The Perfect Place to Explore Cirebon

Anyone who has ever been to Cirebon knows that this city on the north coast of West Java is full of interesting places to visit, many of which are somewhat hidden and just waiting for you to explore.

For centuries, Cirebon has been a busy trading port, particularly since the arrival of Islam in the 15th century. Cirebon is a melting pot of many cultures – Javanese, Sundanese, Chinese, Indian, Arab – and it retains a unique character as a blend of these varied cultures. The name "Cirebon" itself means "mixing place".

Nowadays, easy access by land transport, suitable and sufficient accommodation, the excellent seaport, and the tolerant populace all make the "shrimp city" a great place to visit. Add to this the many visual and performing arts, culinary tourism, handicrafts, and architectural heritage tourism to not one but three kraton (palaces – Kasepuhan, Kanoman, and Kacirebonan) as well as relics from the Dutch colonial period. It's not surprising that so many people visit Cirebon, whether in transit, for business, on religious pilgrimages, or just for tourism. One visit isn't enough to savor all the city has to offer.

And the Hotel Santika Cirebon is right in the middle of all this excitement. The hotel, with 87 rooms and suites, is located in the city center [Jl. Dr. Wahidin No. 32, Cirebon 45122 Tel: +62 231 200570] yet has a relaxed atmosphere, making it a perfect choice for those visiting Cirebon. The hotel's special touch of service will be sensed immediately by visitors arriving by train, because the Hotel Santika Cirebon has a lounge in the Cirebon train station and provides transit service between the station and the hotel.

For guests coming for business, seminars, product launches, wedding receptions or similar events, the hotel's largest hall, Balai Agung Linggarjati, can accmmodate up to 700 persons. Other meeting rooms include the Manganti Room and the Paseban Room, with a capacity up to 100.

The hotel, whose lobby's unique design is shaped like three mountains, is also fully equipped with a swimming pool, fitness center and sauna, and the Arum Sari Restaurant, offering both Indonesian and international delicacies. And the Segara Bar is a great place to relax and chat with friends or business colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere with live music.

Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival

Dates: 6-8 March 2009
Venue: Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta

This annual festival has become the most prestigious and eagerly awaited event of the year for music lovers. This year, the fifth, the theme will be "It's a Lifestyle".

Created by Indonesian jazz enthusiast Peter F. Gontha, the festival always manages to bring in world-class musicians to delight audiences. This year's schedule includes Jason Mraz, Brian McKnight, Swing Out Sister, New York Voices, Ivan Lins, Matt Bianco, Isao Suzuki, Mike Stern, Oleta Adams, Peabo Bryson, David Garfield, Chieli Minucci & the Special EFX, and Ron King Big.
As well as featuring top-rate musicians, this year the organizers are introducing special features making the festival different from previous years. One is lower ticket prices, so that all music lovers can afford to attend.

In addition to presenting exciting jazz performances, the aim of the festival is to bring together various musical approaches from different cultural backgrounds, creating harmony from the range of cultures for everyone to enjoy.

The organizer, Java Festival Production, maintains its resolve to make this an international-class festival as part of the effort to promote Indonesia internationally and as a genuine manifestation of diplomacy for our beloved country.

So mark these dates on your calendar and get ready to mix with the top-class musicians at the Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival!

For information, visit www.javajazzfestival.com

Celebrating Contemporary Indonesian Art

Text by Bambang Asrini Widjanarko

Contemporary art, with its tremendous variety of forms and expressions, is the destiny of Indonesia's artistic heritage, as proven in this exhibition.

Perkampungan Dadu by Miswar.Once upon a time, a western scholar came to Indonesia. Claire Holt was her name; she was a researcher from Cornell University. She became renowned for her book Art in Indonesia: Continuities and Change (1967, Ithaca, New York), which is an interesting reference because it is considered a seminal text in the study of modern art (and explored the emergence of "contemporary art") in Indonesia.

