maurizio caduto I n d o n e s i a

Tana Toraja - The funeral.

1 - The cerimony.

Funeral is a major event in Toraja's community. It is more to families then births and weddings. It is indeed a social event that links together families - and thus villages. The "funeral ' season starts around June and goes on up until September. This is the only period of the year when the grateful dead can be buried. At this time of the year is easier for components the family to come back home and get together for the big event. It lasts for few days and the preparation is tiresome and expensive. The family will invite all the relatives and the other families connected by any sort of social relationship. They will prepare areas for the guest to sit and drink - usually the center of the village surrounded by tangkonon. To protect guests from the sun, the area will be covered and wrapped up in colorful sheets made out of loose fabric and typically reserved for the function.

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The first day is preparation; the family gets ready with all the backstage activities that will see the women franticly preparing barrels of coffee and food.

On the second day the guests will start gathering to the funeral bringing their gifts. They will descend the mountains or climb up to the location through rice paddles getting together along the way a forming long queues. A reception center will be set at the entrance to take note of the guests, the gift they're bringing and where they are to sit. Now this is crucial as a funeral is the moment when people pay a debt or contract one. Say, if one family receives a buffalo as homage for their funeral they will be obliged to pay back the debt when the visiting family will drew a funeral. Even more so, is someone with neither connection nor debt brings a gift to a funeral the family that receives the gift has just contracted a debt with the new comer. However the entrance to a funeral is not granted and can be refused by the family or the master of ceremony.

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The gift varies according to one's possibilities and status. It can be as little as an egg, a chicken or a pack of cigarettes; and can be as big as pigs and buffalos. The center of the arena is covered with palm leaves and few buffalos' heads are placed at the boundaries. The families will come in procession paying their respect to the dead man's family, their pigs and buffalos will be standing around the central area of the arena while the master of ceremony will introduce the family and its gifts.

After the procession the visitors will sit in a reserved area and will be fed and offered pat-pion and palm wine. Soon they'll leave the stage to the next family. This is the most attractive day of the all ceremony. On this day you'll see the most of it - the procession, the offerings, the chatting and getting together to witness the funeral, the behind the scenes activities. On a big funeral you'll see the "War Dance" - a traditional rite played by old man in war dressing, and choirs of man standing in the center of the arena. With all the colorful marquees and fabrics, the singing, the animals and the noisy crowd the ceremony will look rather like a medieval game then a funeral.

The Third day is the true "killing day". It starts early in the morning - go there at around 8 AM and you might just have missed the most of it. Compared to the second day's colorful ritual this day will look rather dull and uninspiring. If you have in mind anything like a Spanish corrida or a celebration with sacrifice you'll be harshly disappointed. The killing is what it is: a killing. No music nor colorful fabrics and cerimony dressing.

And now see it again from a different angle.

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The buffalo's point of viewcc------ ------c----cccThe pig's point of view --