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Tana Toraja - The Tangkonon

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Tana Toraja is one of those places where myths and legends are underneath every stone, whispering tales to your ears at every corner. Take the tangkonon; itÕs a traditional house of Tana Toraja and its shape resembles a boat. The story goes that the ancestors of Toraja people came long ago by boat; they sailed the river upstream until the water was too shallow to continue. They took their boats ashore and turned them into houses, hence the shape still used today to build up houses and barns. Everything in the making of a Tankonon has a rule, the wood you choose, the complete absence of nails that make it a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

The decoration is rich and full of meanings. Only four colors are to be used. Red: is blood; yellow: the healing power of God; black: death; white: the color of bones. A tankonon's decoration features various symbols and animals. The rooster represents the justice and the buffalo the power. Only a very important man in the village can have a Buffalo on his Tangkonon and the many horns adorning his front door mean big funerals and great honor.

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See the breathtaking funeral in Toraja.

The cerimonyc

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