Unique funeral Tana Toraja, Indonesia

In Toraja society, the funeral ritual is the most important and costly. The more rich and powerful person, the funeral costs will be more expensive. In religion Aluk, only the royal family who are entitled to hold a big funeral party. Feast of the funeral of a nobleman is usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days. A place called the funeral procession rante usually prepared in a large meadow, other than as a mourner in attendance, as well as a granary, and a variety of other funeral devices made ​​by the family of the deceased. Flute music, chants, songs and poems, weeping and wailing is an expression of grief by the Toraja but all that does not apply to funerals of children, the poor and lower class people.

cliff tombs TanaToraja

tombs in TanaToraja

The funeral was recently held sometime after weeks, months, even years, since the death in question, in order for the families left behind to gather enough money to cover funeral expenses. Toraja believe that death is not something that comes with a sudden but a gradual process toward Puya (the spirit world, or the afterlife). In this waiting period, the body is wrapped with a few strands of cloth and kept under tongkonan. Spirits of the dead believed to remain in the village until the funeral ceremony is completed, after which the soul would travel to Puya.. Another part of the cemetery is the slaying of the buffalo. The more powerful a person, the more buffalo are slaughtered. Slaughtering is done by using the knife. Buffalo carcass, including the head, aligned on the field, waiting for their owners, which are in the "time asleep". Toraja people believe that the spirits need the buffalo to make his way and will be faster until at Puya if there is a lot of buffalo. Slaughter tens of buffaloes and pigs are the tops of hundreds of obsequies that accompanied music and dance of the young men who catch the blood that spurt with a long bamboo. Some of the meat is given to guests and registered because it will be treated as debt on the deceased family.
There are three ways funeral: The coffin can be stored in a cave, or in a carved stone grave, or hung on a cliff. The rich are sometimes buried in tombs carved stone. The tomb is usually costly and time making approximately a few months. In some areas, a stone cave used to save the body of the entire family. Wood sculpture called tau tau ​​is usually placed in the cave and facing outward. Coffin of a baby or child with a rope hanging on the cliff side. Rope usually last for a year before making his casket rot and fall.


 http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suku_Toraja