Indonesians probably think it’s odd that we buy
a massive and expensive wooden box to put our bodies in before we leave them to
rot. They probably find it perverse that we all dress in black and sing hymns
to a Christian god whilst our loved one is set on fire. They probably
think it’s weird that we leave flowers above the area of earth that our
relative’s burnt remains lie.
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As far as Indonesians are concerned, the
spirits of the dead are always with them anyway. So bringing out the corpses in
this Ma’nene ritual is just a nice reminder of the person they used to
know and love. Even if they did die 100 years ago!
The Toraja people have animist beliefs
called Aluk To Dolo (“Way of the Ancestors”) and funerals are a
big part of life. They are spread over a few days and hundreds of people
attend. Because they cost so much they are often held weeks or even months
after the deceased has passed so that they can save up the money to pay for
it. Ma’nene is an extension (a very long extension) of the funerals.
The highlight of their expensive funerals is a
mass slaughtering of water buffalo. The more important the person who has died,
the more buffalo are hacked up with machetes.
Once Ma’nene is over, the bodies are
placed back into their freshly cleaned coffins and laid back down to rest.
Oh well, I guess stranger things have happened
at sea…
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