The Houses of the Toraja

The ethnic groups in the mountain regions of southwest and central Sulawesi (Celebes) are
known by the name of Toraja, which has come to mean "those who live upstream" or "those who
live in the mountains". Their name is in fact derived from the word Raja, which in Sanskrit
means "king". The society is hierarchically structured: the noblemen are called rengnge, the
ordinary people to makaka, and the slaves to kaunan; birth determines which rank a person will
occupy. 

The distinctive features of the traditional houses (tongkonan) of the Toraja are the "buffalo
horns", the roof design and the rich decoration on the walls. The buffalo is a symbol of status,
courage, strength and fighting spirit. 

Designed as a representation on the universe, the tongkonan is constructed in three parts: the
upper world (the roof), the world of humans (the middle of the building), and the underworld
(the space under the floor). The highly distinctive roors constructed by the Toraja given rise to
various ingenious interpretations. Certainly the roof is something of deep significance for the
Toraja, and even today they build "modern" (in other words houses built with cement) houses
with such roofs.

The Houses of the Toraja

                   The ethnic groups in the mountain regions of southwest and central
Sulawesi (Celebes) are known by the name of Toraja, which has come to mean “those
who live upstream” or “those who live in the mountains”. Their name is in fact derived
from the word Raja, which in Sanskrit means “king”. The society is hierarchically
structured: the noblemen are called rengnge, the ordinary people to makaka, and the
slaves to kaunan; birth determines which rank a person will occupy. The distinctive
features of the traditional houses (tongkonan) of the Toraja are the “buffalo horns”, the
roof design and the rich decoration on the walls. The buffalo is a symbol of status,
courage, strength and fighting spirit. Designed as a representation on the universe, the
tongkonan is constructed in three parts: the upper world (the roof), the world of humans
(the middle of the building), and the underworld (the space under the floor). The highly
distinctive roors constructed by the Toraja given rise to various ingenious
interpretations. Certainly the roof is something of deep significance for the Toraja, and
even today they build “modern” (in other words houses built with cement) houses with
such roofs.
Dalam bahasa indonesia
         
                Gedung Toraja Kelompok etnis di daerah pegunungan sebelah barat daya dan tengah
Sulawesi (Celebes) dikenal dengan nama Toraja, yang telah datang berarti "orang-orang yang tinggal di
hulu" atau "orang-orang yang tinggal di pegunungan". Nama mereka sebenarnya berasal dari kata Raja,
yang dalam bahasa Sansekerta berarti "raja". Masyarakat adalah hirarki terstruktur: para bangsawan
disebut rengnge, orang-orang biasa untuk makaka, dan budak KAUNAN; kelahiran menentukan peringkat
seseorang akan menempati. Fitur khas dari rumah-rumah tradisional (tongkonan) dari Toraja adalah
"tanduk kerbau", desain atap dan dekorasi kaya di dinding. Kerbau adalah simbol status, keberanian,
kekuatan dan semangat juang. Dirancang sebagai representasi dari alam semesta, tongkonan tersebut
dibangun dalam tiga bagian: dunia atas (atap), dunia manusia (tengah bangunan), dan dunia bawah
(ruang di bawah lantai). Para roors sangat khas dibangun oleh Toraja menimbulkan berbagai penafsiran
cerdik. Tentu atap adalah sesuatu yang penting dalam untuk Toraja, dan bahkan hari ini mereka
membangun "modern" (dengan kata lain rumah yang dibangun dengan semen) rumah dengan atap
tersebut.
South Sulawesi (Indonesian: Sulawesi Selatan, short form Sulsel) is a province of Indonesia,
located on the western southern peninsula of Sulawesi Island. The province is bordered by Central
Sulawesi province to the north, South East Sulawesi province to the east and West Sulawesi
province to the west (West Sulawesi province was split from South Sulawesi in 2004). It is the most
populated and densest province on Sulawesi Island, its capital, Makassar, is a major regional center
and the largest city on the island. The Selayar Islands archipelago is part of the province.

TONGKONAN TRADITIONAL HOUSE

One of Famous Ethnic group indigenous in South Sulawesi are  Toraja.  Their population is
approximately 650,000, of which 450,000 still live in the regency of Tana Toraja ("Land of
Toraja").Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs
known as aluk ("the way"). The Indonesian government has recognized this animist belief as Aluk To
Dolo ("Way of the Ancestors").

Coffin Carriage
The word toraja comes from the Bugis language's to riaja, meaning "people of the uplands". The
Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909.Torajans are renowned for their
elaborate funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses
known as  Tongkonan, and colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social
events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days.

