Tag Archives: funeral

Tana Toraja: Journey to the afterlife

In Indonesia’s Tana Toraja, it is traditionally believed that death is not a sudden, dreaded event, but a gradual process toward Puya, the land of souls or afterlife. When a death occurs, the community comes together at the sound of a gong to do what they can to guide the deceased to their ancestors in the afterlife, which is said to lie to the south of the homeland. Oft times, the funeral does not happen until months after the death as the family waits for all the relatives…