July 6 - 8, 2012 Manado - Makassar – Tana Toraja

We left Bunaken Island around 10 am using the Village’s transportation to the airport (a short boat ride across to the main land and then taxi directly to the airport). We had a little over 4 hours in the airport but having learned our lesson in Denpasar airport we knew to go in and look for a lounge you could use for a daily rate. We found one for $6 apiece and happily used the wireless internet once we fixed it  (the lounge staff did not seem either interested or capable of getting it working for us). Flight to Makassar was 90 minutes on Garuda Air. We were happy to collect our luggage and be met by the guide and driver that were to take us to Tana Toraja in the morning. 

We checked into Hotel Santika, which was reasonable.  It was raining but we decided to take a taxi to MTC center to see if we would get our small Canon digital camera fixed as it had stopped working in Bunaken.  We were not able to get the camera on-off button repaired, so we bought another small Canon camera for $120 and then we to the grocery store in the bottom of the building and bought some snacks and water for the car ride the next day.  Getting home was interesting – because of the rain all the taxis were taken. David thought we could get a blue bemo to take us to the hotel if we just showed him the hotel address and 20,000 rupiahs ($2 – price of our cab ride to MTC). We finally found a bemo driver that motioned for us to get in… other passengers boarded and the word Santika is being said a lot… after a very short minute the driver stopped and motioned us to get out.  A young lady said we were to cross the street and find another bemo…in the rain. We wished we had brought our flash light and an umbrella.  We managed to cross the busy street and find a becak (bicycle taxi) who knew where the hotel was.  He rode us there without any lights on the bicycle going the wrong way down a one way street, which is permissible for bicycle taxis but not bigger vehicles.  Needless to say, we were very happy to get back to the hotel with our new camera ready for the morrow. We were too tired for dinner so we just had apple and peanut butter that we had bought at the supermarket,  plus a protein drink we had carried with us.

Buginese fishing boat with large nets

We left Makassar the next morning at 8 am for the 8 hour drive to Tana Toraja which was only 350 kilometers away.  The first four hours the road was a double lane high way going through the Buginese ethic group area. There are 3 ethnic groups in Southern Sulewasi, (Makassarese, Buginese, and Toraja) The Buginese, 66% of the population and the Makassarese , 25% of the population are historically sea fares and traders and hence have become Moslem, while the Toraja  are more isolated inland agriculturalists and in the 20^th Century were converted by missionaries to Christianity (50% catholic and 50% protestant).  Our drive along the cost passed by the buginese houses and also their distinctive fishing boats.  After a seafood lunch at Pare Pare we then had another 4 hours along very narrow, windy roads up into the mountains.  I was thankful to have on my motion sickness patch and also ginger to munch on.

On arrival we had a few minutes of discussion between us, the guide that had accompanied us to Rantepao, the largest town in the Tana Toraja area, and the guide that we had been recommended and with whom David had worked out our arrangements and pricing.  It looked like it was going to be a “bait and switch,” but as we had not paid anything yet, and we pointed out to Johan that he had been personally recommended and we had worked directly with him and were not expecting any other guide in the Tana Toraja area but him.  We did manage to get this resolved and we went for dinner to Marte’s Café which was just down the road.  Several guides were there playing a guitar and singing along with Torajan songs, and they also sang John Denver’s “ Country Road”, “Hotel California” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” as they were looking for participation from the only other people there –us…David sang “Twas only an old Beer Bottle” for them. 

Detail of fern motif  (both sides of buffalo) and buffalo motif (bottom)

 Sunday we were up and out the door by 9 am to first drop some laundry and then head south to Lemo. The roads here are paved single roads though valleys and small hills with beautiful verdant green rice fields, buffalos grazing around the fields or by the roads, and the soaring “tongkonan” (family meeting houses) and rice barns. The colors used on these buildings are red (Life), white (purity), black (mourning) and ochre/yellow (prosperity and nobility). There are different motifs, taken from nature, painted on the tongkonan’s and the rice barns.  As there is a caste system among the Toraja, some motifs can only be used by noble castes, and additionally only the noble caste can have ”Tau Tau” (wooden effigies of the dead).