Before the 20th century, Torajans lived in autonomous villages, where they practised animism and
were relatively untouched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries first worked to
convert Torajan highlanders to Christianity. When the Tana Toraja regency was further opened to
the outside world in the 1970s, it became an icon of tourism in Indonesia: it was exploited by tourism
developers and studied by anthropologists.  By the 1990s, when tourism peaked, Toraja society had
changed significantly, from an agrarian model — in which social life and customs were outgrowths of
the Aluk To Dolo—to a largely Christian society.

History of Tongkonan House 

Head Cow Ornament as Symbol Leader

The word 'Tongkonan' is derived from the Toraja word tongkon (‘to sit’). Tongkonan are the center of
Torajan social life. The rituals associated with the tongkonan are important expressions of Torajan
spiritual life, and therefore all family members are impelled to participate, because symbolically
the tongkonan represents links to their ancestors and to living and future kin.
 Rice Barn
According to the Torajan myth, the first tongkonan house was built in heaven by Puang Matua, the
Creator. It was built on four poles and the roof was made of Indian cloth. When the first Torajan
ancestor descended to earth, he imitated the heavenly house and held a big ceremony, An
alternative legend, describes the Toraja arriving from the north by boats, but caught in a fierce storm,
their boats were so badly damaged that they used them as roofs for their new houses.

In front there tongkonan rice barn, called 'Alang'. Poles are made of rice-palms ('Bangah') is
smooth, so the mice can not go up into the barn. At the front of the barn there are a variety of
carvings, including a picture of chicken and sun, a symbol to resolve the matter.
 Coffin Bearers
The Toraja of Philosophy, Tongkonan regarded as the 'mother', while the rice barn/Alang as the
'father'. Tongkonan works for residential, social activities, ceremonies, and the foster family. The
interior is divided into three sections, namely northern, central, and south. Room in the north
called 'tangalok', serves as a living room, where children sleep, also a place to put offerings.
Tengahdisebut the room 'Sali', serves as a dining room, family gatherings, where lay the dead, also
the kitchen. The south room is called 'sumbung', a room for the head of the family. South of this
room is also considered a source of disease.

The dead bodies/corpse are not buried immediately but

they keep in tongkonan. Before the funeral, the corpse are
regarded as 'sick people'. In order not to foul, the corpse
was embalmed with formalin such traditional ingredients,
which are made of betel leaves and sap of banana. If the
funeral will be conducted, the corpse will keep in the rice
barn as long 3 days. Toraja traditional coffin
called 'Erong', shaped pig for the female and buffalo for
men. For the nobility,  the Erong shaped like as  traditional
house.
 Grave
There are three types of Tongkonan, as
such; 
1. Tongkonan layuk is the house of the highest authority and it is used as the center of
government. 
2. Tongkonan pekamberan, which belongs to the family group members, who have some
authorities in local traditions (known as adat). 
3. Tongkonan batu, which belongs to the ordinary family members.

Construction of Tongkonan House 

 Tongkonan Old House
Tongkonan are customarily built facing north-south. Dominating the entire structure is the
saddleback roof with gables that are dramatically upswept. The internal space is small in comparison
with the overwhelming roof structure that covers it. Interiors are typically cramped and dark with few
windows, however, most of daily life is lived outside the homes, with interiors simply intended for
sleeping, storage, meetings and occasionally protection.

A large tongkonan can take a crew of ten about three months to build and another month to carve
and paint the outside walls. Bamboo scaffold is erected for the duration of the construction phase.
Traditionally tongue and groove joinery has been used without the need for nails. A number of
components are pre-fabricated with final assembly in-situ. Although built on a log-cabin style sub-
structure, tongkonan are set on large vertical wooden piles with mortises cut into their ends to grasp
the horizontal tie beams.
 Shack
The tops of the piles are notched for the longitudinal and transverse beams that support the upper
structure. The remainder of the sub-structure is assembled in-situ. The transverse beams are fitted
into the notched piles, and then notched to fit the longitudinal beams. Side panels, which are often
decorated, are then formed on these main horizontal beams. The distinctive curved roof shape is
obtained through a series of vertical hanging spars supporting upwardly angled beams. A vertical
free-standing pole supports that portion of the ridge pole extending beyond the ridge purlin. Bamboo
staves bound with rattan are assembled transversely in layers and tied longitudinally to the rafters
forming the roof. The under roofing is of bamboo culm. Wooden boards laid over thick hardwood
joists form the floors. Nowadays, zinc roofing sheets and nails are increasingly used.

