Amazing Death Rituals of Tana Toraja

The unique and intricate death customs of Tana Toraja have been celebrated for centuries, making them some of the most complex and expensive funeral traditions in the world. Before Dutch Christian Missionaries arrived, Torajans practiced Animism, the belief that non-human entities possess a spiritual essence. Despite now nominally following other religions, the Torajans still practice their ancient funeral customs which are known to be some of the most elaborate in the world.
During their lives, the Torajans work extremely hard to accumulate wealth. But unlike other societies, the Tarajans do not save their money to achieve materialistic status for themselves, rather they save for a good send off in death. In fact, it is the extravagance of their funeral, which marks a family’s position in Torajan society. People will live under the same roof as a deceased family member for months or years until the money is in place to pay for their elaborate, ritual funeral.
After leaving Our Dreamtime at anchor in Palopo under the watchful eyes of our buddy boaters, Daniel and Emma, we travel over treacherous roads into the highlands of Sulawesi to the town of Rante Pao in the Region of Tana Raja. We’ve sailed nearly 200 miles and spent hours driving through the mountainous jungle to attend the funeral of someone we don’t even know. Why? Because it’s Tana Toraja and not just any funeral.

In this episode we experience one of these remarkable rituals firsthand before exploring the incredible natural beauty and unique culture of this world famous region of Indonesia.
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