Indonesia - Sulawesi

Tana Toraja - Torajan graves

As with their funerals, Torajan graves are also distinctive. Where-ever you travel in Toraja, you will see these tombs, which are usually carved out of rock. The Torajan landscape is littered with huge boulders and you'll find that many of these boulders have 'doors' which are the entrances to vaults where the Torajan keep their dead. The tombs are chiseled out of the solid rock by hand. Generally, a tomb may be big enough to hold a dozen or more coffins. On top of, or beside the boulders, you may see small structures shaped like the traditional tongkonan houses. These are biers used to transport the coffin from the place where the funeral is held to the burial place. In addition to the tombs themselves, long balconies are carved into the solid rock. Along the balconies are placed wooden dolls called tau tau. The statues are about half life-size or a little bigger, and are dressed in clothes similar to the deceased person they represent.