Kambira

Locations
a tree grave for a baby near Kambira

a tree grave for a baby near Kambira

Tree graves are a sad reminder of child mortality

On the way back from Tampangallo, one passes Kambira, a village that is known for its baby graves. For the very small – apparently, those who have no teeth yet qualify -, no caves are being hewn out of the rock, but an opening is made in a large tree, where the tiny body is then buried. A good tree can contain several of such graves, and Kambira has such a tree – by now a touristic attraction, of course. It is also a stark reminder of child mortality, clearly not yet under control here.

the tree near Kambira, supporting several baby graves

the tree near Kambira, supporting several baby graves

the tree graves have been closed with wooden pins

the tree graves have been closed with wooden pins

If you have enough of burial sites, visit the villages of Bolu or Marante, for a change of scenery.

Tampangallo

Locations
coffins decorated with skulls, in Tampangallo cave

coffins decorated with skulls, in Tampangallo cave

Chilling, but spectacular burial site in a natural cave

entrance to the cave in Tampangallo

entrance to the cave in Tampangallo

 

Perhaps the most spectacular burial site in entire Tana Toraja is Tampangallo, south of Rantepao, in between Suaya and Kambira. Quite unprepared for what is coming, you walk into some peacefully green rice paddies, in between pink flowers, only to be confronted with a stack of skulls at the entrance of the natural cave, that has been turned into a burial ground.

 

this is the welcoming pile, in more detail

this is the welcoming pile, in more detail

Inside the cave, you don’t know where to look first. Apart from the skulls, not only at the entrance, but put in natural niches, or stacked in a row at the end of the cave, there are coffins in various stages of decay, high up on wooden frames or rock ledges, or in pieces on the cave floor. Several of the coffins are accompanied by balconies of tau tau, the wooden effigies of the deceased, with colourful cloths bringing some colour in the otherwise grey, and pretty somber, cave.

 

coffins on wooden frames, and on ledges

coffins on wooden frames, and on ledges

tau tau balcony, protecting a series of coffins

tau tau balcony, protecting a series of coffins

more coffins, and more tau tau

more coffins, and more tau tau

another row of tau tau

another row of tau tau

Outside, flowers and dragon flies provide even more of the colour that is missing in the cave. A chilling experience, but not to be missed, despite having to make a little more effort in terms of travel time. Over-touristic Londa, that other cave site, is but a poor version of almost abandoned Tampangallo.

and outside the cave, an explosion of colours again

and outside the cave, an explosion of colours again

the small stream and valley next to the Tampangallo cave

the small stream and valley next to the Tampangallo cave

The next, and last site described, is Kambira, with its baby graves in trees.

row of skulls at the back of the cave

row of skulls at the back of the cave

Suaya

Locations
very expressive tau tau – effigies – on one of the balconies in Suaya

very expressive tau tau – effigies – on one of the balconies in Suaya

Rock face with multiple tau tau balconies and something resembling a museum.

the rock face in Suaya

the rock face in Suaya

Further south, and much further from the main road, is Suaya, another site with rock-hewn mausoleums and multiple tau tau balconies. Because it is so much further away (half an hour drive, perhaps), and perhaps also because of the rather narrow road, unsuitable for larger touring cars, Suaya is a far more authentic site, much less touristic than, for instance, comparable Lemo.

A large rock face supports multiple burial caves, but, like in Lemo, the tau tau balconies seem to be more important. The wooden effigies are more expressive than in Lemo, more varied also, and best is that you have the place for yourself (unless too many people start reading this, of course).

wooden sculptures and coffins in what I think is the museum

wooden sculptures and coffins in what I think is the museum

and split-open coffins in the same museum

and split-open coffins in the same museum

A little away from the rock face is a wooden barn, possibly meant to be a museum, which is stuffed with wooden sculptures, as well as coffins, that have burst and spilled their contents of bones and skulls. The barn is closed, but through a broken window one can access the museum – where, however, one cannot turn left or right because the barn is packed full with things.

Close to Suaya are the spectacular burial cave of Tampangallo, and the baby graves of Kambira.

one of the balconies in detail

one of the balconies in detail

Lemo

Locations
rock face with multiple tau tau balconies in Lemo

rock face with multiple tau tau balconies in Lemo

Rock face full of tau tau balconies outside a really old village compound

overview of the tau tau balconies

overview of the tau tau balconies

Another popular tourist destination in Lemo, where scores of tau tau – wooden effigies of the deceased -, all neatly arranged on various balconies, stare out over the rice paddies, from high up the rock face. Where a few tau tau are normally accompanying many tombs, here it seems the other way around, the focus is on tau tau, with the occasional mausoleum bored into the rock in between the balconies.

several old tongkonans in Lemo village

several old tongkonans in Lemo village

wooden cock adorning the front of a tongkonan

wooden cock adorning the front of a tongkonan

wooden window

wooden window

It does provide a wonderful scene, though, quite special.

