The
Toraja 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 recognized this animist belief as
Aluk To Dolo ("Way of the
Ancestors").
The word
toraja comes from the
Bugis 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 colorful
wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are
important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for
several days.
North Toraja Regency is one of the districts
of the 24 districts
in South Sulawesi Province which was formed in
accordance with Law No. 28
Year 2008 that is located in the north district
and is located between
2o35 '' LS
- 3o15 '' LS and 119o - 120 '' E. east with total area of
1151.47 km2 consisting
of 47,900 Ha
Protected Forests, the Forest People 5,260 Ha,
Ha 12790.93, Garden
14.620 Ha. Settlement
9,865 Ha and
is located at an altitude of 704-1646 meters above
sea level.
Tongkonan
Tongkonan are the traditional Torajan
ancestral houses. They stand high on wooden piles, topped with a layered split-bamboo
roof shaped in a sweeping curved arc, and they are incised with red, black, and
yellow detailed wood carvings on the exterior walls. The word
"tongkonan" comes from the Torajan tongkon ("to
sit").
There are three types of tongkonan.
The tongkonan layuk is the house of the highest authority, used as the
"center of government". The tongkonan pekamberan belongs to
the family members who have some authority in local traditions. Ordinary
family members reside in the tongkonan batu. The exclusivity to the
nobility of the tongkonan is diminishing as many Torajan commoners find
lucrative employment in other parts of Indonesia. As they send back money to
their families, they enable the construction of larger tongkonan.
Funeral rites
In Toraja society, the funeral ritual is the most elaborate and expensive
event. The richer and more powerful the individual, the more expensive is the
funeral. In the aluk religion, only nobles have the right to have an
extensive death feast. The death feast of a nobleman is usually attended by
thousands and lasts for several days. A ceremonial site, called rante,
is usually prepared in a large, grassy field where shelters for audiences, rice
barns, and other ceremonial funeral structures are specially made by the deceased
family. Flute music, funeral chants, songs and poems, and crying and wailing
are traditional Toraja expressions of grief with the exceptions of funerals for
young children, and poor, low-status adults.
The ceremony is often held weeks, months, or years after the death so that
the deceased's family can raise the significant funds needed to cover funeral
expenses.Torajans traditionally believe that death is not a sudden, abrupt
event, but a gradual process toward
Puya (the land of souls, or
afterlife).
During the waiting period, the body of the
deceased is wrapped in
several layers of cloth and kept under the
tongkonan. The soul of the
deceased is thought to linger around the village until the funeral ceremony is
completed, after which it begins its journey to
Puya.
Dance and music
As in other agricultural societies, Torajans dance and sing during
harvest time.
The
Ma'bugi dance celebrates the
thanksgiving
event, and the
Ma'gandangi dance is performed while Torajans are
pounding
rice.
There are several
war dances, such as the
Manimbong dance
performed by men, followed by the
Ma'dandan dance performed by women.
The
aluk religion governs when and how Torajans dance. A dance called
Ma'bua
can be performed only once every 12 years.
Ma'bua is a major Toraja
ceremony in which priests wear a buffalo head and dance around a sacred tree.
A traditional musical
instrument of the Toraja is a bamboo flute called a Pa'suling
(suling
is an Indonesian word for flute). This six-holed
flute (not unique to the Toraja) is played at many dances, such as the
thanksgiving dance Ma'bondensan, where the flute accompanies a group of
shirtless, dancing men with long fingernails. The Toraja have indigenous
musical instruments, such as the Pa'pelle (made from palm
leaves) and the Pa'karombi (the Torajan version of a jaw harp).
The Pa'pelle is played during harvest time and at house inauguration
ceremonies.
The one of the lecturer in University of Cokroaminoto Palopo is Mr.
Suhardi S.Pd., M.Pd. He was born in Palopo July 06 1982, Mr. Suardi have four
brother and two sisters. His graduation in University of Cokroaminoto Palopo when
take Strata 1, and continue his Strata 2 at State University of Makassar. Mr.
Suardi is a simple person, as possible as he can to did his job simpler and
happy for his students and for himself specially in teaching, the important
thing in teaching for Mr. Suardi is just how to share his knowledge to his
student and they are able to understand his lesson it’s more than enough to
make him satisfied. Mr. Suardi is a English lecturer who devote his life in
teaching English at Cokroaminoto University for four years. So, we can
abbreviate that Mr. Suardi is a humble and close with his students. 
This
year Mr. Suardi is has been selected as the one of scout developer with five
others lecturers in Cokroaminoto University, because of this he has to organize
FKIP camp. FKIP camp is the event for Faculty of Teaching and Education
students, in this event they have to pursue a course about scout as the one of requirement to choose Magang III course. Besides that, Mr. Suardi
accept charter appreciation as youth pioneer 2015, this appreciation he was
taken in commemoration day of youth vow 87th
from the head of University Mr. Dr. H. Suaedi, S.Pd., M.Si,.
Mr. Suardi want to be useful for another people that is the motto he always
keep.
