GET TO KNOW MA’NENE RITUAL FROM TANA TORAJA

         Hundred years ago, an animal hunter named Pong Rumasek, was hunting in a forest in the Balla mountains. While hunting, he found a neglected dead body that had turned into bones, and his heart was moved, so he decided to take care of it by putting on his clothes to the dead body. It is said since then, his hunting results and harvest was always abundant. A ritual then was born, called Ma’nene, which is held every three years in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi.

            The ritual starts with the family members of the deceased visit the Patane cemetery. Before opening the graves, the tribal elders then read a prayer and then start to take out the corpses. The corpses are then lined up to be cleaned and given new clothes. After all of that has been done, the corpses then will be put again inside the graves. During this part, the men will form a circle formation while dancing and singing to grievance song, the purpose then is to comfort the family left behind. This ritual ends with Sisemba, which is a grand meal prepared by each family who participated.

           It may sound scary for outsiders, but for the locals, it is a meaningful tradition portraying the importance of relationships between family members, especially for those who had passed away. Furthermore, this ritual makes it possible for younger generations to know who their ancestors were.

References

https://www.liputan6.com/news/read/4533804/manene-dan-tradisi-mayat-berjalan-di-tana-toraja

https://www.merdeka.com/travel/suka-duka-ritual-manene-tana-toraja.html

https://kumparan.com/kumparantravel/mengenal-manene-ritual-mengganti-pakaian-mayat-di-toraja-sulawesi-selatan-1tBLo7QWmt8/4

https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/04/17/053000278/ma-nene-suku-toraja-ritual-bersihkan-jenazah-untuk-hormati-leluhur-tetap?page=all