The Indonesian island of Sulawesi is inhabited by a group of related Toraji peoples. Translated from Bugi, this means "highlanders", since it is in the mountainous regions that the Toraja settlements are located. These people practice animism - a religious trend that regulates funeral rites that are terrible for a European.
Toraji bury children in a very peculiar way
If a baby dies here, whose first teeth have not yet grown, relatives bury him in the trunk of a living tree. This nation considers newborns to be special creatures, immaculate and pure, who have barely torn themselves away from Mother Nature and therefore must return to her …
Initially, a hole of the required size and shape is hollowed out in the selected tree. The baby's body fits into it. The resulting grave is closed with a special door made of palm fibers.
After about two years, the wood begins to "heal the wound" and it absorbs the body of the deceased crumbs. One big tree can be the last shelter for dozens of babies …
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But this, as they say, is still in bloom, and to be honest, such a burial of babies is not devoid of a certain meaning and sad harmony. The situation is different with the fate of all other Torajas.
Unburied corpses are just sick relatives
After the death of a person, his relatives perform a number of special rituals, but they do not always start this right away. The reason lies in the poverty of the majority of the population, to which, however, it has long been accustomed and therefore does not try to improve its situation. However, until the relatives of the deceased collect the necessary amount (and a very impressive one), the funeral cannot take place. Sometimes they are postponed not only for weeks and months, but even for years …
During all this time, the "awaiting burial" is in the house where he lived before. After death, the Torajs embalm their departed to prevent the decay of their bodies. By the way, such deceased - not buried and staying in the same house with the living - are considered not lifeless mummies, but simply sick people (?!)
But now the required amount has been collected, the ritual of sacrifice has been performed, ritual dances are performed and everything that is required for this case by the strict rules established by the ancestors of Toraja many centuries ago. By the way, the funeral in Sulawesi can last for several days. Ancient legends say that earlier, after performing all the ritual procedures, the dead themselves went to their resting places …
The graves for the deceased Toraja are carved into the rocks at a certain height. True, again, not everything, and if the family is very poor, she will simply hang a wooden coffin on a rock. Being near such a "graveyard", a European tourist can easily lose consciousness at the sight of someone's remains hanging from a rotten coffin or even falling to the ground …
But that's not all. In August of each year, restless Torajs remove their relatives from the graves in order to wash them, put them in order, and put on new outfits. After that, the dead are carried through the entire settlement (which is very similar to a zombie procession) and, after being laid in coffins, are buried again. This ritual, unthinkable for us, is called "manene".
Return of lost corpses
The villages of the Toraja peoples were built on the basis of one family, practically each of them was one separate family. The villagers tried not to go far away and stick to their "area", as they believed that the soul of a person after death should remain close to the body for some time before heading to "puya", that is, the haven of souls.
And for this you need to be near your loved ones, who will conduct all the necessary rituals. If a person dies far from their native village, they may not be found. In this case, the soul of the unfortunate person will be forever stuck in his body.
However, Toraja also has a way out in this case, although this ritual is very expensive and therefore not available to everyone. At the request of the missing person's relatives, the village sorcerer calls the soul and the dead body back home. Hearing this call, the corpse rises and, staggering, begins to plod onto it.
People who noticed him approaching run to warn of the return of the dead. They do this not out of fear, but in order for the corpse to find itself at home as soon as possible (nothing would stop it) and the ceremony was performed correctly. If someone touches the wandering corpse, he will again fall to the ground. So those running ahead warn about the procession of the dead man and that it is impossible to touch him in any case …
… You experience amazing feelings, presenting such a picture. And the very attitude of these people to death evokes by no means weak emotions. But, besides shuddering, indignation and resolute rejection, isn't there an involuntary respect for those who managed to make death an integral, familiar part of everyday life and thereby defeated the eternal horror of a person before it?..