Culture Toraja : Indonesia Original Unique and Interesting - South Sulawesi

Culture Toraja, Indonesia Original Unique and Interesting
Toraja tribe is a tribe that settled in the mountainous northern part of South Sulawesi, Indonesia
The word is derived from the Bugis language Toraja, to Riaja, which means "one who dwells in the country over". The Dutch colonial government named this Toraja tribe in 1909.

trust
As already explained in the beginning was the moment the majority of Toraja tribe embraced Christianity, with the majority Muslim and animist beliefs known as Aluk Dolo Indonesian government recognized Sebai part of Hindu Dharma. Initially before the century - 20 Toraja still embraced animism. However the Dutch colonial time of entry in the 1900's through the Dutch colonial missionaries introduced Christianity to this Toraja tribe and eventually up to now the Toraja tribe's majority religion. Want to know more clearly about this belief system? Okay I explain, hahaha

Toraja traditional belief system is polytheistic animism called aluk, or "street" (sometimes translated as "law"). In myth Toraja Toraja ancestors came from heaven with using a ladder which is then used by the Toraja as a way of dealing with Puang Matua, the creator god. The universe, according to aluk, divided into the world above (heaven) human world (earth), and the underworld. At first, heaven and earth to get married and produce darkness, separator, and then comes the light. Animals living in the underworld is represented by a rectangular bounded by four pillars, the earth is a place for human beings, and paradise is located at the top, covered with a gable roof berbetuk. Toraja other gods in the Banggai Pong Chain (god of the earth), Indo 'Ongon-Ongon (goddess earthquakes), Pong Lalondong (god of death), Indo' Belo tumbles (goddess of treatment), and others.

Power on earth that the words and actions must be held both in agriculture and in the lives of the funeral ceremony, referred to minaa (pastor aluk). Aluk not just a belief system, but also a combination of law, religion, and habits. Aluk regulate social life, farming practices, and religious rituals. The procedure Aluk may vary from one village to another. One common law rule that the rituals of death and life should be separated. Toraja people believe that the ritual of death will destroy the bodies if the implementation combined with the ritual life. Both are equally important ritual. When there are missionaries from the Netherlands, the Christian Toraja is not allowed to attend or perform the rituals of life, but allowed to perform the ritual of death. As a result, the ritual of death is still often done to date, but the ritual life of rare implemented.

Community In Toraja
  Familyin Toraja society has a very important position is a major political and social groups Toraja tribe. Each village is a large family. Each house had a name used as the name of the village. Families participate maintain unity village. Marriage with a distant cousin (fourth cousins and so on) is a common practice that strengthens relationships Toraja kekerabatan.Suku prohibit marriage with close cousin (up to a third cousin) except for the nobility, to prevent the spread of wealth. Ongoing kinship reciprocity, in the sense that large families help each other in agriculture, to share in the ritual buffalo, and each pay debts.
Everyone became a member of the family of his mother and father. Children, therefore, inherit a variety of things from the mother and father, including soil and even the family debt. The child's name is given on the basis of kinship, and are usually chosen based on the name of a relative who has died. Name aunts, uncles and cousins are usually called in the name of mother, father and siblings. In certain situations, when one family Toraja can not handle their own problems, some desabiasanya into groups; sometimes, and keeping the village will be united against other villages relationship between family expressed by blood, marriage, and share the ancestral home (tongkonan), is practically marked by the exchange of buffaloes and pigs in the ritual. The exchange is not only political and cultural relationships between families but also puts each person in the social hierarchy: who pours wine, who wrap the body and prepare offerings, where each person may or may not sit, what dishes should be used or avoided, and even a piece of meat that is allowed for each person.

