The Ma’nene Festival: An Odd Tradition Practiced in Indonesia Every Three Years

Although the majority of the 650,000 Torajan people are either Christians or Muslims, a minority still observes “Aluk Todolo” or “The Way of the Ancestors.”

The people would then parade the corpse of their relatives throughout the village. They follow a straight path believing that it will connect them with Hyang. Hyang is a spiritual being with supernatural powers who only moves in straight lines. While the parade transpires, some fix the graves and coffins of the dead.

The Torajans will place the body of the dead in a large cave on top of a cliff until the funeral rite is finished. This is when the dead’s journey to “the land of the souls” begins.

Before, effigies called tau tau were on the balcony of the tombs, watching over the cadavers.

Torajans created them for members who had high status in the community. However, many of them were stolen; hence, some families decided to just keep them in their homes.