Metro

Saturday May 9, 2009

Fascinating land of ancient rituals

Story and photos by SALINA KHALID


Indonesia’s third largest island, Sulawesi, is still very much unknown to Malaysian travellers, unlike its smaller neighbours like Bali or Java.

Yet the orchid-shaped island, which is previously known as Celebes, offers a myriad of attractions from its natural beauty to its exotic culture that is still unaffected by modern life.

Unique: Traditional Torajan houses or tongkanan (left) and the rice barns or alang (right) with their steeply pitched prow-shaped roofs in Tana Toraja

While northern Sulawesi is known as a diving haven, the southern region of the island is famous for its people who speak more than 40 languages and have their own architecture and history to tell.

There are plenty to experience and see — from the unique traditions of the seafaring Bugis to the mystical cultures of the Torajan people in the highlands.

The Bugis people who dominate the coastal areas are known as excellent seamen while the Torajans are well known for their traditions and rituals.

Everything that the Torajans do is done according to their ancient tribal tradition called aluk to dolo (the law of the ancestors). Although more than 80% of the Torajans have embraced Christianity, they still hold on to ancient Toraja traditions and their ancestors’ belief in animism.

“Their ancestors are always with them, watching over them, their family and their property,” said Roby, our Torajan tour guide who, like most Indonesians, does not have a last name.

Wooden effigies of the Torajans’ dead known as tau-tau are commissioned by family members and placed on the wooden balconies built on the rock face of the hills or at the entrance of the cave where their remains are interred.

In their own world: Three generations of a Kajang family in front of their house. Villagers from Kampung Kajang in South Sulawesi do not seem to be affected by modernisation. A well near a river is their only source of water. No vehicles are allowed in the village where horses are the only form of transportation but only for carrying goods.

Death is not something taboo for the Torajan people.

“Funeral ceremonies are one of the biggest and colourful ceremonies in Tana Toraja and can last for days.

“It is not a sad day. And the size of the funeral ceremony or known as Rambu Solo depends on the wealth and status of the deceased,” added Roby.

He said the wealthier the person, the more buffalos would be sacrificed for the ceremony which could cost thousands of ringgit. Those who have the means would sacrifice a special white buffalo with black spots called saleko, which can cost as high as RM30,000 per head. It is said that this special buffalo can only be found in Tana Toraja.

Final resting place: An ancient cave stone grave in Londa where the tau-tau of the dead are placed in the rock balconies. The window-like sections are the entrance to their tombs. Each tomb is made for a family, not individuals.

“A good buffalo is a Torajan status symbol. The more important the deceased, the more buffaloes are slaughtered and the more people would come for the ceremony,” said Roby.

When a Torajan dies, the body is kept in the house or tongkanan, and remains as part of the family until sufficient funds is collected for the final rites. It may take months even years for the family to raise the money.

The unhurried passage from this world to the next is central to their culture.

A view of the boat makers’ village.

In the old days, the corpses were dried with herbal elixirs and smoldering fires where the body is mummified until the funeral ceremony. But such tradition has died out, replaced by embalming with formaldehyde.

“The funeral ceremony or Rambu Solo is always held once the sun is leaning to the west or anytime after noon.

“On the contrary, festive occasions like weddings, harvesting or moving house start in the morning when the sun rises,” said Roby.

The funeral itself can last for three days, with the last day considered as the departing day for the body. This is the time when the dead is considered to have crossed over to the second world.

According to Roby, there are three methods of burial for the Torajans.

The coffin, plus any possessions, which will be needed in the after life, are placed either in a cave, a stove grave or a hanging grave.

But this tradition is for those from high caste families.

“The dead from the middle and lower castes are interred elsewhere in their own family tombs but no Torajans are buried in the ground or cremated,” he said.

The arched-roofed traditional Torajan houses greet visitors to the Tana Toraja or Torajaland. These houses are set in the midst of terraced padi fields and green hills in the background.

Historians believe that the Torajans were originally from South Asia, who came to Torajaland by boat centuries ago.

However, according to Toraja mythology their ancestors were celestial beings who descended from heaven. They landed on mountain peaks and then dispersed to the valleys of the land.

One of the closest links between Malaysia and southern Sulawesi is probably the Bugis community. Sulawesi, which is also known as the land of the Bugis, is home to the ancestors of many Malaysian Malays.

Known for their seafaring skill, the Bugis have sailed to distant seas on their own man-made sailboats called phinisi nusantara.

Armed with basic tools like the axe and chisel, the Bugis people from Ara village along the Tana Beru at the southern tip of Sulawesi, build sail boats to meet orders from as far as Europe, Canada and Australia.

Building the boats is a full-time job for the people and it takes a few months to complete.

“In the old days, it took years as we have to treat the wood to make it into the shape of the boat but now it can be done in a few months with the availability of modern tools and technology,” said Bakri Tika, a 50-year-old Bugis boat maker.

“Boat-making is a skill that we are born with,” he said.

“In Bugis tradition, when a baby is born, the placenta is thrown into the sea in the belief that it would make the baby a seaman, and be part of the sea,” he said.

There are no sketches or design for Bakri to follow in his boat-making process. “We just follow our heart and what has been passed down to us by our forefathers,” he said.

Bakri is confident that the boat-making tradition would continue as many youngsters in the village have shown an interest and willingness to continue the tradition due to the lucrative earnings it offers.

Southern Sulawesi also has many museums to visit where visitors can learn the story of the people and their customs.

The province is also the place to see traditional Kajang villages where residents clad in black walk barefoot and carry goods on horseback.

Our adventure in Southern Sulawesi was impressive although the 1,200km drive in the van throughout the six-day trip covering Makassar, the capital of Southern Sulawesi and Rantepao in the heart of Torajaland and the surrounding area, certainly was not. The trip from Makassar to Tana Toraja alone takes about six hours.

Efforts are being made to restore the airline services from the capital to the highland to provide easier access for visitors. The Tana Toraja local authority is planning to restore the airline service from Makassar to the highland.

The writer’s media familiarisation trip to South Sulawesi was sponsored by the Indonesian Embassy of Kuala Lumpur. Air Asia provides a daily flight (one flight daily) to Makassar from the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) and back.

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