Travel Indonesia Haiku - Pallawa, Tana Toraja (South Sulawesi) Poem by john tiong chunghoo

the mosses on
the tongkonan roof
thick as its years

Pallava tongkonan
the children dance and swirl
with imitation red ikat

the children trail away with
the names of world's countries
as we start going home

china, switzerland, japan...
toraja children guessing the countries
we come from

The tongkonan house is the traditional house of the upper class of the toraja people in Tana Toraja, the highlands of South Sulawesi. Its roof curve up at both ends making it look like a comfy saddle ready for a ride. The house faces the North as that is the direction of their Gods. The back faces the South as they beleve that where paradise is.
Torajas are also famous for their extensive expensive burial rites that would last for at least a week. They are usually carried out between July and September, after the harvest season. Many domestic animals especially buffalos are butchered.
The dead bodies are sometimes kept in the house for decades while the family raise the money for the rite. Toraja dead are buried in liang (cave tomb) carved out of the cliffs of hills or mountains. Each liang would be used to bury an entire family as the Torajas believe that a family lives together until after their death.
Pallava which has numerous old tongkonans is a popular tourist area. Adults as well as children run around selling their ikat, most of which are machine made fabrics styled after the handwoven ikat, toraja traditional fabrics.