Toraja culture still know who called the social class system, there are three levels of social classes: nobles, ordinary people, and slaves (slavery was abolished in 1909 by the Dutch government). Passed down through the mother's social class. It is not allowed to marry a woman from a lower class but allowed to marry women from the steeper grade, aims to improve the status of the next descent. Condescension of Lords against the rabble still maintained until today because of the dignity of the family.
Nobility, which is believed to be descended from heaven, lived in tongkonan, while commoners lived in a more modest home (bamboo hut banua). Slaves lived in a small hut built near tongkonan belongs to their masters. Common people may marry anyone but the nobles usually do a wedding in the family to maintain the purity of their status. Commoners and slaves are prohibited from holding a celebration of death. Although based on kinship and descent status, there are also some social movements that can affect a person's status, such as marriage or a change in the amount of wealth. Wealth is calculated based on the number of buffalo owned.
Slaves in Toraja society is a family-owned property. Sometimes people become slaves because Toraja in debt and pay it by becoming a slave. Slaves could be taken during the war, and a common slave trade. Slaves could buy their freedom, but their children still inherit the status of slaves. Slaves were not allowed to wear a bronze or gold, eat from the same plate with their masters, or sexual intercourse with a free woman. The penalty for the offense is a death sentence.


Tongkonan

Three tongkonan in Toraja village.
Tongkonan is a traditional Toraja house standing on a pile of wood and decorated with carved red, black, and yellow. The word "tongkonan" is derived from Toraja tongkon ("sit").
Tongkonan is the center of social life of the Toraja. Rituals associated with tongkonan very important in the spiritual life of the Toraja therefore all family members are required to participate because Tongkonan melambangan their relationship with their fathers. According to folklore the Toraja, the house was first built in heaven with four poles. When the ancestors of the Toraja down to earth, he imitated the house and held a large ceremony.
Tongkonan development is a tiring job and is usually done with the help of a big family. There are three types of tongkonan. Tongkonan Layuk is a supreme power, which is used as a central "government". Tongkonan pekamberan are owned by family members who have certain powers within the local tradition while ordinary family members living in the stone tongkonan. Exclusivity nobility on tongkonan diminishing as the number of ordinary people who are looking for gainful employment in other parts of Indonesia. After gaining enough money, ordinary people were able to build a large tongkonan
wood carving


Toraja language is only spoken and does not have a writing system. To demonstrate the religious and social kosep, the Toraja wood carving and call Pa'ssura (or "posts"). Therefore, wood carving embodies Toraja culture.
Each carving has a special name. Motive usually are animals and plants that symbolizes virtue, for example, water plants such as water weeds and animals such as crabs and tadpoles which symbolizes fertility. The left image shows an example of Toraja wood carving, consisting of 15 square panels. Bottom center panel symbolizes buffalo or wealth, as the expectation that a family gained a lot of buffalo. Knot symbolizes the middle panel and box, an expectation that all the descendants of the family will be happy and live in peace, as the goods are stored in a box. Box top left and top right symbolizes aquatic animals, indicating the need to move quickly and work hard, like an animal that moves on the water surface. It It also indicates the need for specific expertise to produce good results.
Regularity and order is a common feature in Toraja wood carving (see the design table below), in addition to the wood carving Toraja also abstract and geometric. Nature is often used as the basis of ornaments Toraja, because nature is full of abstraction and regular geometry. Ornaments Toraja studied in ethnomatematika with the aim of uncovering the structure of mathematics although the Toraja make this engraving is only based on their own estimates. Toraja using bamboo to create geometric oranamen.

funeral
Toraja burial place carved.
In a society Toraja funeral is a ritual of the most important and costly. The more rich and powerful person, the cost of the funeral will be more expensive. In religion aluk, only noble families who are entitled to hold a large funeral party. Funeral party nobleman usually attended by thousands of people and lasted for several days. A funeral procession place called Rante usually prepared in a vast meadow, as well as the mourners in attendance, as well as a granary, and various other funeral devices made by the families left behind. Flute music, singing, song and poetry, weeping and wailing is an expression of grief performed by the Toraja but all it does not apply to the funeral of the children, the poor, and the lower class.
The funeral ceremony recently held sometime after weeks, months, even years since death is concerned, with the aim that the surviving family members can collect enough money to cover funeral expenses. Toraja people believe that death is not something that comes with sudden but it is a gradual process toward Puya (the spirit world, or the afterlife). In the waiting period, the body is wrapped with several pieces of cloth and kept under tongkonan. The spirits of the dead are believed to remain in the village until the funeral is completed, after which the spirits will travel to Puya.

