Toraja Funeral Celebration: Exploring Tradition and Culture in Indonesia 🇮🇩 Sulawesi Travel Vlog

Exploring Toraja On Our Own: • Culture Shock in TORAJ...
Exploring Toraja With a Guide: • Visiting a Dead Person...
Our homestay: www.homestay-toraja.com/
Our guides on Instagram: @toraja_local_guide @nepakkumanjafamilyhome
In this Indonesia Travel Vlog, we finally make it to a funeral ceremony in Toraja! The funeral ceremonies in Toraja are famous because of how elaborate they are. They involve the sacrifice of buffalo (sometimes hundreds of buffalo) and the funerals can cost hundreds of thousands of USD. You can see in our earlier videos how much the buffalo cost and more of the Torajan culture.
We left our homestay early to buy a gift for the family of the deceased. Our guide had us buy a carton of cigarettes to give them. We then continued to drive our motorbike through Toraja until we came to the funeral. Our guide brought traditional funeral clothes for us to wear which was nice. We put those on and then entered. The funeral started with all the guests entering. Some of them were carrying pigs as a gift for the family. Many of the pigs would later be eaten for lunch by all of the guests!
As all of the guests were arriving, our guide took us around to show us some other areas at the funeral. There was a huge kitchen full of tons of locals volunteering to cook food for all the guests. It was amazing to see how many people volunteered their time to help the family. Next to the kitchen there was a soursop fruit tree and a cacao tree. Our guide cracked open the cacao so we could try the fruit inside. It was amazing that it tasted so sweet and fruity - the opposite of cacao!
Next we walked up the hill to the place where the men were preparing the pigs as food for lunch. They took the donated pigs, butchered them, and cook them inside a bamboo stick. The bamboo pork sticks are called papillon and are traditional from Toraja. We thought some of the things there were really interesting like the balloons for children and that the family had their own videographer to make a video of the funeral ceremony. Our guide then brought us inside the traditional Tongkonan house to visit with the deceased. He had only been living in the house for 2 months which our guide said is pretty quick to do the funeral already.
Then it was lunchtime. We ate some traditional Torajan Indonesia food like the bamboo roasted pork and a spicy mushroom dish. This was actually our first time eating with our hands too!
After lunch it was time to prepare for the buffalo sacrifice. At this funeral there was only one buffalo to be sacrificed, however some funerals can have hundreds of buffalo. It was really hard for us to watch as we had never seen anything like that before....but it was also so interesting that there were even children there watching it so you can see how it is so normal for them as they're brought up in this culture. It was so scary to hear how dangerous it is to be the one to sacrifice the buffalo, but it was nice to hear that the buffalo meat is then shared with the whole community.
It was hard to watch, but we were glad to learn more about this interesting culture.
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00:01 Intro
00:32 Leaving the Homestay
00:56 Buying a Gift
01:14 Driving in Toraja
01:42 Arriving at the Funeral Ceremony
01:48 Changing into Funeral Clothes
02:36 Funeral Guests Arriving
03:03 Gift Exchange
03:48 Family Entering the Funeral
04:12 Welcome Drinks and Cookies
04:54 Pig Donations at Funeral
05:33 Toraja Funeral Kitchen
06:04 Trying Fresh Cacao Fruit
07:25 Preparing the Pigs in Bamboo Sticks
07:57 Funeral Balloons
08:06 Torajan Funeral Videographer
08:32 Visiting the Deceased
10:28 Lunch Time
10:58 Bamboo Roasted Pork
11:58 Trying the Torajan Pork
12:16 Spicy Torajan Mushroom
12:54 Trying to Eat With Our Hands
14:10 Getting Ready for the Buffalo Sacrifice
14:59 Scary Stories of Buffalo Sacrifices
15:51 Buffalo Sacrifice
16:21 Thoughts After the Sacrifice
#torajautara #tanatoraja #sulawesi #buffalo #funeral #indonesia #culture

[@NataliesPassport]

Don't miss our other videos from Toraja! Exploring On Our Own: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWHUnHSnlLeWaM0 Exploring With a Guide: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqrHh6ucfd6Ai7c Our homestay: www.homestay-toraja.com/ Our guides on Instagram: @toraja_local_guide @nepakkumanjafamilyhome

[@portal.unique]

Toraja Coffee is one of the best coffees from Indonesia, besides Gayo coffee from Aceh, Luwak Coffee, and Mandailing Coffee

[@NataliesPassport]

The coffee was amazing!! The coffee shop we went to in our first Toraja video had AMAZING coffee that tasted chocolatey 😍

