Water buffalo in Toraja are raised to be sacrificed. At the funeral, the animals are killed by a machete chop to the jugular, and their meat is then distributed to guests in order of social importance.
Until then, boys (and sometimes girls) care for them with affection and pride, as they would a fine stallion or an expensive car. A funeral here is not an occasion for sorrow.
Rather, it is a celebration in which the entire family of the deceased, and all the members of his village, take part. Speci
fically, a funeral reinforces the eternal bond between the living and the dead of a single-family. In the society of Tana Toraja, it is the funeral, not the wedding, which marks a family’s status.
In Tana Toraja, the funeral ceremony is known as Rambu Soloq. The most important part of this ceremony involves the sacrifice of buffalo. These animals die in order to accompany the spirit of their master on his journey to the land of the dead.
Before being sacrificed according to a strictly defined procedure, in which the neck of the ox is cut with a sharp blade and the animal allowed to bleed to death, the animals take part in trials of strength known as tedong silaga.
This procedure is known as tinggoro. While the sacrifice of the other buffalo is also acceptable, traditional Torajan belief
states that offerings of albino buffalo with a certain type of spotted skin (tedong bonga) are preferable.
Buffalo with these characteristic markings on their hide is rare, making up a mere eight percent of the total population. Therefore, it is not surprising that these animals can command a price between 15-30 million rupiah, depending on the perceived beauty of the animal.
Attempts to breed these animals have met with very limited success. Even if both parents have the desired markings, there is
no guarantee that the offspring will be similarly blessed.
An attempt in Bandung, West Java, to breed buffalo that consistently give birth to these animals failed completely. The
rarity of the animals is compounded by the increasing number of rich Torajans, all of whom desire prestigious funerals involving these animals.
It is by no means uncommon for more than 300 animals-a good many of them are spotted albino buffalo-to be sacrificed in a single ceremony.
Considering that the ceremony of a wealthy or high-status person often lasts as long as eight days and involves more than 15,000 people, all of whom have to be fed, this number is hardly surprising.
The funeral is used by the pe
ople of Toraja to establish the status of the deceased. In the Torajan belief system, people lead their lives in preparation for their death. During their lives, people work hard to accumulate wealth.
When they die, they take this wealth with them beyond their grave. All members of the deceased family are expected to contribute to the costs of the expensive ceremonies. Many people go deeply into debt in order to hold a funer
al ceremony.
It is not uncommon for a young man, afraid of being burdened by debt, to postpone or cancel his marriage if the grandmother or grandfather of the girl he loves is old enough to die soon.
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