A Wonder of Diversity

"Hey, so what's Indonesia culture like?"

The answer to that question became much more difficult to succinctly answer after a recent trip.  

I went to the island of Sulawesi.  The funky looking island in the center of the map.

I visited an area called Toraja (where the yellow marker is on that island). 

Famous for its cultural/religious practices in regards to the dead, National Geographic has filled there and it is one of those "must-see" places in Indonesia. 

Luckily, I spent my week off the tourist trail.  It ended being an incredible experience of community unparalleled as I just lived alongside the people of Toraja.

You know, I was going to write about the communal ways people life in Java (my part of Indonesia) and then I was told in Toraja that, "you have not seen anything yet!"  In fact I was told that in Java people are individualistic.  Not sure what that makes Westerners then...

I experienced spectacular communal ways of living.  People's entire lives are directed to help each other.  The funeral event is the climax of family loyalty, community care and mutual loving.  It's hard to describe what it looks like and how it influences me.  That's why I mostly just sat still and in awe the entire week.

Here is a go at words and pictures...

This was my front yard for a week.  Traditional homes and traditional rice storage buildings with the massive roofs and intricate wood carving loomed above all of life.
    

See my eyes...that's me and the buffalo communicating.  This beast stayed in good terms with me.  The next day, as I walked towards one on a road, communication deteriorated so badly and quickly with a buffalo that I leaped into the ditch escaping imminent impaling from a delinquent buffalo.
Try to picture it, it will be worth it.   

With almost fairy-tale quality, I strolled through the hills.  And over every hill was a church and not a single mosque.  The people here are uniformly Christian, but historically animist.  The fields of rice, next to traditional homes and storing rooms with roads winding up and down valleys were lovingly shared by the Torajan people.

So loving were they, with such emphasis on inclusion that I was accepted as a family member after the 3rd day.  They told me to tell my mom/dad at home that I have family in Sulawesi.  Amazing!  

Stacked up on the traditional homes are buffalo horns.  The more you have, the wealthier.  The bigger they are, the wealthier you are.  This collection would be the result of one funeral event. Yes, they killed 28 buffalo at one funeral for one person.  These are mounted on a home that is loyally passed on to each generation.  In the past, the more buffalo meant better chances going to heaven, since they met Jesus, that has changed. 

For the funeral event that I attended, over 20 buffalo were slaughtered 'center stage' with everyone from 3 years old to 93 years old watching keenly.  An all black buffalo costs about $3000 and a white faced one about $9000.  Then put those numbers into Indonesian buying power and its even more ridiculous to the foreign onlooker.  An good income for a rice farmer, like many people living in Toraja, is $100-150 a month.
Think about that.  People lives, their work, money and time, are completely orientated and dedicated to those whom have passed away.  Wild!

I became gravely concerned when I realized that the only body part not being cooked in the buffalo meat stew was the horns.  Here you can see the bowels are being emptied into the wheel barrow, then given a nice rinse and then cooked up.  The 30-odd pigs killed for the event also were dissected and prepared in a similar way.  

Among the pools of buffalo blood and screeching pigs, I led many a procession of 300 + guests to the buffalo/pig meat feast.  The funeral was for a women who passed away 4 years ago.  They wait so that all preparations can be made, while the cloth coffin has been waiting in the attic of a home for the entire time. Dressed up in Torajan fashion, I walked a snail's pace solemnly.  It was an incredible privilege to have such a central role in pinnacle event of the week long funeral activities.   A Canadian tourist snapping photos asked me, "so, you got married into the family here?"  Nope, but got adopted into the family after 3 days.  

I was blessed by not being a tourist.  By living with the community, I understood there hearts and lives intimately.  I would just sit in the river bank watching people wash their buffalo faithfully every day.  We would watched when the buffalos were slaughtered.  We would sit next to their buffalo and watch them eat.  We all got some buffalo meat to take home that attended the event. This will may sound funny, but the way that the people lived with the buffalo was quite spiritual.  Anything you spend so much time and money one ends up being very spiritual.  Just like shopping, due to the time and money put into it, can be very spiritual.  Just that they are putting all their time and money into a great act of love for each other and the one whom has passed away.    

Buffalo fighting was another traditional funeral activity in a week full of rich tradition. And where would that happen?  Right in the rice paddy.

I don't want to brag at all, but ummm......I got a raw half of a pigs head as a good bye gift.

Beautiful Torajan fashion!

Dear mom. Every rule you told me growing up about how to eat, I know break every day.  Some may say its uncivil, but I prefer to say its fun.  I eat like a cave-man, but (still!) without a beard.  When I am back home, excuse when I eat noodles and rice with my fingers or when I prefer to chew things off of large bones.  Love, Jason.  

So when you come up to me and ask, "hey, so what's Indonesian culture like?"  

And then I pause and think for a bit. 

The above experience is one reason why.

Indonesia is huge and diverse!

Just look at the map at the top.  The five major islands of Indonesia dominate the screen.  I have now been to three of the big 5.  And those are only 5 of the more than 17,000 islands in Indonesia covering 5,300 km west to east.  6000 of those islands have people on them that come from over 300 ethic groups and speak over 700 languages.    

For the above pictures, just remember I didn't live there for the year and that this is one ethnic group speaking speaking one language in one mountain range within the mosaic that is Indonesia. 

And for all the rest of the pictures from the past months, nearly all are from one part of one island native to a few languages and ethnicity. 

Anyone want to come back to Indonesia with me to see the rest of the 17,000 islands?