Where: Indonesia, Sulawesi, Tana Toraja, Pangala People: Torajans Religion: Aluk To Dolo (Way of the Ancestors) Ritual: Ma’nene
Ma’nene 1 – Palau and Tandi
Palau died a year earlier, and his son (Tandi) and wife (Sarah) and other family members perform a Ma’nene ceremony, cleaning Palau’s body and drying him in the sun.
Tandi told me they did the Ma’nene ceremony to celebrate Palau and that he was happy to see his father again. Tandi would like to perform a Ma’nene ceremony with Palau every year. But, as a part of the ritual he must kill a pig as a sacrifice for Palau, making the ritual very costly for the family.
At a Ma’nene ceremoni, families gather and open the family tombs, bring out their dead relatives, clean them and dress them up in clean clothes and dry them a bit in the sun. Before they are put back, the family members are having pictures taken with them. It is believed that it brings luck honouring your ancestors in this way. In some places the Ma’nene ceremony is held every year and in other places every second or third year – and only when the rice has been harvested.
The Torajans believe that the Ma’nene ritual is based on an old mythical tale about a hunter, Pong Rumasek, who was out wandering in the mountains. Here he came across a dead person, whom he wrapped in his own clothes and buried. Since then, luck and happiness smiled upon him and his family.
Thank you to Palau and to Tandi and his mother for letting me document the Ma’nene with Palau.
And thank you to my guide, fixer, translator and friend Yacob Kakke.
As water can ruin the corpses, the Ma’nene ritual is only held in sunny weather.Bodies are preserved with formalin right after death.During the Ma’nene ritual, the ancestors are treated with great respect and reverence.The bodies of the ancestors are dried a bit in the sun.Tandi is carefully cleaning his father.Tandi and his mother are posing with Palau.In Tana Toraja, death is definitely not a taboo, and children are welcome at the ceremonies.After a few hours, Palau is back in his coffin.Tandi is having last moment for now with his father.The ritual at the grave site is over.
