Tana Toraja | TATOR

Typical Characteristics Of Toraja Tribe

Tongkonan is a traditional house of Toraja tribe. At first glance sounds like a place to sit and watch something.
 

Tongkonan always facing north.
What is Tongkonan?
Based on the origin he said, Tongkonan, meaning that it occupies or the seat. But absolutely nothing to do with the watch. Tongkonan said to be the seat because it is a gathering place for the Toraja nobility. They usually sit in tongkonan to discuss indigenous issues.

Tongkonan very unique shape. Both ends of the roof is pointed upward at gadang house reminiscent of West Sumatra. Some say shaped like a boat with a stern, but some are equating it with buffalo horns.

One thing is certain, all leading tongkonan to the north. Tongkonan direction as well as the pointed tip of the roof to the top symbolize that they are derived from ancestors who came from the north. When they later die, they will gather together his ancestral spirits in the north.

In addition to its unique tradition of tongkonan also interesting. According to local stories, first Tongkonan built by Puang Matua or the creator in heaven. It used only the nobility the right to build tongkonan. In addition, tongkonan house not be owned individually but is inherited from generation to generation by family or clan Toraja tribe.

Tourism in Tana Toraja

Ke’te kesu’

Ke'te kesu' is a tourist attraction that is already popular among foreign tourists since 1979 the house is situated at Bonoran kampong within 4 km from the town of Rantepao, has been established as one of Heritage with registration number 290 that need to be preserved / protected. Tourism is very interesting, because it has a complex housing a pristine indigenous Toraja, consisting of several Tongkonan, complete with rice barn (sura grass), from the ancestral Puang Tongkonan ri Kesu' functioned as a place to consult, manage, establish, and implement custom rules that apply in Toraja, not only that, about 50 yards backward, there is also nature  grave that already hundreds of years old like the one at Londa. 


Londa Cave

  Londa is one of the many interesting attractions in Tana Toraja, which is located in the village ‘Tikunna Malenong’. Londa is a natural form of burial caves at the foot of the mountain. Inside the cave was placed the bodies in a box called Erong or Duni. Erong is a kind of coffin made ​​of wood is hard and strong. The outside Erong inlaid with beautiful carvings.

Before entering the natural cave, slightly above the cave there is a line of statues called Tau-tau (dolls) are made of jackfruit wood that can last a long time. Tau-tau is a duplicate of a buried corpse. By counting how many Tau-tau that is, it is known how many bodies are buried in a rut. To distinguish which ones were old erong, can be seen from the color. The black erong is placed when they still embrace animism and the brown is erong inserted after the entry of Christianity. So as old as the black erong. But there erong that had been destroyed so that human skeletons lying in the cave.

Baby Grave

  Baby grave is called Passiliran, the Locations in Kambira. Only infants died before their teeth grow buried in a hole of Tarra’ tree. baby is still considered sacred. Options Tarra' tree as a cemetery because it has a lot of tree sap, which is considered as a substitute for breast milk. And they regard as will the baby be returned to her mother's womb. And hope, return the baby to the mother's womb will save babies born later.

Tarra’ tree which became the grave has a large enough diameter, approximately 80-300 cm. Created in tree holes to bury the baby, which was then covered with palm tree fibers. This cemetery is only done by the Toraja followers Aluk Todolo (belief in ancestors). Implementation in a simple ceremony. And just like that baby who was buried without the wrapper, like a baby still in the womb.

Placement of the baby's body in the tree, according to the social strata of society. The higher degree of social family the higher the baby who was buried in the trunk Tarra’. Babies who die are placed in the direction of the bereaved family residences. After decades, the bodies of babies that will blend with the trees and is an attraction for tourists.

Stone Graves

 

This place is one of the ancestral graves in Toraja, which is a grave nature that carved the XVI century, the number of existing burrows of ancient stone are 74 and Tau-tau (dolls) are standing some 40 as a symbol of prestige, status, role and position of the nobility in Lemo village. Lemo therefore named this new model there burrow that resembles an orange round and speckled.