Tana Toraja

One day trip in North Tana Toraja.
I heard from my friend that in this month in August there is Manene ceremony that is replacement ceremony clothes on the corpse that has been aged for decades, which is held every three years. What make this special ?
I was very curious and wanted to know because they have very unique culture.
I started from Jakarta use airplane Jakarta - Makassar. After landed in Makassar i took bus Damri to the city and continue with night bus, Makassar - Toraja (Rantapao).
The night bus leave from Makassar at 9 pm every day. My suggest took night bus then you can reach Toraja n the morning.
If you do 1 day trip to Toraja alone, booking plane for afternoon flight and reach Makassar about 6 or 7 in the evening, make reservation for night bus to Toraja then ask them to pick you up in the airport then goes to Toraja (it take 8-9 hours) arrive about 6 in the morning.
The bus i use is Alam Indah bus it cost me 130k, book for return if you just do 1 day trip.
For ojek it depends how many place  you will visit, i visit 4 place for 1 day it cost me 200k and depends how was your negotiation.
First place i visted was Pallawa village, i choose wrong costume i just wear short pants and t-shirt i thought it will not be cold but Pallawa village is on top of the mountain. I feel like i'm gonna die because very cold, for me as people who was living in hot region this is very cold and wear short pants and t-shirt definitely is not good choice.
The weather that day cloudy and foggy, fresh air. I immediately liked this place.

Today that was the second day to big ceremony, Manene. Today the family will clean the cemetery and opening the door hole.

                                                      The family clean the cemetery.

                                                      The door has been opened.

I just found out that one of this rock hole can be filled dozens of bodies from one family. WOW..!!

Local residence taking us to visited they house, their house is called Tongkonan. In here buffalo is very special, they not use it to plow the field, they will take care of them well, feed them well, bathe and will used for traditional ceremony. 

Tongkonan is a traditional house with characteristic wooden houses on stilts on which the pit beneath the house is usually used as a cowshed.
Tongkonan roofs covered with black fibers and the curved shape just like a boat with a stern face down.

All tongkonan houses standing side by side and will point to the north. Direction tongkonan facing north and end of a peaked roof symbolize their ancestors who came from the north. When later died they would gather together the spirits of their ancestors in the north.

I was amazed to see the uniqueness Toraja, they greatly appreciate the culture, and hopefully it will remain and continue to survive as a unique tribe Toraja.

                                                  Another beautiful view in Toraja,

Another uniqueness of Toraja is they always make beautiful and artistic in every detail, like this this is ceiling roofs.

 
In the same day, i have an opportunity to visit another cemetery this place call Kete Ketsu. In here bodies put in the crates placed in outdoor and hung on a stone. This place has hundreds of years old a lot of bones scattered everywhere. There is one thing that surprised me this is doll Tau-Tau. They look real and like they're like watching you.

                                                                     Tau-Tau

The unique about Toraja they are very respectful of the culture and still run until now. This is another forms of corpse storage. Death is highly respected here.

I was very lucky that day because I could see traditional Toraja funerals, this is called Rambu Solo. My ojeg took me to another village to see the ceremony and how shocked me see a lot of peoples, buffaloes and pigs they had brought for the offering, 

As the opening they bring a guest to brought while singing or pray with language Toraja. Then the singing group of men entered they prayers but like a singing, wearing a green t-shirt uniform then followed grandchildren and family. This ceremony aims to deliver spirits to the final resting place, everyone can celebrate Rambu Solo ceremony if they have wealth, due the cost of the ceremony it self is not cheap, could reach billions rupiah.