Ceremonials

There are two important rituals in Torajan’s lives: Rambu Solok (the death ceremony) and Rambu Tuka (the wedding ceremony, rice harvest celebration and other celebration). Rambu Solok is a parade towards the burial. It has of two parts: the burial and stage show. During the burial they wrap death, decorate the coffin and carry the coffin from the Tongkonan to the Alang, and to the burial chambers.

The stage show consists of reception, music performances, dance shows, buffalo marches, buffalo fights and slaughter of the buffalos and boars. It could mount to a tens or even hundreds of buffalos, depending on the social status of the family doing the ceremony. This burial ceremoney is very important to the Torajan people, as family members from far away places go back home to be together with their family.

In Toraja, the cheers and delight of the burial ceremony is more than the wedding ceremony. The Semi-permanent Tongkonan houses are setup to be used as a reception place for the guests. The burial ceremony could be very costly, and take about 7 days more or less (depending on the situation of the host family). The number of the animals offered to the deity, the type of buffalo, the quality of the semi-permanent reception-houses are the major contributors of cost of a burial ceremony.

Notes for the tourists: the Torajan people do the ceremonies first and foremost is to fulfill their cultural obligations, not as a tourist attraction. So please do not presume that when during your visit to Tana Toraja there will be a ceremony to welcome you. And please calm yourselves if during your visit there is no ceremony at all.

The singer sang a melancholic song to accompany guests to the Tongkonan, Rambu Solok Ceremony, 2014-Dec

Semi permanent tongkonan at Rambu Solok Ceremony, Talung Lipu, 2014-Dec

Slaughter of sacrificial animal (buffalo),Talung Lipu, 2014-Dec

Buffalo as a sacrificial animals at Rambu Solok Ceremony, Palawa, Sadan, 2014-12

Semi permanent tongkonan at Rambu Solok Ceremony, 2014-Dec

the guest entering the tongkonan

The guest greeters lead the guest to tongkonan at Rambu Solok Ceremony at Palawa, Sadan, 2014-Dec

The guest greeters lead the guest to tongkonan at Rambu Solok Ceremony, 2014-Dec

The singer sang a melancholic song to accompany guests to the Tongkonan, Rambu Solok Ceremony at Palawa, Sadan, 2014-Dec

Semi permanent Tongkonan for the guests, Rambu Solok, 2014-Dec

Alang – The Granary

 

Nanggala Penaningan’ Alang

Alang at Nanggala Penaningan Village

Nanggala Penaningan’ Alang

The tribe leader Alang, Nanggala Penaningan

Buntu Pune’ Alang

Buntu Pune family welcoming their guest

Buntu Pune’ Alang

Alang at Buntu Pune Village

Opposite each Tongkonan house is the family rice barn called “Alang”. An Alang is built on six (or eight) large wooden piles from Banga tree. The top part of an Alang is used to store rice, whereas the bottom part is an open area (no walls) where the Torajan used to receive their guests and have dinner with them. Usually there is one Alang dedicated for the tribe leader, and the other Alangs belong to the Tongkonan owners and the people in the area. The tribe leader Alang is easily distinguished as it decorated with small bamboo chains tied onto the Alang.

Tongkonan – Toraja traditional house

Kete Kesu Village

carved wooden wall and buffalo head on a Tongkonan Nanggala Penanian

Nanggala Penanian’ Toraja traditional house

Nanggala Penanian’ Tongkonan

Nanggala Penanian’ Tongkonan (left) and Alang (right)

Tongkonan at Buntu Pune

Roof of Buntu Pune Tongkonan made of bamboo

Buntu Pune tongkonan (right) and alang (left)

buffalo head on a Tongkonan Buntu Pune wall

carved wooden wall at Buntu Pune Tongkonan

Toraja traditional house at Buntu Pune VIllage

 

 

A Tongkonan is a boat-shaped traditional house in Toraja where the nobles and tribe leaders live. A Tongkonan does not only function as a place to live, but it also reflects the status of the owner in the society. Only the nobles have the right to build a Tongkonan and to live in one. Commoners live in a normal house called banua.

In Toraja society, the nobles are served by the commoners who live near them. The commoners honour the nobles as their masters. The nobles have obligations to safeguard the commoners. The nobles are not to eat food if the commoners don’t have food to eat. In this hierarchy the nobles respect to the commoners.

The Torajan society is divided into four different classes (called Kasta). The highest class is the noble kasta, followed by the middle kasta, and then the commoners. The lowest class is called the slaves.

A Tongkonan is built with the help from everybody. It is built facing north, as they believe that north and east are directions for good life. Whereas south and west are directions for the deaths and the bad.

Tongkonan have a distinguishing boat-shaped roof. Tongkonan’s roof is different to the Minangkabau houses which have buffalo-horn shape roofs. This boat-shaped roof was influenced by Torajan long seafarer history – their ancestors were sailors from China.