INTRODUCING TANA TORAJA

INTRODUCING TANA TORAJA


Tana Toraja is located 320 km north of Makassar, capital of South Sulawesi Province. It can be reached by road, taking 8 – 9 hours drive from Makassar.
Unquestionably that Tana Toraja is one of the most beautiful regions of Indonesia. Tana Toraja is a mountainous area. The Regency’s lowest elevation 300 m above-sea-level is in the Lebannu river valley and the highest elevation is the mountain of Telando-Lando (2.884 m) in the district of Rinding Allo. Rantepao and Makale are situated 775 m above sea level. The total area of Tana Toraja is 3.630,12 km2. There are about 450.000 inhabitans of kabupaten (regency) Tana Toraja, also known as “Torajaland” Large numbers of Torajan people have also emigrated in search of work outside the area. In spite of the splendid landscapes and the rice-field studded mountains, the region is actually land poor.
Most of Torajan people are Christians – 87 percent of the population as Christians (77 percent are Protestants & 10 percent are Catholic), about 10 percent as Moslem. People in remote areas still tend to follow the traditional religion (now called Aluk To Dolo, or “Ways of the ancestors”)


HISTORY

Origin and Name

According to the Anthropologists the Torajan people in South Sulawesi, the Dayaks in Kalimantan (Borneo), and the Bataks in Sumatera as Proto-Malays. Many similarities among these three ethnic groups and the Dongson culture led them to conclude that they originated from Dongson, Annam or Indo China.
Beginning in 3000 B.C. migrants moved into the peninsulas and islands of South-East Asia perhaps motivated by pressure from newly arisan state in China. Some of these people passed into Indonesia, either via the Malay peninsula or through the Philipines and thus into eastern Indonesia. This group travelled in sailing boats and migrated in series of movement. They brought with them New Stone and Iron Age culture and also the Austronesian Language.
Anthropologists classified these migatory people into two groups : The earlier groups are called PROTO-MALAYS (3000.B.C) and those who came later called DEUTRO-MALAYS (1500.B.C).
Torajan People is the oldest ethnich group among four ecthnic group in South Sulawesi (Buginese, Makassarese,Torajanese and Mandarese).

According to Torajan mythology, the ancestors came via sailing vessels from the south along the Sa’dan River and settled in the ENREKANG area which it was formerly the part of Toraja land. They also belive that the ancestors called “TOMANURUNG” which means the people descending from heaven.

In former times (before 17 th century) TANA TORAJA was called TONDOK LEPONGAN BULAN TANA MATARIK ALLO which means “a country of one form of administration, religion, and culture as round as the sun and the moon.” It is belived that the name of TANA TORAJA came from Bugis word, TANA means Country, TO means People and RAJA or RIAJA means on the high land, thus TANA TORAJA means a country located on the high land. This name was given by the Buginese people who accupied the coastal regions.



RITUAL CEREMONIES

Traditional ceremonies are the realization of their attitude under the Torajanese belief.
Traditional ceremonies are divided into two kinds :
a. Rambu Tuka Ceremony a kind of happy ceremony.
b. Rambu Solo Ceremony a kind of ceremony concerning with the death and the burial of the dead people (funeral ceremony).
These two kinds of ceremonies must be done in different time and place as well. The first (a) is starting in the morning and is on the east (following sunrising) or in fron of the house – north. While the second (b) is on the west of the house and begins the ritual ceremony when the sun turn to the west.
Death in Toraja culture is seen as a part of their life.
When somebody dies in Toraja the dead person is colled “TOMASAKI ULUNNA” literally means the one who gets headache,
Since the deceased is initially as “sick” he/she laid in the southern room of their house where other relatives sleep, and they embalming the deceased by using natural material (now injected with formalin). There the dead person is laid in a normal sleeping person with his/her head to the west. During this period (months or years) the dead person is treated like a living person, gets three time meals a day which are placed beside him/her. In the evening the members of the family or relatives may sleep in the same room as the dead. In the mean time , the family members and relatives saving money and collect rice for preparation for the upcoming death ritual. The ritual will be scheduled such that relatives who work and live outside of Toraja will be able to attend the funeral ceremony.
The “sickperson” officially becomes tomate,”truly dead” when the death ritual starts.
The death ritual last for severaldays and it may last for seven days for the wealthy family and many buffalos and pigs are slaughtered (buffalo is a holy animal for Torajan people) and they belive that buffalo as a transportation to PUYA (heaven).

Nowdays most of the Torajan people have converted to Christianity but they still practicing ritual ceremonies particularly Funeral Ceremony because by having funeral is to build close relationship among the people (reunion of the family) and also symbol of prestige.