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Indonesian island of Sulawesi is inhabited by a group of related Toraj peoples. Translated from the Bugian, this means “highlanders”, since it is in the mountainous areas that the settlements are located toraji. These people practice animism – a religious direction, regulating funeral rites that are terrible for a European.
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Toraj very peculiarly bury children
If a baby dies here, whose first teeth, relatives bury him in the trunk of a living tree. This people considers newborns to be special creatures, immaculate and pure, who barely broke away from the mother of nature and therefore must return into her …
Initially, a hole is hollowed out in the selected tree the necessary size and shape. The baby’s body is laid in it. The resulting grave is closed with a special door made of palm fibers.
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After about two years, the wood begins to “heal” and it absorbs the body of the dead crumbs. One big tree can become the last shelter for dozens of babies …
But this, as they say, is still a flower, and if to be frank, such a burial of babies is not without a certain meaning and sad harmony. The situation is different with the fate of all the other Toraj.
Unburied corpses are just sick relatives
After the death of a person, his relatives carry out a number of special rituals, however, do not always embark on this immediately. Cause lies in the poverty of the majority of the population, which, however, it has long been used to and therefore is not trying to fix its position. However, until the relatives of the deceased collect the necessary amount (and very impressive), the funeral cannot take place. Sometimes they’re put off not only for weeks and months, but even for years …
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Throughout this time, the “burial awaiting” is in the house where he lived before. After death, the Toraj embalm their deceased to prevent decomposition of bodies. By the way, such the dead – not buried and in the same house with the living – consider not lifeless mummies, but simply sick people (?!)
But the necessary amount has been collected, the ritual of sacrifice has been completed, performed ritual dances and everything that is required for this occasion strict rules established by the ancestors of Toraj many centuries ago. By the way, the funeral in Sulawesi can last several days. Ancient legends say that earlier after performing all the ritual procedures the dead themselves went to their resting places …
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The graves for the deceased toraj hollow out in the rocks, on the famous height. True, again, not all, and if the family is very poor, she just hang on a rock a wooden coffin. Being near this “graveyard”, a European tourist can easily lose consciousness when as hanging from a rotten coffin or even falling onto the earth of someone’s remains …
But that is not all. In August of each year, restless torajs removed from the graves of their relatives to wash them, bring in order, put on new outfits on them. After that, the dead are carried through the entire settlement (which is very much like a procession of zombies) and, laying in coffins, buried again. This inconceivable ritual for us wears the name is manne.
The return of lost corpses
Toraj peoples villages were built on the basis of one family, almost each of them was one separate family. Villagers tried not to go far and stay on their own “range”, because they believed that the human soul after death should stay with your body for a while before heading to puya, that is, a haven of souls.
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And for this you need to be near your loved ones, who will hold all the necessary ceremonies. If a person dies away from home village, it may not be found. In this case, the soul unfortunate forever stuck in his body.
However, the Toraji has a way out in this case, although this the ritual is very expensive and therefore not accessible to everyone. By At the request of the relatives of the missing person, the village sorcerer calls soul and dead body back home. Hearing this call the corpse rises and, staggering, begins to wander at him.
People who notice his approach are fleeing in order to warn about the return of the dead man. They do this not out of fear, but in order so that the corpse is at home as soon as possible (nothing hurt him) and the rite was performed correctly. If someone touches the wandering of the corpse, it will collapse again. That’s the warning ahead of the running about the procession of the dead man and that you can’t touch him in any way case …
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… You have amazing feelings, presenting a similar picture. And the very attitude of these people towards death is not at all weak. emotions. But besides shuddering, indignation and resolute rejection, whether involuntary respect for those who managed to stir in the soul make death an integral, familiar part of everyday life and thereby defeated the eternal horror of man before her? ..
Time
