Tana Toraja Death Ceremony By : Olivia, Shafira, Rayhan, Jacques, Jordian / 5C

What Toraja Death Ceremony is ritual come from Toraja South Sulawesi, Indonesia. This ritual is important because to honor the spirit of the dead and they believe the spirit of the dead to the immortality. Torajans believe that the deceased will need the buffalos to make the journey and that they will be quicker to arrive at Puya if they have many buffalos. Slaughtering tens of water buffalo and hundred of pigs using a machete is the climax of the elaborate death feast. Can u explain in simpler sentence?????

Where It comes from Toraja, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The word Toraja comes from the Bugis language toriaja, meaning "people of the uplands". Indonesia has the most islands around the world. It has more than 17,000 islands. Toraja is one of the islands.

When Toraja Death Ceremony are held only after the last harvest, which is normally around July to September.

Symbolic Items The symbolic items in the Toraja funeral ceremony are: buffalo tomb that usually mean the man that has died, pig tomb is for the ladies, the grave house use Christian carving when they bring the grave house they cannot make it fall because when they make it fall the soul will be send to the underworld. The animal used to be sacrifice if it is a pig it symbols that the one who were dead is not too rich if black buffalo the dead people is rich then if it is white buffalo the soul is very rich the sacrifice. dance that the people perform is to respect and to honor the people that come to the ceremony and also to the dead people and not just that but it also mean to make the afterlife is more better. The Torajan people believe that the dead people must be buried between the heaven and the earth in the high limestone cliff there are tombs carved with solid rock and they believe it is guarded by effigies called Tau-Tau. They put the tombs in the cliff because they belief that can make the people afterlife can be wealthy.

Symbolic Pictures

Why Toraja people consider that the soul is the most important nation and their religion is also connected to one of the most spectacular burial rituals in the world, aimed to save the soul of the deceased, easing its way to the other world, that of the gods and spirits of the ancestors. Toraja myths say that Rante-Kombola is the place the first people descended from on a stone ladder. Soon, the gods broke it, and the rocks of Bamba Puang are just remains of the sky ladder.

Who The Toraja people do this ritual. They do this to follow their ancestors.

How 1st steps: The boys/mans make a circle and sing a monotous chant throughout the night to honor the ritual. 2nd step: The Ma'randing warrior dance is performed to praise the courage of the deceased during life, Several men perform the dance with a sword, a large shield made from buffalo skin, a helmet with a buffalo horn. 3rd step: elder women perform the Ma'katiadance while singing a poetic song and wearing a long feathered costume. The Ma'akatia dance is performed to remind the audience of the generosity and loyalty of the deceased person. After the bloody ceremony of buffalo and pig slaughter, a group of boys and girls clap their hands while performing a cheerful dance called Ma'dondan.

Beliefs and Values They believe that the death of the people in Tana Toraja is not a sudden, it’s an abrupt event but there is a gradual process toward after it that called Puya (Puya are the land of souls or afterlife). Some also had some differences because the Toraja Funeral is separate in many regions and many difference beliefs. Every soul that was already dead will decrease the village until the ceremony was end of the funeral ceremony. The dead people had a trip after the dead, they will go to the south but they need preparation to go there as we need to gave food, money and others that we will needed for a long trip. If the people who are dead do this, they belief that the people will get their eternity. This ceremony will not end until the souls will send or released to the haven, the buffalo and wild pigs will be sacrificed for the gift for the people who are dead for the journey to the south.

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