EPISODE 10

OLD RELIGION

TANA TORAJA, INDONESIA

Belau village in western Tana Toraja is having a funeral for four of their recently deceased family members. The village leader, Zeth, is a local school teacher who took on the responsibility of organizing the event. Torajan funeral rituals are called Rambu Solo, and they can take upwards of decades to plan. Because this particular ritual took place during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, extra planning had to go into making the ceremony fit government regulations. Zeth is a devout Christian, and yet he strictly follows the traditions of Aluk To Dolo for the ceremony. 

26 buffalo are ritually sacrificed, amongst dozens of pigs. The cost of these sacrificial animals is exorbitant, and it is not uncommon for families to spiral into debt to meet the standard traditions of the Rambu Solo. In the past, those who followed Aluk To Dolo believed that the spirits of buffalo and pigs would accompany the dead into Puya, or the afterlife. But nowadays, the community is Protestant and has given up believing in the old way.  Despite this, the Torajan’s remain connected to their ancient traditions because they are at the very core of their cultural identity. 

On burial day, Zeth leads a final Christian prayer, and the bodies are taken to the family tomb, just one kilometer away from the village center. Viewing the Rambu Solo from start to finish is a powerful experience, and the vast range of emotions expressed by the family members of the deceased give a clear view of the Torajan perspective on death. The Rambu Solo offers great insight into the practice of ritual sacrifice, and reveals the relationship that Torajan’s have with the sacred animals of the past.