Sulawesi-Toraja

Tana Toraja, the land of the Toraja, is home to more than a quarter of a million people. This indigenous people, who are known for their extraordinary funeral rituals, live in the central highlands in the left ‘arm’ of the island of Sulawesi. While the majority of the Toraja have converted to Christianity over time, their customs are still strongly influenced by their earlier spiritual and religious ideas, which are particularly expressed in their belief in the power of the ancestors and in rituals to venerate the dead which offer a very unique cultural experience to visitors.

In addition to their unusual customs, the Toraja also stand out from other ethnic groups through the architecture of their settlements. The architectural style of their houses is unmistakable, richly decorated with ornaments and buffalo horn, and crowned with striking roof constructions. The Toraja houses are typically built entirely of wood and without any nails. Consisting of several layers of bamboo, the imposing roofs sweep upwards at both ends to resemble boats in shape, making them a distinctive landmark of the region and its people.

Experience the mysterious culture of the Toraja people with our tours!

1. The Toraja Empire: If your journey takes you to the Toraja Land and you come from the south towards Makassar, not only an imposing gate marks the entrance to the Toraja Empire, but also an impressive mountain landscape formed from high limestone cliffs, which forms the high plateau and so on encloses the homeland of this ethnic group.
    
2. Toraja's charming panoramas and picturesque villages: pure village life awaits you, embedded in a charming panorama of mountains and rice terraces. Here you will find picturesque villages that are waiting to be explored by you and which always offer you wonderful views while you are on the move.
    
3. The Toraja and their traditions: If you are interested in the traditions of the locals, then you will find that the Toraja have managed to preserve their religious and social traditions over the centuries despite missionization. To this day, there are differences in language, social structures, religion and agricultural practices in the individual areas within the region.
    
4. Traditional Toraja houses: The extravagant roofs will probably be the first thing you notice. In a traditional village, unusual roof shapes are not the only distinctive feature. For example, the number of buffalo horns attached to the front support beams of a house indicates the wealth and social status of the owner. This also applies to richly decorated walls with carved ornaments in the typical Toraja colors of black, white, red and yellow. You can look forward to visiting a traditional Toraja house.
    
5. Toraja village life: Take it easy! Life in a Toraja village is tranquil. While the village community is typically made up of members of an extended family, each individual also has numerous obligations. In particular, the allocation of individual contributions to rituals and offerings can shake the external harmony. You will be able to observe some of this live during your trip.
    
6. Belief in Torjaja Land: Different countries have different customs, the same goes for religion. In Torajan belief, life on earth is only a transition, while the afterlife is of greater importance. If a relative dies, only the soul leaves the body, but remains in the surrounding area until the funeral. Until then, the family member is considered 'sick' or 'sleeping' and continues to be part of the household, often for many years.
    
7. Toraja Funeral Ceremonies: If the opportunity arises to attend a funeral ceremony during your trip, don't miss this event. A funeral consists of numerous rituals and can therefore extend over several days and include hundreds of guests. Also part of this ceremony is the often richly decorated coffin with the deceased being laid out on a raised platform specially built for the occasion.
    
8. Rock Tombs: We’ve all seen pictures of them. But being able to see them live is a special experience. The final resting place: Only after the completion of the funeral ceremony is the sleeping or sick person considered deceased and the coffin is buried in a hand-hewn rock grave at a high altitude.
    
9. The Toraja ancestor cult: According to Toraja belief, objects from earthly life can be taken with you into the afterlife. Therefore, in the past, very valuable things were often given to the dead with them in the grave. To the outside world, the deceased is represented by a wooden figure, a so-called Tau-Tau, in which the soul is now located. However, the Toraja ancestor cult has a lot of other interesting things in store.
    
10. Rituals in Torajaland: Central elements of the Toraja culture: Water buffaloes play a central role in the Toraja culture because they are considered a status symbol and are part of many rituals. The higher the status of a person, the more buffaloes have to be sacrificed at their funeral, for example, which makes such an event extremely expensive for this reason alone. You will see buffalo everywhere in Torajaland.

Plan your trip to the Toraja Highlands