The village itself, a small compound, it nice because of the rather old houses, thatched roofs and the lot, nowadays a pretty rare sight.

Further south are the much less visited, but even more spectacular burial sites Suaya, Tampangallo and Kambira.

one of the busiest balconies

one of the busiest balconies

Londa

Locations
coffins stuffed in a natural fissure in a cave in Londa

coffins stuffed in a natural fissure in a cave in Londa

A burial cave and tourist attraction

A short drive off the road that leads south out of Rantepao is Londa, a well developed tourist site around two natural caves containing stacks of coffins. Many of the coffins are rotting away, and have left bones and skulls on the cave floor. It is dark inside the cave, with little more than a flash light of a pressure lamp to go by, so it is not always easy to avoid stepping on the skeleton parts – for us a horrible thought, but the Torajans have a lot less problems with that. They have, for instance, stacked many of the skulls in a niche, or a fissure, and, not to let business opportunities go unused, even stacked skulls around a natural hole in the cave wall, through which the tourist can put his head, and be photographed surrounded by the skulls. Rather tasteless, in my view, but many find this irresistible.

 

cave entrance

cave entrance

several skulls, with cigarettes as offerings

several skulls, with cigarettes as offerings

From a distance, we have a better overview of the rock face. The natural caves at the bottom, apparently, are for the so called ‘underclass’, whilst the middle classes have been buried in caves higher up, and upper-class people all the way towards the top. Coffins here have been lowered on ropes: it looks rather difficult to get there any other way.

row of tau tau above the Londa cave entrance

row of tau tau above the Londa cave entrance

close-up of some of the tau tau

close-up of some of the tau tau

coffins put away inside the Londa cave

coffins put away inside the Londa cave

Next is the village and burial site of Lemo (or jump further south to Suaya, Tampangallo and Kambira).

Pana

Locations
rock tombs near the village of Pana

rock tombs near the village of Pana

Village with multiple rock-hewn tombs as well as tree-based children graves

Donwslope from Batutumonga a trail leads to the village of Pana, mostly known again for its graves. In a rock face, across a valley just off the road, many tombs have been carved out, all the way from top to bottom. They look to be older than the Lokomata ones, most tombs do not seem to be maintained anymore. Bones and skulls have spilled out of the tombs onto the valley floor.

a crashed coffin, complete with bones and skulls spilled on the valley floor

a crashed coffin, complete with bones and skulls spilled on the valley floor

rock tomb stuffed full of dead bodies

rock tomb stuffed full of dead bodies

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baby graves, on platforms high up in the trees

baby graves, on platforms high up in the trees

A little further platforms have been built in the trees, containing – or so we were told – the bodies of deceased babies. At a certain stage these, too, must come crashing down, once the wood of the platforms rots away, but in Tana Toraja that is all part of the culture, nobody has a problem with encountering human bones of deceased family members, after some time.

Next are the burial sites south of Rantepao, starting with Londa (or jump straight away to spectacular Tampangallo).

view of the whole rock face containing tombs

view of the whole rock face containing tombs

Lokomata

Locations
rock-hewn grave in the rocks outside Lokomata

rock-hewn grave in the rocks outside Lokomata

Wealthy village with a spectacular rock face, full of carved out mausoleums

Lokomata’s claim to fame is its huge rock face just before the village, in which over sixty mausoleums have been carved. An impressive sight, especially realizing that the higher chambers can only be reached on flimsy bamboo structures that have been placed against the rock. Many of the graves have been elaborately decorated, and contain photos of the deceased, as well as (plastic) flowers, bottles and lots of other things – the Toraja believe that goods can be taken to the afterworld, and the more are being offered, the easier the passage will be. Other graves seem to have been abandoned long ago. Tau tau – effigies of the dead – accompany some of the graves.

In front of the rock, further wooden tombs have been erected, and a little to the side is the largest tomb of all, in between the bamboo groves.

the rock of Lokomata, full of mausoleums

the rock of Lokomata, full of mausoleums

access to the higher mausoleums is by bamboo structure

access to the higher mausoleums is by bamboo structure

in front of the rock several wooden tombs have been erected

in front of the rock several wooden tombs have been erected

some of the graves have been adorned with tau tau

some of the graves have been adorned with tau tau, look-alike wooden effigies

others have been richly provided with goodies for underway, and flowers

others have been richly provided with goodies for underway, and flowers

the tomb of a previous village eldest, perhaps, set aside in a bamboo grove

the tomb of a previous village eldest, perhaps, set aside in a bamboo grove

a man and his fighting cock

a man and his fighting cock

Lokomata children

Lokomata children

The village itself is one of the neatest I have seen, well maintained houses and rice barns, flowers, no signs of rubbish. Funny enough, the tongkonans are also packed with buffalo horns, on the front pole and along the side of the house, indicating a very wealthy family.

