCulture says the rituals are complex, require extensive planning, and are expensive, so it can take weeks, months, or even years for the family to organize the funeral. Go Asia reports that the body is embalmed and kept in the family’s ancestral house, the tongkonan. AFP described one family that lived with a grandmother’s body for seven months and brought her food and drink every day.

What is Rambu Solo’?

The funeral ceremony. Wego calls it the most important event in a Torajan’s life. LensCulture says it lasts three to seven days or more, depending on the family’s status, and includes dances, processions to receive guests, animal sacrifice, and large feasts. Vice reports that the last breath of the first sacrificial water buffalo marks the official death of the “sick person.” Go Asia adds that the meat is shared among guests according to social obligations.

What are tau tau?

Wooden effigies of the dead. Wego says that after the funeral a lifelike figure called a tau tau is often carved and dressed in cloth. It is placed in a cliffside grave or on a stone balcony, to watch over living descendants. Vice says that a clan gathers every one to three years for Ma’nene, which means “care for ancestors.” Wego describes families exhuming their loved ones, cleaning the bodies, dressing them in new clothes, and posing for family photographs. LensCulture notes that in the Pangala region it takes place in August after the rice harvest.

How can I read about it respectfully?

As one community’s way of keeping family ties alive. For comparison, see Famadihana in Madagascar, Ancestor Veneration Around the World, and Death Around the World.