Mysterious Toraja

A Story of Tana Toraja Funeral Ceremony

Tomate, is a funeral procession in Toraja society. This ritual procession held to send the spirit to the Puya, the afterworld properly to avoid misfortune to its family.

In Toraja funeral dead person called ‘Tomate’. Without proper funeral rites the spirit of the deceased will cause misfortune to its family. The funeral sacrifices, ceremonies and feats also impress the gods with the importance of deceased, so that the spirit can intercede effectively on behalf of living relatives. In Tana Toraja, there are several arcs of groups of roughly hewn stone slabs around villages, and each stone possibly represents a member of the noble class who lived and died there.

The dead person presides over the funeral from the high-roofed tower constructed at one and of the field. At a funeral, bamboo pavilions for the family and guests are constructed around a field.

The Toraja generally have two funerals, one immediately after a death and elaborate, second funeral after preparations. The souls of the dead can only go to Puya, the afterworld, when the entire death ritual has been carried out.

They believe the soul of the deceased will ride the souls of the slaughtered buffaloes and pigs to heaven. The buffalo has traditionally been a symbol of wealth and power-even land could be paid for in buffaloes. After the guest display their presents of pigs and buffaloes, the traditional Mabadong song and dance is performed. This is a ceremonial re-enactment of the cycle of human life and the life story of the deceased. It also farewell to the soul of the deceased, and relays the hope that the soul will arrive in the afterworld safely.

Funerals can be spread out over several days and involve hundreds of guests (and many tourists).

Tana Toraja Ma’Nene Ceremony

The Death walking in Tana Toraja, called Ma’Nene Ritual

Every year in August, a ritual called Ma’Nene (The Ceremony of Cleaning Corpses) takes place in which the bodies of the deceased are exhumed to be washed, groomed and dressed in new clothes. Damaged boxes are fixed or replaced. The mummies are then walked around the village by following a path of straight lines. Following these straight lines is maybe the most important part of the ceremony. According to the myth, these lines are connected with Hyang, a spiritual entity with supernatural power. As this entity only move in straight lines, the soul of the deceased body must follow the path of Hyang.

According to the ancient Torajan belief system, the spirit of a dead person must return to his village of origin. So if a person died on a journey, the family would go to the place of death and accompany the deceased back home by walking them back to the village. In the past, people were frightened to journey far, in case they died while they were away and were unable to return to their village.

TORAJA TOUR CULTURAL & SOUTH SULAWESI ROUND-TRIP PACKAGES

• 3 Days Toraja Exotic Tour
• 4 Days Toraja Cultural Tour (First Choice)
• 4 Days Toraja Cultural Tour (Second Choice)
• 5 Days Toraja & Bugis Cultural Package Tour
• 6 Days Exploring Toraja, Sengkang & Bira
• 7 Days South Sulawesi Roundtrip Overland Tour
• 9 Days Toraja, Bugis Cultural & White Water Rafting

TORAJA, MAMASA & TRANS SULAWESI OVERLAND TOURS (Adventure)

• 3 or 5 Days White water rafting in Toraja
• 7 Days White water rafting & Cultural Package Tours
• 9 Days Toraja Trekking & Bugis Cultural Package Tours
• 14 Days Toraja / Mamasa / Sengkang / Bira roundtrip
• 18 Days Toraja Trekking & Lore Lindu Birding Tour
• 8 Days Toraja, Mamasa Nature Walk & Treks
• 8 Days Rante Mario Hiking & Toraja Cultural Tour
• 12 Days Trans Sulawesi Tour
• 21 Trans Sulawesi Discovery Tour

How we arrange your Toraja Tour:

First you may check out some of the above sample Itinerary and if you’re interested then we ask you to take a few minutes of your time to fill in the Reservation Form. From this form we learn about your preferences and will be able to arrange your very individual holiday.The schedule and the price of the whole trip will be sent to you by e-mail promptly. Study it very carefully and tell us if you want some changes to be made. We can help design the trips for you according to your age, capability, point of interests and any trips that meet your requirement with our flexible conditions.