[@ostynkstudio]

10:50 tabe tabe tabe. Those are the polite words comes from sulawesi/celebes island. Thats mean they respect both of you as their guest. Nice gesture❤❤

[@NataliesPassport]

So nice! 😍❤️❤️

[@richpt3646]

Toraja is actually one of the main supplier for coffee of Indonesia starbucks and some even exported to its international branch

[@NataliesPassport]

The coffee there was so good! 😍

[@rohanijesika]

It so amazing, this is the first time I saw foreigners being able to take part in an event that could be said to be sacred, moreover they also welcomed you very well. Even I, who am an Indonesian, have never seen a traditional Toraja funeral ceremony like that, you guys are really cool ✨

[@NataliesPassport]

It was amazing to be able to see in person!

[@absolutegreen1]

believe it or not tjis is the first time ever i see the torajan funeral ceremony... thx u for the video

[@NataliesPassport]

Thanks for watching 🥰 it was definitely an experience!

[@iwanroman-]

I am Toraja, welcome to Toraja and enjoy the tour & culture. I'm sure you will be happy😇😇

[@NataliesPassport]

Thank you! 😊 our time in Toraja was amazing😍😍

[@narougdetyodthongdee3420]

ขอบคุณ​สำหรับ​คลิป​วีดีโอ​ที่น่าทึ่ง​ ้เป็น​อีกหนึ่งวัฒนธรรม​ที่น่าจะเก่าแก่ของอินโดนีเซีย​ที่ไดรับชมเป็นครั้งแรก​

[@NataliesPassport]

It’s such a unique culture! We had so much fun learning about it 😍

[@Bagasmara]

You are so lucky to witness Torajan funeral and learn about their culture. Salute

[@NataliesPassport]

We were so lucky! It was an amazing time in Toraja! ❤️

[@user-wl2kw3ch9v]

Indonesia has many tribes, cultures, religions, mutual respect, tolerance I hope you are happy, sorry if something is not good while in Indonesia

[@NataliesPassport]

We’d love to explore some more unique cultures in Indonesia! 😍

[@maksumzaifudin5859]

Happy 78th Indonesian Independence Day. MERDEKA 🇮🇩🇮🇩🇮🇩

[@NataliesPassport]

🎉🎉🎉

[@orangdalam33]

You guys are so lucky

[@NataliesPassport]

We were so lucky we got to see so much in Toraja ❤️

[@novaajiadi5626]

Rare moment, amazing❤️❤️❤️

[@NataliesPassport]

It was an experience! ❤️

[@AndiAqmarFala]

16:29 haha I know that feeling~ when I went to Toraja I also avoided seeing it because I've watched it on the internet before, not scared or disgusted but just uncomfortable

[@NataliesPassport]

That was the first time I’d ever seen anything like that in my life 😱

[@thandjoenk]

Love your voice, Nat. The laughs.

[@NataliesPassport]

Thank you 🥰🥰

[@Ishowsloow07]

Itulah adat istiadat tradisi brbagai suku di Indonesia.masih melestarikan budaya gontong royong atau saling membantu suka relawan 😊,dan kalo ada tamu wajib di kasi suguhan minum makan atau makanan ringan tamu adalah raja ,inilah Indonesia slah satu knp org" dluar sana sangat cinta Indonesia ramah indah ,suka menolong dll msh bnyk lagi kelebihan Indonesia

[@NataliesPassport]

That’s an amazing tradition to have! I wish people were that helpful in more cultures around the world ❤️

[@jillerci4856]

Yea,I am from toraja

[@marisstella300]

Papiong and pammarasan yummy 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 i like 😁😁😁🙏🙏😘😘

[@NataliesPassport]

Yummy but SPICY! 😅🤣❤️

[@jejakedwin]

finally I get to see a little bit of what a funeral ceremony in Toraja is like. Thank you Natalie and Carles for making this video.

[@NataliesPassport]

Thanks for watching 🥰🥰🥰

[@nSappe]

Such an amazing video 🥰

[@NataliesPassport]

Thank you 🥰

[@dyon7630]

Great coverage indeed. Enjoy your trip in Indonesia.

[@NataliesPassport]

Thank you! 🥰

[@mauricegibrielamin8665]

Wow amazing culture

[@NataliesPassport]

It really is! 😍

[@owenlantu192]

Most of the Toraja tribes are Christian. You have to go to Manado and the people are Christian too. Have a nice trip to all of you. Indonesia is a very large country with more than 17.000. big and small islands with their different cultures, traditions and each other's customs.