Holt concluded that in its essence, modern Indonesian art reflects the creativity and exploration of the artists, who are open to absorbing the aesthetic influences of the past while still inspired by the spirit of the present.

Indonesian art is a "mosaic" of what has become our "local visual artistic treasury" over hundreds of years, combined with an exploration of the artistic values of world art (particularly from the west) that it encountered during a "short period" in the 19th and 20th centuries as part of the process of awakening of national, anticolonial awareness. India, China and the Middle East were among the sources that provided the earlier background to our visual arts.

"Indonesia Today", an exhibition of works by 25 Indonesian artists with Galeri Linda as the host, is taking place in January and February 2009 at the Eunos Technolink complex (Kaki Bukit Road) and on Dempsey Road, Singapore.

The show seeks to provide an overview of the latest developments in contemporary Indonesian art. The theme "Indonesia Today" is chosen to give a glimpse of just some of what is happening now, as our art world nowadays is far richer than in the past. Artists are free to present their individual visual languages, which approach various aspects of public space, such as politics and sociocultural issues, while also entering very private spaces as well, in the most internal, exclusive aspects of their own selves.

The Chaos Pleasure Of Power by Fransisca.The artists include painters, graphic designers, illustrators and even fashion designers, giving us a varied, inclusive and egalitarian mosaic of forms and styles. Some represent the spirit of artists of the past who held that one's personal language is highly subjective; other, mostly younger artists exemplify the search for the inevitable presence of the latest visual technology, with their work informed by the influence of pop subcultures such as comics, illustration and animation. Consider, for example, the works of Baskoro Latu, Budi Hardyantoni, Didik Nurhadi, and Irwantho Lentho.

Political events and the issues of "power" in the public realm can be seen in the works of Tisna Sanjaya and Dede Wahyudin, while issues of the body and how we use our senses and our conceptions about the body are represented by Bambang Pramudiyanto, Jumaldi Alfi or Oky Arfie, or Herianto Maidil, Sp Hidayat, Saepul Bahri and Sudigdo. They agree that the problems of the body are complex, involving it as a symbol of humanity (the self), the environment, and possibly even God.

In other works we encounter unusual media as means of artistic expression: the digital printing medium used by Magdalena Pardede, with her collages of daily objects, or Tisna Sanjaya's shovel attached to a canvas.

A bright, optimistic world of youth and an urban lifestyle inspires the pop-oriented works represented by Vonny Ratna Indah or Sugihartono, who mock the crowded of urban spaces or, alternatively, present us with a comfortable, livable city full of bright colors. The sculptor Inge Rijanto seems closer to night life: the bars and cafés of big cities. She makes some unique sculptures: alcoholic beverages with giant bottles. Meanwhile, the sculptures of Agapetus contain a paradoxical narrative; statues of cattle representing the islands of Indonesia, like cash cows ready to be milked and drained dry.

Silent On The City by Sugihartono.On the other hand, the show allows us to see the expressive styles of Magdalena Pardede's digital paintings and the childish-looking paintings and street graffiti of Fransisca.

Realistic, photographic paintings by Tarman, or other paintings laden with symbols such as those of Edi Kukken and Bambang Pramudiyanto, make light of popular icons or address more serious concepts such as religiosity. The abstract style is represented by Ve Mestoria, who tells tales using wooden branches, dark hues, and rhythmic shapes.

We can see a spirit of picture making through illustration techniques, portraying the deeper inner world of women, in the works of Roeayyah Diana Capung, Sudigdo or Vonny Ratna Indah. They flexibly exercise their right to take any phenomena whatsoever as their inspiration, using special approaches from various artistic genres of the past and present. This show is an excellent demonstration of the spirit of diversity in contemporary Indonesian art.

