TORAJAN PEOPLE

Presented by
 Torajan People
 The Torajans are an ethnic group indigenous
to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi,
Indonesia. Their population is approximately
1,100,000, of whom 450,000 live in the
regency of Tana Toraja ("Land of Toraja").
 Most of the population is Christian, and others
are Muslim or have local animist beliefs
known as aluk ("the way").
 The Indonesian government has recognised
this animistic belief as Aluk To Dolo ("Way of
the Ancestors").
 The word Toraja comes from the Buginese
language term to riaja, meaning "people of
the uplands".
 Torajan People
 The word Toraja comes from the Buginese
language term to riaja, meaning "people of
the uplands".
 The Dutch colonial government named the
people Toraja in 1909.
 Torajans are renowned for their elaborate
funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky
cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses
known as tongkonan, and colourful wood
carvings.
 Toraja funeral rites are important social
events, usually attended by hundreds of
people and lasting for several days.
 Torajan’s Food
 This type of food is only found in Toraja.

 1). Pa'tong or RW

- Pa'tong or RW is actually a meat-based dish.

But because the word "dog meat" is too "hard"
to agree to give him the name Pa'tong or RW
(taken from the term in the Community
Manado). This food becomes one of the
favorite menu, which may be considered the
menu "HOT" by the outside community. Not all
Torajans eat Pa'tong, one of the reasons for
disgust. Usually dog meat cooked dry with
galangal with additional spices according to
Dog Meat
taste.
 Torajan’s Food
 2). Pa'piong

- Toraja bamboo cuisine is a mandatory meal in

various ceremonies, such as death ceremony or
Rambu solo ', Rambu Tuka', Merok, and other
events. There are many types of Pa'piong
according to the main ingredients. For example,
Pa'piong Duku 'Bai (pork) as the name implies,
the main ingredient is pork. Pa'piong Bo'bo
'whose main ingredient is sticky rice. Pa'piong
bo'bo is generally made when there is a
thanksgiving ceremony done at the church.
Pa'piong duku 'Tedong, the pa'piong whose basic
ingredients are buffalo meat. Pa'piog duku 'tedong
is limited to death ritual or solo sign.
 Torajan’s Food
 3). Dangkot
- Dangkot is a sauceless dish
based on duck meat or sometimes
chicken meat. Dangkot has a spicy
taste, which comes from galangal.
Dangkot many found in food stalls
in Toraja and other areas.

Duck Meat
 Torajan’s Food
 4). Pantollo 'Pamarrasan
- Pantollo 'pamarrasan is a dish whose
main ingredients vary, among others:
Bale (fish), Duku (Meat), and Lendong
(Eel). The main ingredient of pantollo
'pamarrasan is the pamarrasan itself, a
typical Torajan spice made from pangi.
The spice makes the gravy of the dish to
be black and thick, and has a delicious
taste.
Torajan’s Food
 5). Pokon
- This food is a kind of typical Toraja snacks. Usually served at the thanksgiving event.
The main ingredient is rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, and then boiled until cooked.
In addition to rice, one of the main ingredients of pokon maker is coconut milk. Rice
mixed with coconut milk then wrapped, then boiled until cooked.

6). Kririk
- This one is similar to Pokon. What distinguishes it is just the leaf wrapper. If the
Pokon is generally wrapped with bamboo leaves, then the craft is wrapped with palm
leaves that are still easy (usually yellow). Kririk is also generally made during the
thanksgiving ceremony completed harvest in the church.
Torajan’s Food
 7). Deppa Tori
- Deppa in the Indonesian language
is a cake. This cake must be
purchased as souvenirs when
visiting Toraja. The main ingredient
is not far from rice, which is rice
flour. Deppa tori is widely sold in
tourist spots and bus terminals,
making it easy to buy the cake while
visiting Toraja.

Deppa tori toraja

 Cleaning the dead: the afterlife
rituals of the Torajan people
Torajan’s Rituals

 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.
 Cleaning the dead: the afterlife
rituals of the Torajan 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.
 Religious Beliefs of Torajan
People
 Christianity is central to contemporary Toraja identity, and most of the population has
converted to Christianity (81 percent in 1983).
 Only about 11 percent continue to practice the traditional religion of Aluk to Dolo
(Ways of the Ancestors).

Aluk to Dolo
 Religious Beliefs of Torajan
People
 These adherents are primarily elderly and there is speculation that the "Ways of the
Ancestors" will be lost within a few generations.
 There are also some Muslims (8 percent), primarily in the southern areas of Tana Toraja.
 The cult of the ancestors plays an important role in the autochthonous religion of Aluk to
Dolo.
 Ritual sacrifices are made to the ancestors who, in turn, will protect the living from illness
and misfortune.
 According to Aluk to Dolo the cosmos is divided into three spheres: the underworld, the
earth, and the upperworld. Each of these worlds is presided over by its own gods.
 These realms are each associated with a cardinal direction, and particular types of rite are
geared toward particular directions. For example, the southwest represents the underworld
and the dead, while the northeast represents the upperworld of the deified ancestors.
 Religious Beliefs of Trojan
People
 The dead are believed to voyage to a land called "Puya," somewhere to the southwest of the
Toraja highlands. Provided one manages to find the way to Puya and one's living relatives have
carried out the necessary (and costly) rituals, one's soul may enter the upperworld and become a
deified ancestor.
 The majority of the dead, however, remain in Puya living a life similar to their previous life and
making use of the goods offered at their funeral.
 Those souls unfortunate enough not to find their way to Puya or those without funeral rites
become bombo, spirits who threaten the living.
 Funeral ceremonies thus play a critical role in maintaining the harmony of the three worlds.
 Christian Toraja also sponsor modified funeral rituals. In addition to the bombo (those who died
without funerals), there are spirits who reside in particular trees, stones, mountains, or springs.
Batitong are terrifying spirits who feast on the stomachs of sleeping people. There are also spirits
that fly at night ( po'pok ) and werewolves ( paragusi ). Most Christian Toraja say that Christianity
has driven out such supernaturals.
Accepting Death The Torajan Way
Customs of Trojan People

 More so than other cultures, the Torajans truly embrace the idea that the dead are
never really gone.
 Death is not seen as something to fear, but a normal step in life that is embraced fully.
Thanks to this, families don't attempt to keep their ill individuals alive for as long as
possible through modern medical practices, but allow death to happen naturally.
 And there's certainly wisdom to be gained from the Torajans' natural approach of
dealing with death — the one inevitable process that ties all of humanity together.
How are these cultural components judged
by people from other cultural communities?
 Many people say it is creepy to them because the Torajan People keeping their dead
relatives in their homes, treating them as if they were alive until they can be given
expensive, elaborate funerals.
 Also Most of people are amazed to the Torajan People and they are visiting their
place to witness the execution of their rituals and to see the cultures of Torajan.
 But some of people are not amazed and they criticize it, people say it is not okay to
keep their relatives in their homes and they keep saying that Christians do not keep
dead relatives in their homes and it is not part in the bible, So people question Torajan
People why they keep their dead relative in their home when they are Christians.