Toraja Tour Guide: A Story Behind the Rock Cliff Cemetery
Toraja Tour Guide for Refreshing Unforgettable Trip
Despite the famous underwater National Park, not many know that Sulawesi, an Indonesian island in the east of Borneo, has an exotic culture of megalithic.
As a regency of South Sulawesi Province, Toraja is mainly known for a sacred ambiance especially due to its unique conduct of a traditional funeral ceremony for the honorable ancestors.
Beside, the high culture of Torajan is symbolised through the traditional house of Tongkonan. Tongkonan tells everything about Torajan from social status to the meaning of life, everything is engraved there.
Toraja Tour Guide will show us the deep meaning of its culture and beliefs. The first thing people will love from Toraja is the environment. People will love the way it’s cold breeze offers a natural refreshment.
People who are always busy with their hectic life and traffic jams will find a true meaning of life in the relaxing atmosphere at the place. The nature view with mountains, hills, and green forest make Toraja one of the most beautiful places all over Sulawesi. People can reach several traditional villages while enjoying the green view along the way.
Indeed, the highlight of the journey is the traditional villages and houses. However, people can also get pleasure in the beauty of its well-conserved natural beauty. The trees, fields, and forest are three things that can open this majestic adventure.
People will arrive at the comfortable hotels before continuing their travel to visit some pretty villages with amazing cultural richness. The Toraja Tour Guide will help people to reveal the stories behind the color choices and every single detail on the Tongkonan, the traditional house.
Tana Toraja Guide: Why Torajans do not Bury Their Dead in the Ground?
There is a unique and specific reason why Torajan did not bury the dead in the land. The Torajans are people who are strict in keeping their culture and life values.
Therefore, they continue to keep the culture wholeheartedly. Torajans have a deep philosophy related to their nature. They believe that the earth is the symbol of mother.
Earth provides food and crops that are necessary for their lives. Most of the locals are farmers who are grateful with the fertile soil and land. Therefore, it is natural that they want to keep the earth holy and clean.
They chose to hang coffins on the cliffs because they want to keep the sanctity of the land. Some of the holes are for storing the coffin and some others are for displaying wooden dolls to represent the ancestors who were buried at the cliff.
The traditional funeral is not a trivial case at all for the Torajans. They will prepare everything well so they can send the dead people in a proper way. Most of the time, the ceremony is long and expensive. Therefore, they will keep the dead at the special room at Tongkonan before the ceremony can be conducted.
**Also Read: Tana Toraja Tour: The History of Sacred Funeral Ceremony
Tongkonan house is that unique. It is not only a place for families to live in. Besides, the sacred house is also a place for them to conserve their tradition and life values. The craftsmen know how to build Tongkonan and maintain the philosophy that has been conserved for centuries.
For example, the design of the north-facing Tongkonan and the pointed end of the roof upwards symbolize their ancestors who came from the north. Also, the house is decorated with certain colors such as black, red, white, and yellow for deep reasons.
The locals use those colors as the symbols of life, death, and humans. The Tongkonans are also built with several rooms with specific functions. The most unique idea is that the Tongkonan does not belong to a small family but a generation.
Tongkonan not only looks impressive with the artistic with the genius concept. The house is also fabulous for its durability. This is so, because the house was made of the best materials.
Although only made of bricks and bamboo, the Tongkonans survive for centuries. All of the designs are original and the interior is stunning as well. Tongkonan is a traditional house with wooden stilts where the bottom part of the house is usually used as a farming tool storage.
The front of Tongkonan is all adorned with buffalo horns. The funeral ceremony will use the buffalo as main offerings. After that, the horns will be taken as an ornament for the front part of Tongkonan to show the family prestige.
Toraja Tour Guide Recommendation
Toraja is the land of the dead which is full of megalithic sites. We can visit the traditional village that is now more like a tourism site. Of course, the villages are equipped with souvenir shops but more than that, the Kete’ Kesu, Ne’ Gandeng, and some other villages are all worth visiting.
Besides, it will be gorgeous to visit some places that will make people feel more alive. After visiting the burial cliff of Londa, people will love to go to the Megalith complex of Kalimbuang Bori.
This place has many huge stones which are the sign of megalithic age. It will be so beautiful to see such things in this internet era. Toraja Tour Guide will make the trip more amusing since they will tell the stories and important information related to the site.
Toraja Tour with Local Guide will be more exciting since the local guide knows deeply about the history of each place. In addition, the locals are people who are involved in the daily culture. Tour guide proficiency in the local language will help you to know what strict rules in some villages and what are forbidden at some sites.
Toraja Tour Guide will also help tourists to get the best experience when visiting the tourist destinations. The unforgettable thing about being in Toraja is to be close to nature and human beings.
Furthermore it will be unique to see the sacred ceremony closer. Toraja is also rich in culinary. And to sip the Toraja coffee right at the original place will be so unforgettable. Visit the site and enjoy your trip to Toraja.
