Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine June 2018 | Page 120

118
Travel | Tana Toraja
1
2
“It would be impossible to lose your sense of direction
in Tana Toraja,” says guide Andi Aminullah, as the car twists
and turns along the rippling banks of rice paddies. “If you
notice, every one of the traditional houses faces north!”
One glance down the valley shows that this
is true: the great sweeping roofs all point
south to north. Some say that these iconic
roofs represent the horns of buffalo, but to
me they look much more like the great hulls
of boats. From the air, the landlocked hills
appear to be covered in a great stranded
fleet of galleons waiting for high tide to start
sailing. Terraced paddies swirl like waves
around the great tongkonan (as these houses
are known) and their attendant squadrons
of similarly shaped rice barns.
My guide’s voice breaks into my maritime
reverie: “It’s part of the ‘beliefness’ of people
here that the first Torajans came from China.
When they arrived on the coast of Sulawesi,
they turned north and sailed up the Saddang
River.” The story goes that when they reached
the mountain passes in what is now Tana
Toraja their boat crashed on the rocks. So they
raised their boat up on stilts and used the hull
as a roof. Even today, all boat-shaped houses
are still built to face in the northerly direction
as if waiting to continue their journey.
It took more than 300 years after the first
Europeans arrived on Sulawesi for them
to discover Tana Toraja. The remoteness
and seclusion of the area is still part of
the adventure of getting there, but today
the drive from Makassar, the largest city
on Sulawesi, only takes about nine hours.
The road trip along the eastern fringe of
Bantimurung–Bulusaraung National
Park includes some of the most spectacular
landscapes I’ve seen in all of Indonesia:
in this area, so famous for its rich culture
and colourful traditions, the landscape
is merely an unexpected bonus.
Andi Aminullah – “Call me Ullah,” he says,
“like Oooh-lah-lah” – guides for Asia experts
Backyard Travel and is one of the most
experienced guides in Sulawesi. Despite being
a Bugis, his enthusiasm and respect for
the unique Toraja culture are immediately
apparent. “It’s one of the most incredible
parts of the entire country,” he says.
“I’ve been guiding here for almost 25 years
and every time I come there’s something
more to learn about the fascinating
culture and lifestyle.”
Tana Toraja is becoming an increasingly
popular destination, especially with European
visitors, with one of the main attractions
being the dramatic, age-old traditions around
the magnificent and elaborate funeral
ceremonies. Of course, there is never a
guarantee that a ceremony will be taking
place, but we are in Tana Toraja territory for
less than 20 minutes when our driver Ali
spots the telltale sign of a ribbon of bright
scarlet that signifies a funeral procession
marching along the flank of a little valley.