Charming Chinatown

Text and Photos by Teguh Sudarisman

There's so much to see and do in Jakarta's Chinatown; if you've been there once, you can't wait to go again!

chinatownThough Chinese people have been living and doing business in what is now Jakarta since the 12th century, and Glodok has been a Chinese neighborhood since 1619, under the Netherlands East Indies Governor General Jan Pieterzoon Coen, many Jakartans still do not know where their Chinatown actually is. Some identify Harco Glodok, along Jalan Hayam Wuruk and Jalan Gajah Mada, with Chinatown. That's only partly true, because this electronic goods center is just a small part of Jakarta's Chinatown, which covers the Kalibaru, Asemka, Pancoran, Petak Sembilan, and Glodok areas, all in the municipality of West Jakarta.

Jakarta actually has some other relatively Chinese districts, such as Pasar Baru, Jatinegara, Pasar Senen, and Tanah Abang, but the area most strongly identified as the real Chinatown of Jakarta is the area around Glodok, with the busiest part along Jalan Pancoran (not to be confused with the other areas called Pancoran in South Jakarta and in Depok).

This east-west street looks relatively quiet when seen from Harco Glodok, but if you enter it on foot, you will be amazed by the number of shops and stalls selling medicines, food, and typical Chinese accessories. The traditional market and shopping centers are always full of people, who are, predictably, mostly ethnic Chinese.

If you're looking for traditional Chinese medicines, the old shops along the north side of Jalan Pancoran have it all. Shark's fins, bird's nests, lanterns, incense, candles, red angpao envelopes? Try the Gloria shopping center in the Pasar Pagi complex to the west of the medicine shops. Dried sweets (manisan), traditional cakes (kue keranjang), roast duck and pork, pi-oh (turtle meat) and all kinds of oriental delicacies are available from the many coffee stalls and sidewalk vendors in this market.

toko manisanWalk down Jalan Pancoran and then turn north, and you find yourself at Pasar Asemka. This market is a favorite of itinerant vendors; here they can buy goods by the kilogram and then sell them by the piece with big markups.

If you continue west from Jalan Pancoran and cross the river (Sungai Kalibaru Besar), you come to Jalan Perniagaan, with the Chinese School, now a public high school (SMA 19). This old school building was previously used as the headquarters of the Tiong Hoa Hwee Koan (Chinese Association) founded on 17 March 1900. This organization was one of the first modern associations in Indonesia.

Along the south side of Jalan Pancoran, down the alleys behind the Chandra Building, you'll find residents hawking all kinds of products outside their homes: everything from kue apem (pancakes) to DVDs of oriental songs. Walking through these alleyways reminds us that not all Chinese are wealthy.

At the east end of the alleys is Jalan Kemenangan, better known as Gang Petak Sembilan, and on the southwest is Jalan Kemenangan 3. At the intersection of these two roads is Klenteng Kim Tek Ie, also known as Vihara Dharma Bhakti or more popularly as Klenteng Jin De Yuan.

This temple, where people come to worship the Goddess of Mercy, Kwan Im, was established in 1650, making it one of the oldest temples in Jakarta.

The temple complex is quite large; not surprising, as it actually contains three temples. To the south of the main temple are Vihara Dharma Sakti and Klenteng Hu Tek Bio. These temples are particularly busy from 15 days before Imlek (Chinese New Year) until the fifteenth day of the New Year, Cap Go Meh (which falls on 9 February this year). The temples are crowded not only with Chinese people praying, but also hopeful beggars and … photographers!
Around 100 meters west of the temple complex on Jalan Kemenangan 3 is Gereja Santa Maria De Fatima. This church, formerly the home of an important person, has a very strong Chinese character, in both the structure of the building and the interior ornaments. Masses are held in both Indonesian and Mandarin, and nearly all the worshippers are ethnic Chinese.

