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The buffalo is the most important animal in the life and culture of Toraja
People. Like rice, the ancestor and functions of the buffalo are explained
in the creation myth. The buffalo has many uses and its ancestor
is called Manturini.
In daily life the buffalo privodes meat which is available in the towns of Makale and Rantepao. Buffaloes are rarely used in plowing the rice fields. Some of the owners even spoiled them. force feeding them and giving a good care. Finally, buffaloes are most highly prized for its ritual value especially in the death ritual.
In the death ritual, certain parts of the
buffalo's meat are used as kande to mate, ' the food of the dead'
. After slaughtering the buffalo, the to mebalun ( the death priest
)
cooks a bit of its kidney, liver, lungs
etc., in a bamboo container. These and palm wine are offered the dead.
The buffalo's second function involves
indentification with the dead. On ma'karu'dusan
day, ' the day when the dead' is officially
stated as truly dead' ,one buffalo is sacrified.
With the death sacrificial buffalo, the
human's death is considered official. Hence, relatives of the dead may
not eat the meat of buffalo although others may eat it.
Besides being offered to the dead as food offering, the buffalo is also a provision of the soul in the next world.
The buffalo is also valued in the social
life of Toraja People and represents social status. During the funeral
ceremony the family of the dead will kill as many buffaloes as possible.
The more buffaloes killed he more powerful the dead. The power and size
of the dead and his family are measured by the number of animals sacrified.In
addition,
social reciprocity is executed through
the exchange of buffaloes ( and pigs ) during the funeral ceremony. People
their the animals as gifts to one's funeral, which he repaid later when
some one of their own group dies.
Buffaloes serve as the basis for the allocation
or inheritance. The more buffaloes a son or daughter contributes to his
or her parents funeral the more inheritance he or she will obtain. Buffaloes
with their many fuctions are thus valued as wealth and power.The cost of
buffalo varies in accordance with its size, spots, type of horn and shape
of hump. For the common black buffalo, the price ranges from Rp. 2.000.000,--
to Rp.10.000.000,--.
One of the most expensive buffaloes
is spotted buffalo, the cost of which may range from Rp. 8.000.000,-- to
Rp. 15.000.000,-- One spotted buffalo may be exchange for 10 or 15 black
buffaloes. Castrated buffaloes are also expensive because it is slaughtered
only at high class ceremony. All these buffaloes are available at the animal
market in Rantepao.
It is important to note that the buffalo is also used as a price index. If one wants to buy a price of land the cost is counterd in buffaloes. The penalty paid by the mariage partner who is responsible for dissolving the marriage bond is counted in buffalo as well.
In addition to the funeral ritual, buffaloes may be sacrificed at other rituals such as a new house construction ceremonies and harvest ceremonies but not for marriage ceremonies.
Pig ranks as the second most important animals after the buffalo. This animal is sacrified at all rituals. At the death ritual, pig is used as the food offering of dead.At the house ceremony plenty of pigs are killed. Pork is regularly sold in the market.
Other animals that play important roles in the culture of Toraja are fowl and dog. At funeral ceremony both of these animals are killed. Fowls are also used as offerings to gods.
Dog meat is available only at certain restaurants in Rantepao.
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