The tribe that keeps their dead relatives at home | Toraja Tribe | Indonesia | Science Explorist
The tribe that keeps their dead relatives at home | Toraja Tribe | Indonesia | Science Explorist Indonesia's Toraja people keep their dead relatives in their homes, treating them as if they were alive until they can be given expensive, elaborate funerals. While death is typically treated with a joyless outlook in Western culture, the complete opposite is true for Indonesia's Toraja people. For them, death is not something to dread and avoid, but a central part of living that involves honoring the deceased with the utmost care to aid their passage into the afterlife. Funerals are major celebrations that take years of preparation. In the meantime, the dead bodies remain in their family homes. Their loved ones change their clothes, give them food and water daily, and swat the flies off their rotting skin. Let's take a closer look at this fascinating ritual. The Toraja people number in the hundreds of thousands, and are indigenous to the South Sulawesi region of Indonesia, at the geographical center of the country's sprawling archipelago. The area is mountainous and tropical, experiencing high temperatures and heavy rainfall nearly every day. Torajans had little contact with the outside world until the Dutch started occupying their territory in 1906. While most of the modern-day Toraja people are of Christian faith and some are Muslim, animism — a belief that non-human entities, such as animals, plants, and even inanimate objects possess a spiritual essence — is still very much a part of their culture. More importantly, Torajans hold onto the belief that their earliest ancestors were heavenly beings who descended to Earth using a divine stairway. Most Torajans live in small villages connected only by dirt roads in the Sulawesi highlands. The villages are known for their distinct houses known as tongkonan. The buildings sit high on stilts with sweeping saddleback roofs and ornate carvings. These houses function as the meeting point for nearly all aspects of Torajan life, which is highlighted by the importance of family connections. From governmental affairs to weddings and religious ceremonies, the tongkonan is the focal point of tradition in Toraja culture. What truly sets Torajans apart, however, is their unique treatment of the dead. Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.
The tribe that keeps their dead relatives at home | Toraja Tribe | Indonesia | Science Explorist Indonesia's Toraja people keep their dead relatives in their homes, treating them as if they were alive until they can be given expensive, elaborate funerals. While death is typically treated with a joyless outlook in Western culture, the complete opposite is true for Indonesia's Toraja people. For them, death is not something to dread and avoid, but a central part of living that involves honoring the deceased with the utmost care to aid their passage into the afterlife. Funerals are major celebrations that take years of preparation. In the meantime, the dead bodies remain in their family homes. Their loved ones change their clothes, give them food and water daily, and swat the flies off their rotting skin. Let's take a closer look at this fascinating ritual. The Toraja people number in the hundreds of thousands, and are indigenous to the South Sulawesi region of Indonesia, at the geographical center of the country's sprawling archipelago. The area is mountainous and tropical, experiencing high temperatures and heavy rainfall nearly every day. Torajans had little contact with the outside world until the Dutch started occupying their territory in 1906. While most of the modern-day Toraja people are of Christian faith and some are Muslim, animism — a belief that non-human entities, such as animals, plants, and even inanimate objects possess a spiritual essence — is still very much a part of their culture. More importantly, Torajans hold onto the belief that their earliest ancestors were heavenly beings who descended to Earth using a divine stairway. Most Torajans live in small villages connected only by dirt roads in the Sulawesi highlands. The villages are known for their distinct houses known as tongkonan. The buildings sit high on stilts with sweeping saddleback roofs and ornate carvings. These houses function as the meeting point for nearly all aspects of Torajan life, which is highlighted by the importance of family connections. From governmental affairs to weddings and religious ceremonies, the tongkonan is the focal point of tradition in Toraja culture. What truly sets Torajans apart, however, is their unique treatment of the dead. Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.