In larger Tana Toraja villages, houses are arranged in a row, side by side, with their roofs on a north-
south alignment with the front gable facing north. Opposite each house is the family's rice barn,
or alang customarily a symbol of family wealth, and together they form a second row of parallel
buildings. Houses of the Mamasa Toraja, however, are orientated to the direction of the river with
their rice barns aligned perpendicular to the house.
 Tongkonan House Village
The tongkonan at Ke'te' Kesu' is reputed to be 500 years old; too old to trace a direct descendant
from the founder to maintain the title that goes with the house. The buildings themselves, however,
are constantly maintained and renewed, thus this age refers to the length of time years for which that
particular site has been used as a meeting place.

Ornament of Tongkonan 
 Ornament on Painting Process
Gables and the outside walls of tongkonan (im kool) are often decorated by red, black, and yellow
colored wood, with patterns carved into it. Toraja society, however, is highly hierarchical and
traditionally villagers have traditionally only been able to decorate their houses in a manner to their
social status. Most carvings on tongkonan represent prosperity and fertility with the individual
designs represent what is important to the particular family. Other houses have no carvings or
painting; their surfaces are simply bare weather-worn timbers.
 Exterior Ornament
Circular motifs represent the sun, the symbol of power. Golden kris ('daggers') motifs symbolise
wealth. Geometric spiralling designs and motifs are used that include buffalo heads - representing a
prosperity and ritual sacrifice. Cockerels are represented in the colours of red, white, yellow and
black; colors which represent the indigenous Toraja religion the Aluk To Dolo (the Way of the
Ancestors).

Black symbolises death and darkness; yellow, God’s blessing and power; white, the colour of flesh
and bone symbolising purity; and red, the colour of blood symbolising human life. The pigments are
sourced from common materials; black from soot; white from lime; red and yellow from colored
earth; and tuak (palm wine) is used to strengthen the colors.

Many of the motifs are identical to those on Dong Son kettle drums whereas other motifs. Another
source of the motifs is thought to be Hindu-Buddhist, particularly the square cross motifs that may
have alternatively been copied from Indian trade cloths. Christian toraja use the cross as a
decorative symbol of their faith. Payment for the decorating artists has traditionally been in the form
of buffalo. Water is also a common theme in designs and represents life, fertility and prolific rice
fields. Buffalo horns hung in a vertical array on the front gable are a sign of prestige and are
customarily used to signify the wealth of the household. Furthermore, a buffalo head made from
painted wood and buffalo-dung, but crowned with real horns, is mounted on the façades.

KARAMPUANG TRADITIONAL HOUSE

 Karampuang House
In addition to the home Toraja, South Sulawesi have ancient house that supposedly is a meeting
place of the kings of the tribe of Makassar (Karaeng), and the
kings of Bugis (Puang), so finally called Karaengpuang or Karampuang, The house is located in
Tompo Bulu Village of sub-district Bulupoddo approximately 30 km from the downtown of Sinjai.
Karangpuang is a name of a sub-village, which has unique history and culture. 

Floating House
The originality of the culture is still maintained, even, to date. The area where the followers of the
cultures are resided is deemed as a special territory of the karangpuang Tribe in which two
traditional Houses are constructed with ancient Buginess architecture. One of the house is occupied
by To Manoa (king) and the other is occupied by Gella (chief of tribe government). The tradional
house of karampuang, basically, symbolized a woman. It is made traditionally derived from the tribe
forest. When the houses need to be renovated, the wood should be taken also from the tribe forest.
The wood should be pulled manually and not allowed to be put one one shoulder. The ceremony of
moving the wood by pulling from the forest to the traditional house is recognized as Madduik.

Floating House
The other uniqueness is that the tribe apparatus of karangpuang is still complete and well
maintained and functional from generation to generation until now. The lifestyle of the community to
present is still original despite of their willingness to open to the globalization wind. Of ten lontaraks
document (manuscript written in traditional character) held by the chairman of tribe board, it is
mentioned that the first man (To Manurung) in Sinjai comes from Karampuang, popularly known as
Karampulu’e. The place where the first man come to is also recognized as te meeting place between
Karaeng (Makassar) an Puang (Bugis).

That is why that finally the place is named Karampuang. One of the tourism agenda.which every one
can view in the Karampuang Territory is ritual ceremony of Mappagau Sihanua (One Village Party),
which is always attended by thousands visitor from anywhere as it is deemed as one of the ritual
activities in expressing the gradefullnes upon their success in harvesting. The traditional ceremony is
carried out for one week. During the ceremony, various attractions are also presented. The peak
ceremony is conducted in the top of karangpuang Mountain.
Bugis Boat Handmade