[@NataliesPassport]

We would love to visit nort Sulawesi but we didn’t have time… Hopefully the next time we visit Indonesia.❤️❤️

[@yermianiko3717]

welcome to toraja, one of the most beautiful places in south sulawesi,hope you enjoy it,Kurre Sumaga' 🙏

[@NataliesPassport]

Toraja is amazing! 😍

[@kilantravels]

Glad that you were able to see a glimpse of Torajan funeral. The entire ritual goes on for days, and yes, just like you said it gets bloody real fast. As visitors (even a domestic one like me) we just need to understand that it’s their culture. The bloodfest is definitely not for the faint hearted like yours truly, so travelers beware! Sorry you didn’t enjoy your Pa’piong Bai, Natalie! It’s actually one of my favorites, although the ones sold at roadside stalls are probably better than one served at a funeral. That Pangi Pamarrasan looks really similar to mushroom, huh? 😁 It’s actually made from a fruit called Pangium edule, the seeds which we use for cooking while the fruit itself needs to be processed before consumption.

[@NataliesPassport]

Oh wow I didn’t know pangi pamarrasan was a fruit 😱 so cool! Also I don’t really eat much meat so it’s not anything against the pa’piong, it’s just me 😅❤️❤️

[@simpleman6327]

You are very brave to watch the buffaloes sacrificing. Although I am a man, I can't handle that stuff. Yet, I respect the Torajan culture and tradition. It has been around for hundreds of years.

[@NataliesPassport]

It was hard to watch, but we felt like we had to see it while we were there ❤️

[@w7class]

The kill is not instant, so this is considered inhumane and disrespectful.

[@muejif1455]

I'm miss Ceremony Loncat Batu.☺️👍🏻✨

[@NataliesPassport]

We don’t know about that one 😱

[@lauraharsoyo7288]

Love your videos on Toraja ❤

[@NataliesPassport]

Thank you! 🥰 we had such a great time learning about the culture there!

[@maulidarizqi2307]

You should visit the bajo tribe in sulawesi, the tribe who inspired the avatar's film, and have a good spot for diving

[@NataliesPassport]

That sounds amazing! 😍😍😍

[@dhedezhuhendar]

Jangan lupa berkunjung ke gunung nona di kabupaten enrekang tetangga kabupaten toraja 😊😊

[@NataliesPassport]

Hopefully one day! ❤️

[@MasOne88]

Finaly di upload juga . Sangat mengesankan mengetahui budaya Toraja Carles kelihatan sedang tidak sehat dan kecapean . Sehat selalu buat kalian berdua jaga kondisi

[@NataliesPassport]

We were traveling SO much in Indonesia, we didn’t have a lot of time to rest 😅 although there’s so much to see that we had to see as much as possible!!! 😅❤️❤️

[@dorapohan6780]

I felt sad 😢 witnessing the sacrifice of buffalo. But, it is what it is….life circle.

[@NataliesPassport]

It was hard to see, but we wanted to see as much of the Torajan culture as we could while we were there ❤️

[@surockboyo0078]

Tetep semangat tetep sehat Natalie dan carles Enjoy

[@NataliesPassport]

❤️❤️❤️

[@-ukmkotabandung-9560]

❤❤❤❤❤ Budaya di Indonesia ,jika memberi atau menerima menggunakan tangan kanan .... Semangat ...

[@NataliesPassport]

❤️❤️❤️

[@FREDWALKERINDO]

Budaya emang selalu menarik untuk di pelajari.

[@NataliesPassport]

It really is! 😍

[@mamunarifin7684]

Tomorrow is independence day🇮🇩❤ Are you still in sulawesi!? Bcs so many traditional event all over indonesia🎉🎉

[@NataliesPassport]

Aww we’re actually not there anymore 🥺 the celebrations looked amazing! 😍

[@kedaikopiomdnxkopi2169]

You know, You booth awesome, thanks to explorer Indonesia

[@NataliesPassport]

❤️❤️❤️

[@rinoyudha6985]

You are so lucky

[@NataliesPassport]

We were very lucky to get to explore Toraja! 😍

[@cahyospn723]

Manado, best place❤

[@NataliesPassport]

Hopefully we can visit next year ❤️

[@skylink22]

Envyyy😢 I’ve never been in this ceremony before

[@NataliesPassport]

It was definitely an experience! ❤️

[@edowisata98]

Terimakasih telah mengenalkan budaya daerah bahkan negara kami ke dunia

[@NataliesPassport]

❤️❤️❤️

[@ardiations]

