Kete Kesu Village

Kete' Kesu Kampung Budaya Toraja

Mendiang Petrus Kasa Ranteako, mantan Kepala Desa Talung Penanian, Kecamatan Randan Batu, Kabupaten Tana Toraja Utara, Sulawesi Selatan, meninggal enam bulan lalu. Tapi jenazah baru diupacarakan Kamis 20 Februari 2014 petang. Presiden SBY dan Ibu Negara Hj Ani Yudhoyono menyaksikan prosesi pemakaman yang dikenal dengan istilah Rambu Solo.

Upacara adat ini diawali dengan Mapa Pangan, keluarga mediang beriringan membawa persembahan berupa Tedong Bong atau kerbau belang dan babi. Dilanjutkan dengan Ma' Badong, pembacaan syair dan doa. Lalu kerbau ditambatkan pada tiang di lapangan.

Saya ingin menyampaikan ucapan duka cita dan belasungkawa kepada keluarga besar almarhum. Semoga almarhum hidup tenang di dunia yang diberkati oleh Tuhan, kata Presiden SBY dalam sambutannya.

KeTe Kesu (Tana Toraja)

Ke'te' Kesu' is the most complete settlement and the village is over 400 years old. The site consists of a compound of houses and rice granaries, burial place (with tau-tau effigies placed in front of the ancient cliff graves + modern mausoleums for the now Christian Toraja), ceremonial ground, ricefields and water-buffalo pasture.

The village is comprised of eight “Tongkonan”, set in rows facing each other, complete with connected rice barns. The walls of the Tongkonan are adorned with beautiful carvings and buffalo horns, which serve as a mark of the homeowner’s status. A Tongkonan is the traditional house of the Torajan people, distinguished by its oversized boat-shaped roof. The construction of Tongkonan is a laborious task, and usually requires the help of all family members. In the original Toraja Society, only those of noble blood were given the right to build Tongkonan, while the common people lived in smaller, less elaborate houses.

The face of the nearby cliff is hollowed with caves, which are ancient crypts. The caves were carved by masters of their skill, and take many months to make. According to tradition, those of noble status were buried in higher holes, while commoners rested at the foot of the hill. Torajans believe that the higher one is buried, the easier the pathway to Paradise. Haunting, life size tau-tau, which are effigies of the dead, perch high across face of the cliff. Built to resemble the deceased, they stand watch outside each tomb, as symbols of each cave’s “inhabitants.”Some of the tombs are secured with iron bars to prevent the theft of these. Coffins also hang from the walls of the hill, shaped in various forms of dragons, pigs, and buffalo. The wooden crates were engraved with great accuracy and beauty, but are now crumbling with age.