the village of Lokomata, neat and clean

the village of Lokomata, neat and clean

the front of one of the tongkonans

the front of one of the tongkonans

From here, backtrack to Pana (or jump to Londa and Lemo, burial sites south of Rantepao).

wealth being displayed

wealth being displayed

not all the houses are of the traditional sort

not all the houses are of the traditional sort

Batutumonga

Locations
terraced rice paddies outside Batutumonga

terraced rice paddies outside Batutumonga

Excellent base for walks offering splendid views, old and new tongkonans, and rock burial sites

Even if Batutumonga itself is not the most interesting of villages, the drive alone, from Rantepao high up into the mountains, is already worth the effort, providing fabulous views. Most public transport won’t go much further than Batutumonga, though, so from here it is walking. Which is pleasant enough, for instance to Lokomata, an hour or so further along the ridge, or downhill to Pana and back to Rantepao.

Batutumonga is a Toraja village on a mountain crest, overlooking extensive, rice-paddied valleys and slopes. There is a nice hotel along the road, just outside the village. In the immediate vicinity of Batutumonga are several compounds with traditional houses – tongkonans -, as well as burial sites. Quite a few of the houses appear pretty old, sporting thatched roofs.

view along the road to Batutumonga

view along the road to Batutumonga

more rice paddies outside Batutumonga

more rice paddies outside Batutumonga

window in the front of a tongkonan

window in the front of a tongkonan

one of the old tongonans; note the size difference with the newer one next to it

one of the old tongkonans; note the size difference with the newer one next to it

rock-hewn graves on the road past Batutumonga

rock-hewn graves on the road past Batutumonga

individual resting place in the rock

individual resting place in the rock

Next is the village and burial site of Lokomata (or jump straight to Londa and Lemo south of Rantepao).

tau tau in front of the hotel in Batutumonga

tau tau in front of the hotel in Batutumonga

Marante

Locations
impressive collection of buffalo horns

impressive collection of buffalo horns

Another traditional village with tongkonans, close to Rantepao

two of the tongonans of Marante

two of the tongkonans of Marante

The village of Marante is one of the most accessible, just six kilometers east of Rantepao, past the Bolu market and along to Palopo road. Despite this being one of the main through-faring roads in Sulawesi, there isn’t a lot of traffic, which makes it OK to walk.

Like so often, Marante is not one, but several compounds, mostly new houses, although we also came across an older house, still thatched roof covering a bamboo roof structure. The houses are situated opposite rows of rice barns, many more than there are houses, and generally a lot smaller.

an old rice barn, one of the few still with a thatched roof

an old rice barn, one of the few still with a thatched roof

row of rice barns in Marante

row of rice barns in Marante, neatly lined up

the fighting cocks are being let out, in Marante – carefully tied to hooks in the ground to make sure they don’t attack each other

the fighting cocks are being let out, in Marante – carefully tied to hooks in the ground to make sure they don’t attack each other

rice paddies near Marante

rice paddies near Marante

Around Marante, rice paddies and bamboo groves. There are several tracks that lead back to Rantepao, making for a nice half-day walk.

Further north, into the mountains, is Batutumonga (next stop on the virtual tour).

bull with huge horns, tied to a tongonan

bull with huge horns, tied to a tongkonan

Bolu Village

Locations
modern rice barn, quite a structure to store food stuffs

modern rice barn, quite a structure to store food stuffs

Traditional Tana Toraja houses nearest to the center of Rantepao

 

Near the Bole Market, on the other side of the Sa’dan River, is Bole village, a collection of communities with traditional houses, the tongkonans. Many of the houses here are new, an obvious sign of wealth, as it must be quite pricey to build those tall-shaped houses, with their characteristic saddle-shaped roofs. The houses are accompanied by rice barns, opposite – some of which are, in fact, quite a bit older, suggesting that at least some of the new houses may have been refurbishments of older structures.

 

one of the compounds, with both normal houses and tongonans

one of the compounds, with both normal houses and tongkonans

not all the buildings are new, this is a rather old rice barn

not all the buildings are new, this is a rather old rice barn

as so often, wealth is measured by the number of buffalo horns stuck onto the house

as so often, wealth is measured by the number of buffalo horns stuck onto the house

front of another old rice barn, the owner being honoured through an equally old black-and-white photo

front of another old rice barn, the owner being honoured through an equally old black-and-white photo

the common theme here too is, as so often, cocks

the common theme here too is, as so often, cocks

intricately decorated front panels

intricately decorated front panels

Along the road, Jalan Sa’dan, are several of those compounds, each with around eight or ten houses, approximately half of them tongkonans. Nobody seems to be bothered by tourists walking inside, looking around and taking photos.

The next village on the virtual tour is Marante (or jump directly to Batutumango, in the mountains).