The Palace of the King Tedong SALEKO
Jakarta (Indonesia Mandiri) – Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi Province has many natural and cultural charms that have always been a tourist attraction. One of them is the uniqueness of the expensive buffalo which is usually shown and sacrificed in funeral ceremonies or Rambu Solo' of the Toraja tribe.
For the people of Toraja, buffalo is not an ordinary animal. In this ceremony, a buffalo is sacrificed in a funeral ritual. But the buffalo is also interpreted as a symbol of strength to ride spirits to Nirvana.
The indigenous people of Tana Toraja believe that the buffalo is not only a symbol of prosperity. In the procession of the death of the Toraja people, the more buffalo that are sacrificed, the better the life of the deceased in the afterlife.
So in Toraja, buffalo is known as Tedong. There are various types of tedong in Toraja, such as:
• Tedong Bonga
• Tedong Lotong Boko
• Tedong Sambo Batu
• Tedong Balian
• Tedong Pudu'
• And Tedong Saleko, who has his own palace, where he is cared for and settled. (FMawero)
Photo: Special