Funeral Customs
of the
Toraja
in
Sulawesi, Indonesia
tombs cut into the rock
view of the cliffs from the green valley
the Tau-Tau effigies on the cliff rooms
closer view
many effigies
detail of more recent Tau-tau effigies
Burials
old coffins
more recent elaborate grave house
also with Christian theme
ancestor bones
skulls in a crevice
The Funeral Ceremony
the ceremony of death remembrance may be a year or more after the person dies
large temporary structures are built for the ceremony
many water buffalo may be slaughtered for the
feast
depending on the wealth of the deceased
where the body is held during the ceremony
detail
these structures shown, survived the feast, but will never be used again
Funeral dances viewed by the people in these
stands may be solemn among the
Toraja of Sulawesi,
structures starting to decay
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