{"id":8429,"date":"2016-04-26T11:37:10","date_gmt":"2016-04-26T10:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/?p=8429"},"modified":"2020-11-02T17:50:13","modified_gmt":"2020-11-02T17:50:13","slug":"life-beyond-the-realm-sulawesi-indonesia-holiday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/life-beyond-the-realm-sulawesi-indonesia-holiday\/","title":{"rendered":"Sulawesi’s tribal culture is a lifelong travel experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sulawesi<\/p>\n

\u2018Grandpa\u2019s sleeping up there with the children.\u2019 My guide said. \u2018But he\u2019s been dead for three years… Well sort of.\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

So sets the scene for my perplexing visit of Sulawesi with its intriguing concept of life and beyond.<\/p>\n

\n

As an Indonesia travel specialist, I wanted to uncover a side to the country not seen by most travellers. Sulawesi\u00a0seemed like the perfect place to explore.\u00a0An island sandwiched between the more famous islands of Borneo and Papua New Guinea, it has been rather overlooked despite the variety\u00a0of experiences on offer.\u00a0\"Map<\/p>\n

Sulawesi is home to\u00a0the elaborate funeral rites of the of the Toraja people, the 400 stone megaliths of Lore Lindu National Park and world class diving sites, not to mention beautiful mountainous landscapes, colonial history and beaches. I was tasked with investigating the activities on offer and find the most interesting and enriching experiences. Since coming back all I can say is, \u2018where to begin?\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Tourist

Becky at a Toraja village<\/p><\/div>\n

What has made Sulawesi particularly famous are the incredible funeral rites of the Tana Toraja people, living in the south of the island. They certainly made a big impression on me.<\/p>\n

\u2018The funeral traditions date back to ancient times, before the Dutch converted islanders to Christianity and it\u2019s important for our identity,\u2019 explained\u00a0my guide. \u2018It\u2019s believed locally that your soul doesn\u2019t pass on until you have had a proper funeral and so until then you are, in one sense, still alive on earth.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Sulawesi

Sulawesi Malakiri village funeral by Mark Stratton<\/p><\/div>\n

Indonesia is a spiritual place with the predominant religion being Islam while Christianity in South Sulawesi has stayed strong since the Dutch occupation in the 1900s. Hearing this before visiting I thought great, myself and the locals will have a culture in common. Boy was I wrong! I found the traditional western Christianity had merged with local tradition to become something of an incredible hybrid.<\/p>\n

\"Sulawesi

Malakiri Village Funeral taken by Mark Stratton<\/p><\/div>\n

Certainly the funerals are quite the opposite to those we are used to in the UK; they last several days and include the sacrifice of dozens of cows (which is rather gruesome and not for everyone), dancing, chanting and feasting. The main event is the burial of the ancestors, usually placed in a coffin on a cliff edge or in a stone tomb. The whole funeral is an incredibly expensive affair where honour and status is intricately woven into proceedings. This means that very often Toraja people are embalmed for some years until their families can afford the correct proceedings and until then they can live\/exist in traditional longhouses amongst the family until all is ready.<\/p>\n

\"Visit<\/a><\/span>