Tana Toraja

Bori Rice Fields::Tana Toraja, Sulawesi Indonesia::
Bori Rice Fields
Torajan Ornamentation::Tana Toraja, Sulawesi Indonesia::
Torajan Ornamentation
The Outside Walls of Tongkonan::Tana Toraja, Sulawesi Indonesia::
The Outside Walls of Tongkonan
Toraja Burial Carriage::Tana Toraja, Sulawesi Indonesia::
Toraja Burial Carriage

Tana Toraja is a mountainous region on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Most of the Torajan people converted to Christianity relatively recently in early 1900's. Still, some portion of the population worship the traditional animistic religion aluk to dolo which means "the law of the ancestors". Even those who identify themselves as Christians deeply believe in ancestral spirits. Death is treated here as a slow process, not a sudden event. Each family member who dies is not separated from the relatives. The deceased is kept in the house for many months, or even years and is considered just as a sick person. To preserve body, formalin is injected; for the same purpose herbs are available in the forest were in the past. Family members of the deceased talk to him, often bring him food, water and cigarettes. Torajans believe that the respect given in this manner to the ancestors brings good luck to the whole family.

The Valley::Tana Toraja, Sulawesi Indonesia::
The Valley
Erotic Mountain View::Tana Toraja, Sulawesi Indonesia::
Erotic Mountain View
An Old Tongkonan House::Tana Toraja, Sulawesi Indonesia::
An Old Tongkonan House
Threshing Rice by Hand::Tana Toraja, Sulawesi Indonesia::
Threshing Rice by Hand
Water Buffalo at Paddy Field::Tana Toraja, Sulawesi Indonesia::
Water Buffalo at Paddy Field

© 2010 Maciej Swulinski