Toraja Tribe Part 1

Society and Culture "Toraja Tribe" in South Sulawesi

History of the Toraja Tribe

Toraja tribe is a tribe that settled in the mountains of northern part of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its population is estimated at about 1 million people, with 500,000 of them still living in Tana Toraja District, North Toraja District, and Mamasa Regency. The majority of Torajans are Christian, while some embrace Islam and animist beliefs known as Aluk To Dolo. The Indonesian government has recognized this belief as part of the Hindu Dharma 

Religion.

Toraja word comes from Bugis language, to riaja, meaning "the person who dwells in the land above". The Dutch colonial government named this Toraja tribe in 1909. The Toraja tribe is famous for its funeral rituals, traditional tongkonan houses and wood carvings. Toraja funeral ritual is an important social event, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasts for several days. Before the 20th century, Torajans lived in autonomous villages. They still adhere to animism and have not been touched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries came and spread Christianity. After becoming more open to the outside world in the 1970s, Tana Toraja district became the symbol of Indonesian tourism. Tana Toraja is used by tourism developers and studied by anthropologists. The Toraja community since the 1990s has undergone a cultural transformation, from traditional and agrarian societies, to a predominantly Christian society and relying on an ever-increasing tourism sector.

Ethnic identity

The Torajan tribe had a very clear idea of ​​themselves as an ethnic group before the 20th century. SebeluIdentitas ethnicity The Torajan tribe had a very clear idea of ​​themselves as an ethnic group before the 20th century. Prior to Dutch colonialism and the period of Christianity, Torajans, who lived in the highlands, were identified by their village, and did not assume the same group. Although rituals create relationships among villages, there is a great deal of diversity in dialects, social hierarchies, and ritual practices in the highlands of Sulawesi. "Toraja" (from coastal languages ​​to, meaning people, and Riaja, plateau) was first used as a designation of lowland populations for highlanders. As a result, initially "Toraja" had more trade links with outsiders-such as the Bugis and Makassar tribes, who inhabited much of the lowlands of Sulawesi-than with fellow tribes in the highlands. The presence of Dutch missionaries in the highlands of Toraja raises the awareness of ethnic Torajans in the region of Sa'dan Toraja, and this common identity grows with the rise of tourism in Tana Toraja. Since then, South Sulawesi has four main ethnic groups-the Bugis (majority, including shipbuilders and sailors), Makassar (merchants and sailors), Mandar (traders and fishermen), Toraja (farmers in the highlands).

Dutch colonialism and the period of Christianity, Torajans, who live in the highlands, are identified by their village, and do not assume the same group. Although rituals create relationships among villages, there is a great deal of diversity in dialects, social hierarchies, and ritual practices in the highlands of Sulawesi. "Toraja" (from coastal languages ​​to, meaning people, and Riaja, plateau) was first used as a designation of lowland populations for highlanders. As a result, initially "Toraja" had more trade links with outsiders-such as the Bugis and Makassar tribes, who inhabited much of the lowlands of Sulawesi-than with fellow tribes in the highlands. The presence of Dutch missionaries in the highlands of Toraja raises the awareness of ethnic Torajans in the region of Sa'dan Toraja, and this common identity grows with the rise of tourism in Tana Toraja. Since then, South Sulawesi has four main ethnic groups-the Bugis (majority, including shipbuilders and sailors), Makassar (merchants and sailors), Mandar (traders and fishermen), Toraja (farmers in the highlands).