Weekend #1 (yes, this is a very late post)

It seems I got behind on a few blogs after about a week of being in Indonesia.  I did great that first week, but then the whole team got pretty busy and I got behind a bit.  ABV (Australian Business Volunteers), the company that lined up all of our projects, planned a weekend team activity for us the first weekend.  The planned outing was originally a trip to a butterfly park and a waterfall - it was supposed to be a one-day trip.  However, lots of people were telling us that we should visit Tana Taraja.  Tana Taraja was about an 8-hour drive (ended up being more like 9) away from Makassar, but is on the same island as us.  Tana Taraja is an area extremely rich in culture.  The largest attraction is probably the hanging graves, grave caves, and traditional housing.  They have elaborate funeral ceremonies, but typically these are during the June/July time frame.  So, we were able to change our group activity to Tana Taraja.

Here are a few links if you would like to see pictures posted by other people and/or find out more information about the area:

• http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g1143549-Tana_Toraja_South_Sulawesi_Sulawesi.html
• http://www.lonelyplanet.com/indonesia/sulawesi/tana-toraja

Breakfast room at hotel

Walk through the hotel courtyard (replicas of traditional houses)

Our journey started Friday (March 16th) after work.  The plan was to leave on the bus at 5:00, but it was shortly after 6:00 by the time we actually got loaded and going.  Our trip involved two nights at a hotel (or maybe I should say one and a half as we arrived very very late), all meals, and a tour guide.  We stopped for dinner after about 3.5 hours into the trip.  It was a great view overlooking the ocean, but it was dark at the time.  Then, we continued on our journey, arriving in Tana Taraja at 3:30 a.m.  Breakfast was at 8:00 or 8:30 and we were leaving to go tour the area at 9:00.  The hotel we stayed at was quite nice and had a pool, but no air conditioning.  By the time we got there, I didn't care, I just needed sleep!

The houses in Tana Taraja have a boat-shaped roof.  You can see the replicas that were at our hotel.  Later on, we went to see real ones where people live.  They are boat-shaped because a long time ago, people would arrive in their boat, build their house, and then put their boat on top of their house (giving all of them a boat-shaped appearance).

Even with only a few hours of sleep, I was excited to go tour for the day.  We went to several different sites - all with their own unique culture, customs, and traditions.  I will share a few pictures here and give a brief explanation.  I have many more, so be sure to ask me about the trip!

Hotel courtyard

Hotel courtyard with replicas of the traditional shaped Taraja homes.

My and Nitu's room for the weekend

Two beds and a shower was all we needed for the weekend after the 9+ hour drive down the semi-finished road between Makassar and Tana Taraja!

Pool area - anyone up for yoga?

The pool area, where some people (no names) had a diving contest, and others learned yoga and various ethnic dances!  We wish there was a pool at our hotel in Makassar!  It was nice to come back and go for a swim after a long day of touring.

Ready!

Most of the team ready to go for the day.  Believe this photo is missing two team members who were either shopping, taking pictures somewhere else, or talking!

Rice drying

 Driving through the local areas.  Saw many of these tarps with rice drying along the way, some in yards, and some on the road.









At one of our first villages - I am standing next to a traditional Taraja house.  The horns mounted on the front of the house were how many buffaloes were sacrified for a funeral of someone who had lived there.  The Taraja people basically live and work so they can have an elaborate funeral.  In their minds, the more things sacrificed, the better your chances are (to get to where you want) after death.







So, we were able to go into someone's house (with permission of course).  This is a picture of the lady who died and she is in the coffin behind.  Typically, families will keep the bodies in the house (mummified in a coffin) until they can raise the amount of money they want for the funeral.  This also give them time for preparations like building additional temporary housing for family members who will travel for the funeral.  This woman died about three weeks before we arrived and her funeral is going to be in July.  They told us it is planned to be the largest funeral ceremony to take place to date.




The Taraja believe that your body must reside somewhere between earth and sky after you die.  Therefore, they need to be off of the ground.  This is a picture of a family tomb.  All members of this family will go into the round part on the bottom after they die.  You can see a few of the photos towards the top.










Here is a picture of the suspended coffins up high on the hillside.  These ones are quite old and some have fallen apart.



The Taraja will make effigies of the dead.  This shows what they looked like when they were alive and at the age of their death.  The ones in this photo are behind a locked gate.  The lady with the purple dress on was a more recent death than the others in this picture.




Here is a group of students who wanted a picture with me!








This is a picture of the colored buffalo.  If you look close, you can see that the eyes are a bright blue.  Its eyes were very beautiful.  These buffalo are quite expensive, but are a very important part of the Taraja tradition and culture.





Here is a picture of more effigies up on a wall.  We were able to walk over to the wall and get a closer look (although they were up high).  This is the point where my camera battery went dead.




We did go visit one other site.  It was called the baby tree.  When babies died before they had teeth (either in the womb or at a very young age), their bodies were placed in a tree (inside the trunk).  This was in hopes that the couple would be blessed with another child.  There were various reasons as to why the holes in the tree (which were made to place the babies in) either closed completely or did not close.  This takes at least 60 years, but the tree does grow shut where the hole was made.

This was definitely a tour I will never forget.  The ride to get there was bumpy and long, but if you have the opportunity, you should make it a priority.  If you can go in the summer months, you may be able to see a funeral.  The people were very friendly.

#ibmcsc