THE PEOPLE
The population of Toraja is about 332,000 and it has a
high rate of emigration by high school graduates
seeking further education or jobs in the more
urbanized areas of Sulawesi or the more develoved
islands of Indonesia.
Population density is about 92 persons to a square km,
most of whom are engaged in agriculture. All farms
belong to smallholders. Rice is the main crop, and
secondary crops are corn, peanuts, soyabean, cassava,
sweet potatoes, vegetable, coffee, cloves, nutmeg,
vanilla and fruit. The mountain grown coffee is exellent
and alsowellknown is the passionfruit or marqisa which
is processed for its jice, bottled and exported.
Palmwine (tuak, or in Toraja ballok) which is found
throughout South Sulawesi, is very common in Toraja
being drunk in the ricefields as well as at festivals. It
ranges from seet to sour, the latter having a red
colour from a bark additive. Its pink foam can be seen
bubbling from the long bamboo tubes carried by
villagers going to rituals or to market. Fishery and
animal husbandary are other means of lifelihood in this
landlocked district.
The Torajans are belived to belong to the same Proto-
Malay groups as the Dayaks of Kalimantan and the
Bataks of Sumatra. However, there are many
similarities ethnologically between them and the
people of ancient Annam, from where they could have
originated, migrating to the seas in their sailing boats
which set the pattern for their tongkonan houses.
From early times, the society was divided into classes
with the nobles at the top of the social structure and
the slaves, who were either hereditary or enemies who,
were captured in the battle, lowest ranking.
The caste system was widely practiced in Toraja and
consiste of :
Tana’ bulaan referring to the noble class who
functioned as adapt chiefs using titles such as Puang,
siambe’ and ma’dika.
Tana’Bassi, the lower noble class of assistant adapt or
traditional chiefs or members of the community
councils.
Tana’ karurung the commeners, among them priests.
Tana’Kua-kua, the lowest class of slaves and workers,
including the death priests or tomebalum.
Still practiced to same extent today, the caste system
is a adhered to during traditional rituals, particularly
the death ceremonies for which no one can aspire to
rites intended for a higher caste.
The social structure allows equals right for men and
women, especially in inheritance for which neither sex
nor age is of any consideration. Division of inheritance
dep[ens wholly on service to the deceased during
his/her lifetime and the and the contributions made by
members of the ramage, kinship group at the death
ceremonies.
Hiltops were considered sacred by the Torajans as the
first ancestors descended there, and village were
formerly built on the summits. Fortified walls
surrounded the villages, providing a defensive shield
against enemies. However in the early parts of this
century when Toraja came under Dutch rule, the
people were ordred to move to more accessible valleys
and plateaux. The village complex consist of separate
farms, surrounded by paddyfields, the rante where the
rites for the dead are held and the rocky clifft where
the burial caves are located.
The village is further divided into two parts, high and
low, each one forming a ceremonial bua’ circle unit.
Buffaloes represent a status symbol used chiefly for
ceremonial purposes and are not considered as draft
animals. They are slaughtered for sacrifice during the
funeral ceremonies and the meat eaten. Pigs and
chickens are also slaughtered and eaten at ceremonies,
such as funerals and the consecration of new
tongkonan.
As the death rituals are the most important ceremony
in a person’s passage of life, wealth and power are
important to attain the status needed to enter Puya
(Land of Soul). So Torajans aspire to accumulate
wealth through lolo tananan (plants), lolo patuan
(animals) and lolo tau (children) which are the
elements necessary to attain the power for the funeral
ceremony.
The Torajans speak an Austronesians language related
to that Bugis of South Sulawesi. Referred to as the
Sa’dan Toraja Language, it is divided into thre dialects;
the Makale-Rantepao dialect of east Toraja, in the
west Saluputti-Bonggga Karadeng and in the south
Sillanan-Gandang Batu. The language as used by the
ritual priests differ from those used by the ordinary
people and are sometimes diffiocult to undersatand.
Since Bahasa Indonesia is the language of instruction
and administration it is understood and spoken by all,
and English is becoming a popular second language in
schools.
In spite of improved education and migration ti other
parts of the country, the people of Toraja remain tid to
their ramage and kinship groups, retuning for funerals
and, if they should die away from their homeland,
every efforts is made to return then for the ;last
funeral rites.