On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, in the Toraja region, people celebrate a multi-day ceremony called Manene. Hundreds of dead bodies are unearthed and dressed as part of solemnity to honor the spirits and make offerings.
The coffins containing the preserved bodies of their loved ones are brought out of a burial cave carved into the side of a mountain.
The Torajans hold the view that once a person’s soul has been immortalized, their spirit still resides in this world before departing for the spirit world during the burial rites.
Families keep the body until they have saved enough money for an elaborate funeral.
Subscribe to YouTube Channel at Switch TV.
Although the burial sight is horrifying and gory for Western tourists, the locals are more than eager to clean the remains, take pictures, and pray for the souls of the deceased.
Death is not viewed as a taboo topic in Sulawesi.
It is a constant presence in day-to day life and is etched into the landscape in the form of statues made of wood that were commissioned by the bereaved to honor the deceased.
It’s not that Torajans don’t grieve for their departed loved ones. The progressive and never-ending character of the change from one world to another however, softens the process.
And when a baby dies, the body is sometimes buried in a hole carved out of the trunk of a tree so that the two may live on and grow together.
The manene ceremony, in which remains are exhumed from graves, dressed in new garments, and occasionally carried through the village before being placed to rest for a few more years, draws a large influx of tourists every August, making this a busy time for nearby guesthouses.
