the houses of toraja

the etnic groups in the mountain regions of southwest and central sulawesi (celebes) are known by the name of toraja, which has come to mean "those who live upstream" or "those who live in the mountains". their name is in fact derived from the word Raja, which in sanskrit means "king" . the society is hierarchically structured, the noblemen are called rengnge, the ordinary people to makaka, and the slaves to kaunan. birth determines which rank a person will occupy. the distinctive features of a traditional houses (tongkonan) of the toraja are the "bufallo horns", the bufallo is a symbol of status, courage, strength, and fighting spirit. designed as a representation of the universe, the tongkonan is constructed in the parts, the upper world(the roof), the world of humans (the middle of the building), and the underworld (the space under the floor). the highly distinctive roofs constructed by the toraja have given rise to various ingenious interpretations. certainly the roofs is something of deep significance for the toraja, and even today the build "modern" (in other words houses built with cement) houses with such roofs. end.. by. goblog