Advertisement
Published: April 21st 2011
As you travel from Tentena to Rentapao you will notice a shift from Muslim to Christianity with some villages displaying a large Crucifix in their front yard as well as the symbolic Crucifix lining the streets. I wondered as I was sitting in the bus watching the crosses fly past one after another like a flicker in a film, how & why is religion so intoxicating & consuming to some?
Why does religion have to mean fanaticism & absolutism?
In 2005 there was unrest in Palu, Poso, Tentena and surrounding districts between the Muslims & Christians which, resulted in a hideous bomb attack in Palu on Christmas day killing 8 people coupled with a bomb attack in Tentena killing 22 people. Such occurrences attract negative press within our western media leaving us, westerners little understanding of what is actually happening in such countries. When I first mentioned I was travelling to Indonesia I was met with a lot of negativity from friends & family. Now that I have travelled through Bali, Java & Sulawesi I have more acceptances of Indonesian people and their culture. Regardless of religion or the difference of, I have found Indonesian people most welcoming, friendly,
Toraja
Miniture effergies. Life like dolls are carved when a person has passed. This is placed at the grave site. This is tradtion that is precticed along side Christianity.helpful and patient with their western travelers. I have learnt from them & been inspired by them and as for the women of this country, I will try to take a leaf from their book each day. Their strength & resilience has made a profound effect on me & I have seen firsthand what women are capable of.
Poso was the first place in Indonesia where I was asked what religion I was! It would seem in these parts that the Christians are out and proud and not afraid to wear their Cross on their lawns as well as their chests. Today in Tana Toraja 90% are Christian & 10% are Muslim, the two religions seem to co-exist peacefully although I sense a little competition with the vocal abilities come prayer time.
Although Tana Toraja is not well known to the western traveler, it is a frequent destination for the Indonesian People as it offers an experience into Indonesian Culture that has been unspoiled and continues today. When I first arrived in Tana Toraja I was curious how Christianity had landed in such a remote & isolated part of Indonesia. I was even more curious as to how the
Toraja people managed to maintain their former belief, aluk todolo (old religion) & practice Christianity simultaneously. The answer literally is embedded in the mountains & cliffs and their story will be told and retold for centuries to come. Whatever higher power has drawn you to Toraja, it will unfold as a mystical place with a culture that is so diverse & ancient that you can't help but immerse yourself in its wonders.
The Toraja people have lived in the isolated mountainous regions of Sulawesi for hundreds of years. The word Toraja is derived from the southern slang meaning, “mountain men" or "hillbillies". It is believed that the traditional Tongkonan house with its boat shaped roof symbolizes the arrival of the Toraja people by boat more than 600 years ago. It is possible that the Toraja people originated from China and when Islam landed in Sulawesi in the 16th Century, the Toraja people did not welcome it at all. I read a quote that perhaps it was their love of palm wine & pork that deterred them from Islam which would stand to reason as the consumption of both is still widely practiced. Following the next 200 years there were many
struggles and this drove the Toraja people deep into the mountains where the land and valleys were protected behind fortified walls in the guise of rugged cliff faces.
Mid 17th Century the Dutch arrived and ruled over Sulawesi bringing with them, Christianity! The Christian Missionaries tried unsuccessfully to convert the Toraja people by trying to stop the elaborate funeral ceremonies which saw the sacrifice of water buffalos and pigs, it wasn't until the Dutch "permitted" the sacrifices during funeral rituals did they become successful in converting the Toraja People to Christianity. This in short answered my initial question about the harmonious way the people have embraced Christianity whilst keeping intact their customs & traditions.
I was raised as a catholic but have since developed my own beliefs, philosophies and self-awareness however due to some very devastating news from back home I found myself attending a Church Service in Rentapao. As I walked into the local Christian Church for 5 o'clock mass I was immediately aware of how familiar it really was. Jesus Christ adorned the wall with all the trimmings you would find in a Christian church at home. I sat for the service and listened to harmonious singing
and regardless of where my faith is now, right then, that day I needed to believe again and found comfort in the only familiar place miles from home.
After the service I decided to walk off my thoughts & stroll through down Town Rentapao where I was met with the prayer calls from the local mosque and Christians selling keyrings with the face of Jesus Christ on them as well as traditional trinkets of the Toraja culture and I thought to myself, only in Toraja would you experience all this so close, so together and thankfully, at the moment, so peacefully!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.068s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 12; qc: 26; dbt: 0.0346s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Mum
non-member comment
What a beautiful experience for you
Hey Min....another part of your journey where you have found peace in yourself...its a beatiful story and loved all the photos...so proud of you my girl...xxxx