Ma'Nene: A Traditional Procession of Respect to the Ancestors

Tana Toraja is known for its various cultural heritage which is very rich and certainly has its own uniqueness. The cultural heritage of Tana Toraja was successfully made into a part of tourism activities in the Tana Toraja region, making it one of the mandatory destinations to visit when visiting South Sulawesi.





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Rambu Ceremony Solo is the activity most known by the tourists. The ceremony of death is held royally and spend a considerable amount of funds that have a special attraction for local and foreign tourists. But there is one more ritual from Toraja which is also related to the death of a very dear to miss when visiting the region of Tana Toraja. Ma'Nene, that is the name of this ritual known. This ritual is an activity to clean the bodies of the ancestors who have died hundreds of years. Although there are not many who perform this ritual, but in some areas such as Pangala Village and Baruppu still carry it out regularly every year.

The procession of the Ma'Nene ritual begins with family members who come to Patane to retrieve the remains of their deceased family members. Patane is a family tomb that resembles a house. Then, after the body was removed from the grave, then the body was cleaned. The clothes worn by the bodies of the ancestors were replaced with new cloth or clothing. Usually this ritual is performed in unison of one family or even one village, so the event also lasted long enough. After the new clothes are attached, the body is wrapped and put back into Patane. Ma'Nene procession series closed with the gathering of family members at traditional home Tongkonan to worship together. This ritual is usually done after the harvest period, approximately in late August. Consideration because in general the families who migrated out of town will pulag to the village, so that all families can attend to make this Ma'Nene procession together.

Ma'Nene's ritual is more than just cleaning up the body and putting on new clothes. This ritual has a more meaning, that is reflects how important the relationship between family members for the Toraja community, especially for relatives who had first died. The Toraja community shows an unbroken inter-family relationship despite being separated by death. This ritual is also used to introduce young family members with their ancestors. [Rizal / IndonesiaKaya]

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