Foot Note: Tana Toraja (Rante Pao)

Thank you, my Lord...for you allowed me to enjoy your magnificient works in Tana Toraja. So beautiful! I don't have enough words to describe the beauty of Tana Toraja nature (Rante Pao). I'd like to borrow my friend's statement: don't die before visit Tana Toraja....extremely georgeus!

It was one of my wild adventures. Another trip to accomplish one of my wildest dreams. Thank you, Lord for I could do it. I actually dreamt about it since long time ago, but finally I could make this dream came true on "Lovely December in Toraja" event. This event is annually held in December. The major event is usually held nearly Christmas eve.

I went to Tana Toraja from Makassar by Litha Bus (Urip Sumoharjo KM 7, Phone. 0411-442263) on 29 November 2010 on 21.30 Wita (Waktu Indonesia Tengah = Middle Indonesian Time Teritory). I intensionly chose night trip for time efficienty (read: sleeping during the trip). The suspension bus which I took was really comfortable: AC, reclining seat, and thick blanket for the whole 30 passengers. Equal to 100,000 rupiah charged. Unfortunately suspension bus only available for night trip. For those who choose morning - afternoon trip there's only regular bus which costs 80,000 rupiah/person.

Sun was peaking behind the mountains, fog was still covering the top....really irresistable view. I glimpsed on my watch, it's already 5 am. It's really chill for me, I drag my blanked up to my neck. The imagination of hot curray noodle and hot tea gave warm feeling into my body.

I stepped down in front of Wisma Maria 1 - Ratulangi Street Rante Pao (Phone. 0423 - 21165). This guest house is a modified house. Trully homy, clean, neat, and the most important is cheap (only 90,000 rupiah / 2 persons, or only 60,000 rupiah/night for single person and include breakfast). When I checked in, I took Toraja's map and unexpectedly found a notification of car rental+driver to visit many sites in Rante Pao. It's very cheap, only 300,000 rupiah/day (including driver and fuel). Directly I contacted the number written on the flier and asked him to pick me up at the hotel.

On 8 am sharp the driver arrived at the hotel. I decided to explore south part of Rante Pao which mostly are historical and culture sites. Most of North Rante Pao are nature/view sites.

Rambu Solo

Either it's luck or what....I watched Rambu Solo ceremonial, complete with buffalos sacrifation. Indeed it's a cruel thing to see in very early in the morning but I didn't think I would have the same moment in the future so I strengthen my heart to watch the whole thing. I felt sorry for those buffalos...with their eyes full of suffer and their short breath struggled for their lives. Oh my God, I really couldn't erase it from my memory.

Ancient Toraja tribe believe that every ritual (aluk) made in couple, c.q. Rambu Solo (burital ceremony) is West Aluk while Rambu Tuka (birth ceremony) is East Aluk. It's like sun rises from east and rests on west. So it's the same like Rambu Tuka ceremony held in the morning on east - north part of the house and Rambu Solo held in the afternoon on west - south part of the house.

Ke'te Kesu

Ke'te Kesu was the first spot I visited. It's a culture village on the mountain and surrounded by paddy field. I suer, the view in here is so extremely beautiful! I took so many shoots in the sites, covering tongkonan houses.

From there, I stepped to the back side of the village. There's Toraja's tribe grave yard. If more than 30 buffalos were sacrificed in Rambu Solo ceremony, then a grave made like Tongkonan House made. There are some like that complete with wodden statues (the replica of buried dead person).


Beside "house" tombs, there're also coffins buried inside rocky cliffs (more higher the hole is more higher the position of the dead). There're various kinds of coffins. Most of them were rotten because they're already hundred of years. Thus, I could see human skeletons and their favorite things inside. Undoubtable, cigarettes are male's favorite. It could be seen from lots of cigarettes inside male coffins.

If a man died, his coffin's carved as a buffalo

If a woman died, her coffin carved like a boar

If an unmarried person died, his coffin carved like a boat

Wooden statues representated dead people. They're placed in a locked hole to avoid theft


By the time I left Ke'te Kesu, I found something interesting on the left side of the path. I saw a man making a coffin

Lemo

In Lemo there are Toraja tribe's tombs made on rocky mountain. The view from here made me speechless. Blue mountain covered by white cloud and rice fields beneath the mountain. Really worth to see.

Kambira


Kambira is baby grave (only purposed for max 3 months old baby - has no teeth). Different from most Toraja tribe's graves, dead babies were burried inside living Tara's tree. This Tara tree grows in the centre of bamboo trees.

For those who are interested in visiting this place, please don't forget to apply insect repealent for many mosquitos in this place.

Swaya

These grave yard was only for Puang Tambora Langi's empire clan (Sanggala's king).

It was really obvious that recently Rambu Solo ceremony held as there was blood all over the grass.

I was lucky because by the time of my coming, one of king family was about to buried. By one of the eldest's permision, I climbed bamboo ladders. It was 15 meters high. I wanted to see the hole. I was really curious. The hole was a meter deep and 1,5 meter high. I could imagine how difficult it was to carry a dead body inside that hole.

I climbed these bamboo ladders to see the tombs in Swaya

"Wow, you're so brave...we don't even have the guts to climb there," said some people over there. I was affraid that I broke their customs, but according to the eldest I didn't break any custom. It was forbidden to keep the hole opened while there was no dead body entered.

Tampang Allo

From Swaya I walked through a pave path, 300 meters long. This path leaded me to Tampang Allo (Puang Menturio's clan grave yard). The path was cleaved wide paddy fields in front of blue mountains, it was really breathtaking view.

Once my friend and I were deceived to walking to the end of the path, fortunatelly Mr.Ussup (driver) pointed us to the right direction (steped down from a small bridge, walked through paddy field on the left side of the path). I was confused as the view in here wasn't as good as the previous one, but after I turned my head I saw another tiny bridge made from tree branches on my right. This tiny bridge leaded me to a big cave. A grave yard inside a cave. The air there was very humid but cool.

Londa

Another grave yard....but the difference was I had to steped in 2 narrow and dark caves. To explore this grave yard, I was accompanied by a guide who carried a lamp. Actually, these two caves were connected. There was a very narrow hole, so if one would like to go to the other cave, he had to crawl but I didn't want to crawl for my angkle was bruising. I decided to enter those two caves from each front.

In this cave there were "Romeo - Juliet" skeletons. They were very famous in Rante Pao for their forbiden love (they're still cousins), so they committed suicided by hung themselves.

Marante


A little sneak peak to north side of Rante Pao, the driver took us to Marante. In here graves (= wooden statues) were not made inside the holes but on the cliff and caves. This rocky mountain was close to an elementary school.

In the school yard there was a albino buffalo. I wonder how could an expensive thing left without any guard. For your information, the cheapest albino buffalo is IDR 300.000.000! This kind of buffalo was sacrificed only for the empire.

Note:
Average entry tickets are IDR 5000