Wow You two looks cool in that clothes, I want that shirt that Carles wore, but i think I'm not alowed to wear it outside of a funeral 😄

[@NataliesPassport]

Thank you 🥰 we’re not sure about the rules, maybe you can 😅

[@muejif1455]

Jumping Stone.Ceremony year Weding Merit..😁😊

[@masheri4537]

❤️👍

[@NataliesPassport]

❤️❤️❤️

[@orangpinggiran136]

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰👍🏻♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@NataliesPassport]

❤️❤️❤️

[@korcichanel9387]

Terima kasih karna anda berdua telah memperkenalkan Kampung kami ke dunia. Btw kalian pasangan yang serasi

[@NataliesPassport]

Aww thank you 🥰 we had a great time learning about Toraja! We have two other videos from Toraja where we drove all over on a motorbike! 😍

[@vs123]

I like see cultural

[@NataliesPassport]

Toraja has the most unique culture we’ve ever seen! 😱❤️

[@vs123]

@@NataliesPassport yes

[@amossirante2630]

Terima Kasih sudah berkunjung ke Toraja. Berkunjunglah lagi dilain waktu. Semoga Sukses dan sehat selalu.

[@NataliesPassport]

I would love to go back to Toraja! We had a great time there 😍

[@RamonJulian_]

Today is Indonesian Independence Day🇮🇩

[@NataliesPassport]

Happy Independence Day! 😍🎉🎉🎉

[@StudioRD99]

wow.. that was a great experience

[@NataliesPassport]

It was 🥰

[@geona.p]

❤

[@NataliesPassport]

❤️

[@muejif1455]

Amazing..Loncat Batu..😁

[@adolfoescobar3935]

Watching your videos from Manila Philippines.

[@NataliesPassport]

Aww thanks for watching 🥰

[@dedekaswar9879]

Thank you for showing us Toraja way of burying the dead..

[@NataliesPassport]

It’s such a unique culture. We were so glad we got to learn about it 😍

[@bayulimitedid9130]

How long will your holiday in Indonesia last? I hope you make episodes in Indonesia up to 100 episodes. your viewers and subscribers on average mostly from Indonesia around 80%  😊❤

[@NataliesPassport]

Aww our visa in Indonesia was only for 2 months! 🥺 hopefully we can visit again next year ❤️

[@andiwandi8724]

Even me as a indonesian .. i cant see the buffalo like that

[@NataliesPassport]

It was hard to watch 🥺

[@user-jv7gx2if3d]

❤❤❤

[@NataliesPassport]

❤️

[@epistolamatius3204]

My home town nice place

[@NataliesPassport]

It’s a great place! 😍

[@aguswisnu6179]

again 😊 1st comment here

[@NataliesPassport]

🎉🎉🎉❤️❤️

[@Ranteallo]

Saya asal Toraja selamat datang di Toraja dan nikmati wisata dan budaya Toraja

[@NataliesPassport]

Thank you 🥰🥰 we had a great time in Toraja! 😍

[@professartyt4501]

Im hereee🎉

[@NataliesPassport]

🎉🎉🎉❤️

[@RafaelRian-gs5zu]

❤❤from Toraja good tradisional😊😊

[@NataliesPassport]

❤️❤️❤️

[@randymalik4453]

Hallo....Natalie and Carles 👍

[@NataliesPassport]

Thanks for watching 🥰

[@Dablan_AmaOla]

Alangkah baiknya jika menerima/memberi barang menggunakan tangan kanan.ini sudah tradisi di Indonesia,karna jika menggunakan tangan kiri dianggap tidak sopan Enjoy kalian berdua❤️❤️👍

[@GreatThanos]

Ya emang tidak sopan untuk sesama orang Indonesia, namun untuk orang asing masih bisa di maklumi.

[@NataliesPassport]

Ahh we keep trying to remember to do that more 😭

[@Dablan_AmaOla]

@@NataliesPassport no problem👍❤️❤️😁

[@ibrahimadiyatma3729]

The chocolate is come from the cacao seed. They fermented it, dried, roasted and the last one is grinded.

[@NataliesPassport]

So good 😍

[@dandanramdhanik7720]

COFFEE MANA COFFEE☕🇮🇩 ✅

[@NataliesPassport]

The best coffee! 😍

[@sharmashortvid2593]

Hi dear come india mumbai banglore kerla very beautiful your welcome 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@NataliesPassport]

We’d love to visit one day! 😍

[@sharmashortvid2593]

@@NataliesPassport great 👍

[@alipandowo3391]

indonesia fod no spicy no party

[@NataliesPassport]

So true! 😅❤️

[@officialr2l949]

I wish you showed everything on this video 😢

[@NataliesPassport]

Aww I don’t think we could show the whole thing 🥺

[@ardyadi7906]

Intinya kerja sama Dan berkumpul dengan rokok itu yang utama dalam pergaulan Berteman Di negeri ini....