A tomb.

 
Another part of the cemetery is the slaughter of the buffalo. The more powerful a person, the more buffalo were slaughtered. Slaughter carried out by using a machete. Buffalo carcass, including the head, lined up on the field, waiting for the owner, who was in "sleeping period". Toraja people believe that spirits need buffalo to make their way and will be faster until at Puya if there are a lot of buffalo. Buffalo slaughter tens and hundreds of pigs is the culmination of the funeral ceremony and dance music blaring young men who catch the blood that spurted with long bamboo. Most of the meat is given to the guests and note because it would be considered a debt to the family of the deceased.
There are three ways funeral: Coffins can be stored in a cave, or in tombs carved stone, or hung on a cliff. Rich people sometimes buried in tombs carved stone. The tomb is usually expensive and time of manufacture about a few months. In some areas, rock caves used to save the bodies of all the family members. Wood sculpture called tau tau is usually placed in the cave and facing outward. The coffin babies or children hanged with a rope on the side of a cliff. The rope is usually survive for a year before making his casket rot and fall.
Music and Dance
Toraja perform dances in several events, most of the burial ceremony. They danced to show grief, and to honor the spirits of the deceased as well as encourage the spirits will undergo a long journey to the afterlife. First of all, a group of men in a circle and sing all night in honor of the deceased (terseebut ritual called Ma'badong). The ritual is regarded as the most important component in the funeral ceremony. On the second day of the funeral, dance Ma'randing soldier shown to praise the courage of the deceased during his lifetime. Some men do the dance with swords, prisai of buffalo leather, buffalo horn helmet, and various other ornaments. Ma'randing dance procession started when the bodies were brought from granary to the Rante, where funeral. During the ceremony, the women do Ma'katia dance while singing and wearing a feathered dress costume. Ma'akatia dance aims to remind the audience on the generosity and loyalty of the deceased. After the slaughter of the buffalo and pigs, a group of boys and girls clap cheerful while doing a dance called Ma'dondan.

Manganda dance 'is displayed on Ma'Bua ritual'.

 
As in other agricultural societies, the Toraja singing and dancing during the harvest season. Ma'bugi dance performed to celebrate Thanksgiving and dance Ma'gandangi displayed when the Toraja are pounding rice There are several war dances, for example Manimbong dance performed by men and then followed by a dance Ma'dandan by women. Religion Aluk regulate when and how the Toraja dancing. A dance called Ma'bua only be done 12 years. Ma'bua ceremony Toraja is important when religious leaders wearing buffalo head and danced around the sacred tree.
Toraja traditional musical instrument is a bamboo flute called Pa'suling. This six hollow flute played on many dances, such as the dance Ma'bondensan, when the instrument is played with a group of men who dance with no shirt and a long-nailed fingers. Toraja tribe also has other musical instruments, for example Pa'pelle made from palm leaves and played at harvest time and when the opening ceremony of the house.
language
Toraja language is the dominant language in Tana Toraja, with Sa'dan Toraja as the main language dialects. Indonesian as the national language is the official language and is used by the public, but also the Toraja language is taught in all primary schools in Tana Toraja.
Variety language in Toraja include Kalumpang, Mamasa, Tae ', Talondo', Toala ', and Toraja-Sa'dan, and included in the Malayo-Polynesian of Austronesian languages. At first, the geographical nature of Tana Toraja isolated form the many dialects in Toraja language itself. After the official government in Tana Toraja, some dialects Toraja be influenced by other languages through the process of transmigration, which was introduced since the colonial period. It is a major cause of diversity in language Toraja.