In an earlier post I said that I was going to describe the funeral practices of the people of Toraja, a people from the Island of Sulawesi. Their burial practices go back to their pre-christian days. Here is the Wikipedia description of the Torajan funerals, which, I have been told by the native Torajans I know, is pretty acurate:
In Toraja society, the funeral ritual is the most elaborate and expensive event. The richer and more powerful an individual, the more expensive his or her funeral. In the aluk religion, only nobles have the right to have an extensive death feast.[23] The death feast of a nobleman is usually attended by thousands and lasts for several days. A ceremonial site, called rante, is usually prepared in a large area of grass field where shelters for audiences, rice barns, and other ceremonial funeral structures are specially made by the deceased family.
The ceremony is often held weeks, months, or years after the death so that the deceased family can raise the significant funds needed to cover funeral expenses.[24] Torajans traditionally believe that death is not a sudden, abrupt event, but a gradual process toward Puya (the land of souls, or afterlife). During the waiting period, the body of the deceased is wrapped in several layers of cloth and kept under the tongkonan. The soul of the deceased is thought to linger around the village until the funeral ceremony is completed, after which it begins its journey to Puya.[25]
Another component of the ritual is the slaughter of water buffalo. The more powerful the person who died, the more buffalo are slaughtered at the death feast. Buffalo carcasses, including their heads, are usually lined on a field waiting for their owner, who is in the "sleeping stage". Torajans believe that the deceased will need the buffalo to make the journey, and that they will be quicker to arrive at Puya if they have many buffalo. Slaughtering tens of water buffalo and hundred of pigs using a machete becomes the peak of the elaborate death feast, along with dance, music and young boys who catch spurting blood in long bamboo tubes. Some of the slaughtered animals are given by guests as "gifts", which are carefully noted because they will be considered debts of the deceased family.[26]
There are three methods of burial: the coffin may be laid in a cave, in a carved stone grave, or hung on a cliff. It contains any possessions that the deceased will need in the afterlife. The wealthy are often buried in a stone grave carved out of the rocky cliff. The grave is usually expensive and takes a few months to complete. In some areas, a stone cave may be found that is large enough to accommodate a whole family. A wood-carved effigy, called tau tau, is usually placed in the cave facing down over the land.[27] The coffin of a deceased baby or child may be hung from ropes on a cliff face or from a tree. This hanging grave usually lasts for years, until the ropes rot and the coffin falls to the ground.
So there you have it. Funerals ala Toraja. Kinda makes the old ham buns at the typical CRC funeral seem a bit boring in comparison. If American Christians were to slaughter hundreds of Cattle and Hogs at a funeral, I perhaps would have my own Pastor/Meat Man business.
Jonathan
P.S. Notice that there is no "Vegetarian option" or Chicken on the menu. Chickens must be an inferior species:)
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