Reflections of Joanne

FUNERAL

Torajan funerals are misnamed: 'funeral', at least in English, is a word that conjures up images of black-clad mourners, weeping by a graveside on a cold winter's day, the priest's mournful words forming frostily in the air. In Tana Toraja they wear black, but that's where the mourning ends: the second funeral is a celebration of the person's life, of him or her making the step into the next world, where those left on earth make sure they send all the help they can to the person's spirit.

The theory goes something like this. When a Torajan dies, the spirit journeys to a netherworld. Here it is judged, and one of the ways it is judged is on how successful it was in its previous life, and this is influenced by looking at the number of animal spirits that have been sent along with the person... in other words, the larger the number of animals that get slaughtered at the funeral, the better the spirit's chance of getting to the Torajan version of heaven. And of course the best animal to get sent along for your journey to the netherworld is the water buffalo, the most expensive animal around. Is it any wonder that throwing a funeral can, literally, bankrupt a family? Still, it's a h*ll of a way to blow the family fortune.

We were welcomed like long lost family members when we finally arrived at the village, having traipsed through paddy fields and some stunning mountain views. Arabiaca coffee was offered - without a doubt the best coffee L. had in Indonesia (too bad I don't take coffee, but the aroma is simply irresistible!) - and kreteks were passed around, for this is the way of the party. Guests are expected to bring presents, whether it's water buffalo, pigs, food or cigarettes, and our gift of a large box of Gudang Garam kreteks went down a treat. And if we were concerned about breaching etiquette with our cameras, we needn't have been: within two minutes of our arrival, the locals had whipped out their own cameras to snap the two Asians and one white people who had come to pay their respects to the deceased.


just experience \| just sights \| just blah \| just write all photos, travelogues and journals are made available for non-commercial use only. © 2000 JSL
*INDONESIA, JOURNEY UNTOLD*
Tana Toraja \| Funeral \| With Water buffaloes and pigs \| The Ritual \| The Celebration \| The Aftermath
	FUNERAL Torajan funerals are misnamed: 'funeral', at least in English, is a word that conjures up images of black-clad mourners, weeping by a graveside on a cold winter's day, the priest's mournful words forming frostily in the air. In Tana Toraja they wear black, but that's where the mourning ends: the second funeral is a celebration of the person's life, of him or her making the step into the next world, where those left on earth make sure they send all the help they can to the person's spirit. The theory goes something like this. When a Torajan dies, the spirit journeys to a netherworld. Here it is judged, and one of the ways it is judged is on how successful it was in its previous life, and this is influenced by looking at the number of animal spirits that have been sent along with the person... in other words, the larger the number of animals that get slaughtered at the funeral, the better the spirit's chance of getting to the Torajan version of heaven. And of course the best animal to get sent along for your journey to the netherworld is the water buffalo, the most expensive animal around. Is it any wonder that throwing a funeral can, literally, bankrupt a family? Still, it's a h*ll of a way to blow the family fortune. We were welcomed like long lost family members when we finally arrived at the village, having traipsed through paddy fields and some stunning mountain views. Arabiaca coffee was offered - without a doubt the best coffee L. had in Indonesia (too bad I don't take coffee, but the aroma is simply irresistible!) - and kreteks were passed around, for this is the way of the party. Guests are expected to bring presents, whether it's water buffalo, pigs, food or cigarettes, and our gift of a large box of Gudang Garam kreteks went down a treat. And if we were concerned about breaching etiquette with our cameras, we needn't have been: within two minutes of our arrival, the locals had whipped out their own cameras to snap the two Asians and one white people who had come to pay their respects to the deceased.