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.
Another component of the ritual is the slaughter of water
buffalo. The more powerful the person who died, the more buffalo are
slaughtered at the death feast. Buffalo carcasses, including their heads, are
usually lined up on a field waiting for their owner, who is in the “sleeping
stage”. Torajans believe that the deceased will need the buffalo to make the
journey and that they will be quicker to arrive at Puya if they have many
buffalo. Slaughtering tens of water buffalo and hundred of pigs using a machete
is the climax of the elaborate death feast, with dancing and music and young
boys who catch spurting blood in long bamboo tubes. Some of the slaughtered
animals are given by guests as “gifts”, which are carefully noted because they
will be considered debts of the deceased’s family.
There are three methods of burial: the coffin may be laid in
a cave or in a carved stone grave, or hung on a cliff. It contains any
possessions that the deceased will need in the afterlife. The wealthy are often
buried in a stone grave carved out of a rocky cliff. The grave is usually
expensive and takes a few months to complete. In some areas, a stone cave may
be found that is large enough to accommodate a whole family. A wood-carved
effigy, called Tau tau, is usually placed in the cave looking out over the
land. The coffin of a baby or child may be hung from ropes on a cliff face or
from a tree. This hanging grave usually lasts for years, until the ropes rot
and the coffin falls to the ground.
List
of Vocabularies
- Funeral : pemakaman
- Slaughter : penyembelihan
- Feast : pesta, makan besar
- Carcasses : menjadi bangkai
- Noble : bangsawan
- Machete : golok tajam
- Barn : gudang, lumbung
- Spurting : menyemburkan
- Deceased : almarhum
- Debt : hutang
- Grief : dukacita
- Coffin : peti mati
- Abrupt : tiba-tiba, tak disangka
- Effigy : gambar, patung
- Linger : tetap hidup
- Rope : tali
Answer
the following questions!
- Who has right to have an extensive death feast in Aluk religion?
- What is a ceremonial site called?
- How long does a ceremonial site take place?
- What is Torajan belief about death?
- How many methods of burial are there in Toraja.
Arrange
the sentences below to make meaningful sentences.
- Toraja – rite – most – event – is – the – funeral – in – expensive
- Large – ceremonial – usually – site – is – prepared – field – in – grassy – a
- Components – is – one – slaughter – water – of – the – buffalo – ritual – in
- Three – of – methods – Torajan – have – burial
- A – take – it – complete – few – can – months – a – to – grave
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