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Music of Kebyar
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religion: The old religion is called A/uk Todolo whose followers still make up about 50% of the population. Another 45% of Torajas are Christian (35% Protestant and 10% Catholic). Muslims make up the remaining 5% of the total. In the early 1900's when the Dutch prohibited headhunting (for pacification purposes) and the ceremony of cleansing the bones (for sanitation purposes), the whole religious structure of the Torajas came toppling down. Whereas missionaries before had been entirely unsuccessful, they were then able to immediately acquire large numbers of converts. Now every Sunday thunderous, moving choral singing (somewhat like Maori-singing) resounds from the wooden churches of Tilanga, Lemo and Rantepao. But the older people still believe most strongly in the ceremonies of the ancestors and strong animist rites are even carried over into Christian burials, a real mixture of the two religions. Sacrifices (rambu) are carried out in honor of the gods, Tuka is performed for housewarming and harvest ceremonies, also the Maro ritual is still practiced in order to erase evil spells. The hereafter, called Puy3, is where everyone will live under the same conditions as he or she did on earth. This is why every Torajan tries to get wealthy. Souls of animals will follow their masters into heaven, thus the animal sacrifices. They live for death.
souvenirs: The only souvenir shops are in Rantepao and in Makale. Crafts are more expensive it the tourist season, July and August. Torajan woodcarving ability is legendary; good pieces. See ironsmiths make knives with traditional tools at La'bo near Bulukan. Find gold necklaces with quartz-like beads, pao; some cost up to Rp90,000. Hats are sold in the leprosy village near Rantepao, Rp750, or Rp4000 for the very fine ones. Go to Tonga village for inexpensive bamboo and wood crafts. Ba'tan for tuak and eel containers. Pane for model Torajan houses and ships, Rp3-3500 (in the souvenir shops in Rantepao they ask Rp7000). Last minute souvenir shopping at Ujung Pandang airport. markets: Markets take place at Sangalla, Mengkendek, Rembon, Sa'dan and Buntao on different days of the week. Market day in Makale and Rantepao is every 6 days when country people with their goods and wears stream in and out of town all day long. Buy basketware (nase), Rp3-400; flat sifting baskets of attractive woven colors, Rp125; clay water pots, Rp100; work and dress hats, Rp1500 -4000. food: Great coffee is grown in this region, especially around Pangala'. Special Torajan food, pa piong, is anything cooked in bamboo sections like rice in coconut milk, or meat and vegetables in buffalo or pigs' blood. Fish and vegetables are also very popular. A typical Torajan breakfast is songkolo. Made up of sticky rice, lombok (chili) and coconut, it usually sells for Rp75 a package. Also try the sweet snack baje, fried coconut with brown sugar. Ba/ok (Torajan for tuak or palm wine) is often drunk at Torajan ceremonies. Transported in long bamboo stalks, ba/ok is drunk all day long out in the padi instead of water. A mild mellow booze, the same milky color as Mexican pu/que, you feel more stoned than drunk. There are 3 varieties: the sweet, medium sweet, and the sour. The more sour variety is always redder; it has had more coconut skin added. For the real ba/ok, go to eastern Toraja to the Batualu and Rantebua areas; all these little villages sell it for Rp500 for a whole bamboo pipe full.