Rabu, 13 November 2013
Toraja
is a region located in South Sulawesi. There are many local and foreign
tourists, such as Canadians, Australians and many more, who come to Toraja
because Toraja has unique culture. One of their cultures is Rambu Solo’. Rambu
Solo’ is a big funeral party which is held to show the family’s respect to the
person who passed away. This funeral is unique because the party sometimes
spends very much money. The party held from three days until one week, and it
depends on the social status of the person who passed away. The higher the
social status of a person then the longer the party held.
Torajan
think that Rambu Solo’ must hold a big party because that is the last party for
the person who passed away. This party is expensive because the family must sacrifice
many buffaloes and pigs. A buffalo’s price is about seventy to two hundred
million rupiah and a pig’s price is about one to five million. In Toraja,
buffalo and pig are sacred animals so that is why they are so expensive. And
Torajans think the sacrificial animals will be the vehicle for the die person
to go to the ‘puya’. For Torajans, ‘puya’ is a place for the people who have
passed away. This belief makes Toraja look unique than the other place because
Torajan still think primitively, even they live in the modern era.
Many
families in Toraja do not have a lot of money to hold a funeral party. If the dead
person’s family doesn’t have enough money, the dead person will be kept in the
house until the family has enough money. Sometimes the dead person is kept for
years. But the dead person is not smelly because Torajan have their own herb to
preserve the dead person. If the funeral party is not yet held then the person
who died is considered as a sick person. So the family has to give food, drink,
and cigarette if the dead person is smoker. It is unique because there is no
other place that does the ritual like Torajan did.
During
the ceremony, the family will accept many guests. They come to honor the dead
person. The guests will be treated in a place that the family has provided
which is called ‘lantang karampoan’. ‘Lantang’ means place and ‘karampoan’
means arrivals. And the dead person is placed in a ‘lakkean’. ‘Lakkean’ is the
highest place in the funeral party. It is higher than his house and ‘lantang
karampoan’. It means that the dead person has to be respected by the family and
also the guests. A ‘lakkean’ is a temporary place for deceased person while the
party is held.
The
guests will come in a big group. It will take a really long time if they come
one by one because the guests who come are not just from the family relatives
but people from the other village, also even if they don’t know the dead
person. A sense of brotherhood between Torajan is still very close. The
foreigners (people from outside Toraja) think that Toraja is very unique
because in their place if they want to go to a funeral, at least they know the
dead person. Each group of guests will be served with Toraja traditional food,
which is called deppa tori’(traditional snack from Toraja and made from rice
flour, ginger and palm sugar), and also tea and coffee by the family in ‘lantang
karampoan’. The family slaughters and then cooks the sacrificial animal for the
group of guests for their consumption.
Ma’
badong is one of the rituals in Rambu Solo’. Rambu Solo’ is also known as the
dance of sorrow. The men make a circle and hold hand while they are singing.
They sing the requiem. From the song they are showing their grief. If they are
holding hands, Torajan think that they are one in sadness.
The
family also carries out the ritual fighting the buffaloes. The buffaloes are
pitted one on one in a field or rice field. This ritual makes the party more
crowded because a lot of people come to see competition. And in the end of the
party before the dead person is buried, he will be paraded around the village.
This ritual is called Ma’ Pasonglo’. The purpose of ma’ pasonglo’ is to make
the dead person be happy for the last time in the world. So in ma’ pasonglo’
there is no tear and everybody have to be happy then the dead person will be
happy too.
The
last ritual is burying. This ritual is called ma’ palao. The dead person is
brought from the ‘lakkean’ to his tomb. All the families and also the dead
person’s relatives are involved to dropping off the dead person. That is to
show their respect to the dead person.
In
conclusion, Rambu Solo’ is held as the family’s respect to the dead person. It
is also as the family’s reward for what the dead person have done when he was
still alive. This funeral party becomes a hallmark of the Torajan and makes
Toraja is a unique tribe.