Lemo graves and effigies in the cliffs with coffin carriers in front

David with effigies

At Lemo,  we were able to see the graves sites high up on a cliff (they use a bamboo ladder to climb up to the dugout grave area and place the body in it) in the most beautiful setting above the rice fields.  On different cliffside “balconies” there are Tau Taus (effigies carved and painted to look like the dead person).  At the foot of the cliff are the coffin carriers that were used to bring the deceased to their burial place.  These beautifully decorated carriers are used just once and then left to decorate, then rot away.  We walked through the rice fields learning about some of the local plants and foods that the locals were harvesting or processing.  There was also a Tau Tau maker from whom we bought some small wood dolls.

Lemo graves from below

Kambria baby graves

We then drove to see one of the Kambria baby graves just south of Sangalla. Here we saw where children who died before having teeth were buried in a hollow tree. It was believed that by burying them standing up in a tarra tree, which has a white sap symbolic of mother’s milk, they can be nurtured by the tree. A hole is made in the tree and then the hole is covered with woven palm fiber. It was believed that the baby benefits from the tree.  At the time they would have been age of 16, another ceremony is held so that baby’s spirit can now leave the tree for heaven. However, this burial method was abandoned by the Toraja people after the 1900s with the invasion by the Dutch and missionaries influence against it.

We then moved on to even older graves in a cave at Tampangallo which date from the 16^th century and belong to the chiefs of Sangalla. Here we had a cave with the sarcophagi placed on wooden beams across the cave with balconies of effigies watching over them and the bleached bones exposed from the rotted wood.  A little unnerving to see people have left cigarette offerings, but interesting.  We walked through a paddy field to get to the cave’s entrance and came out at a higher up point next to two modern mausoleums for family graves. Graves are always placed on family land in a place to keep the family  together.

Tampangallo cave with coffins and effigies

Lunch was at Panorama Resto in a beautiful area overlooking rice fields.  We had a very tasty Torajan meal which included chicken cooked in a piece of bamboo (had lemon grass and ginger as two of the spices),  and braised pork blackened by a special spice found only in Toraja.

Visiting under the rice barn

We then drove through the lovely countryside in our car, which should have been 4WD for this section, with the tongkonans and rice barns dotting the landscape of forest and rice paddies. One thing that amazed us was the number of churches – it seems that every village has a church.  This morning we even heard the church bells ringing reminding everyone it was Sunday. The easy way to distinguish the denominations of the church is that the Protestant churches have a rooster on the steeple and the Catholics a cross.

According to the animist Toraja belief Aluk To Dolo ("the way of the ancestors") the deceased rides into puya, the "life hereafter" on the back of a water buffalo slaughtered at the funeral ceremony.  Buffalo horns are hung on the tongkonans to indicate how many buffalo have been killed there. The more buffalo horns the more prestige.  Tomorrow we are off to a high-class funeral with many buffalo to be killed.  After the slaughter the meat is distributed to the guests for them to take home and cook in their chosen manner, and is carefully allocated among all the villagers according to their relationship to the deceased and their caste, with the higher caste people getting the choice meat. We are to wear dark clothes, black being preferable, but definitely not to wear red or white.

Three Tongkonan on right and smaller rice barns on left

Where we went in Tana Toraja on July 9th

Toraja, if you haven't already noticed is quite morbid as the focus is on graves and funerals.  Also it is about slaughtering animals and food distribution so if neither of these are of interest to you. Do not read the next post.

Bunches of Salak for sale

We have enjoyed 2 new fruits in Indonesia – the tamarillo and salak. When we arrived at the Luta Resort Toraja we were give tamarillo juice to drink. Salak is also known as snake fruit because of its brown scaly skin.  The inside fruit can be divided into 3 lobes with each lobe having a large pit. It reminded us of jack fruit.

Everyone loves to see their picture