Tana Toraja
From Wikitravel
Contents
Tana Toraja (literally "Torajaland"; [1]) is a highland region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
[edit] Cities
[edit] Other destinations
[edit] Understand
The land of the Toraja people, many notionally Christian but most in practice animist, is above all famed for their spectacular (and rather gruesome) burial rites. After a person's death, the body is kept — often for several years — while money is saved to pay for the actual funeral ceremony, known as tomate. During the festival, which may last up to a week, ritual dances and buffalo fights are held, and buffaloes and pigs are slaughtered to ferry the soul of the deceased to the afterlife (puya). The deceased is then finally buried either in a small cave, often with a tau-tau effigy placed in front, inside a hollow tree or even left exposed to the elements in a bamboo frame hanging from a cliff.
[edit] When to go
Prime funeral season is after the harvest in July to September.
[edit] Talk
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
The only airport in Tana Toraja is in Rantepao, which was closed for several years for upgrading. The airport reopened in late 2005 and Dirgantara Air Service (DAS) now operates flights twice weekly, on Mondays and Fridays, departing from Makassar at 10 AM (30 min, Rp. 250,000 one way). Note that the tiny airport can only handle turboprops and has no navigation gear, so flights are often delayed or cancelled in bad weather.
[edit] By bus
Tana Toraja is a solid 300-km, 8-hour drive up fairly bad roads from Makassar.
[edit] Get around
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[edit] Itineraries
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Organise a tour, preferably with a local guide to gain a full understanding of the unique practices. The Torajan culture is very strong and any insight into it is one not worth missing!
[edit][add listing] Eat
[edit][add listing] Drink
[edit] Stay safe
[edit] Get out
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