[@NataliesPassport]

😅 that’s funny but I get it!

[@ardyadi7906]

@@NataliesPassport lanjutkan

[@UrangMahGabut]

how shocked you were when the machete slashed the buffalo, so did the pig😢

[@NataliesPassport]

🥺 it was hard to watch that part!

[@ajieanindito5566]

I prefer Nat’s dress more than Carles’s. He looks like a security guy

[@NataliesPassport]

😅 aww lol we didn’t pick them ❤️

[@w7class]

I "studied" this documentary thoroughly, i have to say this custom despite the way it is flourished it is still macabre, along with "ma' nene" custom!... Dead person inside the house for a couple of years and this is ok?... 😮

[@NataliesPassport]

It’s definitely a really unique culture!! It was hard to understand before we visited Toraja, but that made us enjoy learning about the culture firsthand even more! I definitely think about it differently now than I did before I went there 😊

[@idk8828]

i watched goats (and a buffalo once) getting slaughtered like that when i was a kid every Ramadhan and i felt nothing. but after getting pet dogs i just feel my love and sympathy for animals grew bigger, and if you ask me to watch it again i will definitely say no.

[@NataliesPassport]

Aww yes we’ve both had pets our whole life so we get that 🥺❤️

[@zaenalarifin-jc3wh]

Kemana tujuan selanjutnya.🤔

[@NataliesPassport]

We have a really fun video from South Sulawesi coming next! 🤗🤗🤗😍😍

[@fansmilitan2701]

My advice is that if you give or receive something with your left hand it should be accompanied by saying 'sorry I use my left hand' because the majority of people in Indonesia consider receiving or giving something with their left hand to be impolite, enjoy your life while in Indonesia and explore the various cultural diversity in Indonesia 😁

[@NataliesPassport]

Thanks for letting us know 😅❤️

[@kiarariski2953]

we complaining about very short video..

[@NataliesPassport]

Sorry 😅 the video tomorrow will be longer! ❤️

[@niningnurftriani1369]

What the next destination??

[@NataliesPassport]

We’ll have a new video up tomorrow 🥰

[@Ishowsloow07]

Tolong buat org Toraja emng harga rokok td dsna 240ribu? Mahal amat klo emhg sgtu kayak d bodhi gak si mrka beli rokok mahal,

[@GreatThanos]

Itu pasti 1 slop "10 bungkus". Ga mungkin mereka cuma nyumbang 1 bungkus rokok doang. Karna harga 1 slop rokok emang sekitar segitu harganya. Lagian itu di translate nya kan bilang seikat rokok, ya pasti 1 slop.

[@Ishowsloow07]

@@GreatThanos oh maksi info nya bang, klo bgt msuk akal si ,kali aj kn cm dksi satu bungkus shrga sgitu ,sory bang sya bukan org Toraja JD gk trlalu paham JD maaf ya gpp kan nanya td,

[@NataliesPassport]

Ah yes, it was a big carton of cigarettes, not just one pack ❤️❤️

[@Dohawo]

I can understand how you fel when you see Buffalo sactificing. I dont like that kind of tradition too. I think Indonesian goverment have to make regulation about this kind of tradition. I dont think so that its good idea to kill animal in front of people

[@NataliesPassport]

It was hard to watch, but it’s been part of their tradition for years that I’m not sure it would be good for people outside of Toraja to try to change it 🤔🤷‍♀️

[@amriltarigan487]

I'm Indonesian but I'm not impressed about how they sacrifice those innocent buffolo i would never tolerated this cruel and unhamanity action even for their cultural purpose👎

[@NataliesPassport]

It’s the part of their culture that we were most nervous to see 😬 we just tried to have an open mind at the funeral ceremony ❤️

[@seniorclubber9904]

I don't know if the ceremony is cruel or not, since I never watch it with my own eyes. But for me its like a buffet for the event, but u can see the whole progress. I also can't stand to watch it, except for the mosquiotoes. No mercy for them!

[@amriltarigan487]

@@NataliesPassport they were christian though but they preserve this occultism from they ancestors but they prefer is part of their legacy cultural from generation. And for me as a Christian it seem not right 🙏

[@muhamadAhsan-uq8tr]

❤️❤️❤️

[@NataliesPassport]

❤️❤️❤️