Just north of the church is another well-known temple, Klenteng Toa Sai Bio (or Toa Se Bio), so called because the main deity worshipped there is Toa Sai Kong, The Ambassador. The temple was built by Hokkian immigrants, and an incense shelf in the main gallery dated 1751 suggests that the temple was built around that time.

chinatown

During the Cap Go Meh celebrations, this rather small temple becomes very crowded, because it is the starting point for the procession of joli (sedan chairs) bearing statues of Confucian gods. Preceded by liong and barongsai dancers, at around 5 PM the parade of gods and goddesses sets out from in front of the temple, passes through the Petak Sembilan area to Jalan Gajah Mada, and then returns to Toa Se Bio temple.

At night, Jalan Pancoran turns into an ocean of sidewalk vendors. You can find all kinds of street food here – various types of noodle dishes, odd fruit and vegetable salads (rujak shanghai and rujak juhi), red bean porridge, and sate madura. And while the Chinese people are busy enjoying their food, it's not uncommon to hear the speakers from the nearby mosque broadcasting the call to prayer.

Maintaining the Aroma in Tanah Gayo

Text by Sari Widiati Photos by Jan Dekker

The Gayo area, comprising the regencies of Central Aceh (including its chief city, Takengon) and Bener Meriah, has a very different geography from most other parts of Aceh. With relatively low temperatures and rain falling between 113 and 160 days a year, this high plateau at the base of Gunung Leuser is very fertile. The local people make good use of these natural blessings by raising crops, especially Arabica coffee, which accounts for 95% of the region's income.

Air Tawar lake is the icon of Takengon.

Developing Organic Arabica Coffee in Gayo
Everywhere you go in Gayo, you are surrounded by the fragrant aromas of coffee – the raw red berries, the dried beans, or the roasted and ground coffee powder. This 74-hectare green expanse of coffee plantations is owned mostly by smallholders. The coffee is famous for its high quality: rich and long-lasting, with well-balanced acidity.

Coffee has been cultivated in Gayo since the Dutch colonial era, and over 53,000 households now grow coffee as their main source of income. And Gayo is still the largest producer of Arabica coffee in Indonesia and, indeed, in Southeast Asia.

The finest Arabica coffee is organically grown. As might be expected, organic coffee is a bit more expensive, and the longer it has been aged, the more sought-after it becomes. In New York, organic Arabica is 25% more expensive that other standard coffees on the international market, and organic Gayo coffee is among the world's best Arabica.

These achievements are due in no small part to the excellent management resulting from cooperation among coffee producers, NGOs and the community to develop and expand the production of organic Arabica coffee.

One of the largest and oldest coffee companies in the region is PT Genap Mupakat Gayo Specialty Coffee (GMGSC) in Bener Meriah. Since the initial plan for cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands government in 1981, the company has focused on upgrading the quality of its Arabica coffee, through support of technology, investment, and knowledge about growing and distribution methods.

PT GMGSC and its products under the Gayo Specialty Coffee label have earned six coffee export licenses issued by agencies in several countries: Fairtrade from Germany, JAS from Japan, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), UTZ from the Netherlands, Rainforest from Costa Rica, and Uskapeh from Jamaica.

These licenses not only represent high awards for PT GMGSC but also help maintain standards for continuous improvement of the factory's coffee processing. For example, the Fairtrade Labeling Organization Certifier sets world coffee prices; with its certification, PT GMGSC can continue to sell its organic Arabica coffee for a minimum price of Rp. 23.500 per kg even when the world coffee price drops.

Another requirement for this certificate is that PT GMGSC's proceeds must be enjoyed by all parties involved in its production – the cooperative, collectors, farmers' groups, and the farmers themselves. From the sales proceeds, US$ 0.22 per kg is set aside for social welfare and development programs.

a coffee picker in the Gayo Test Plot Pondok Gajah; the work environment in Baitul Qiradh Buburrayyan Cooperative

Similarly, UTZ requires its exporters to return part of the premium to the farmers. PT GMGSC currently works with around 4,000 farmers who cultivate 3,969 hectares of land in 40 villages through the Tunas Indah cooperative.

"The certificates are constantly being renewed, so our company is subject to inspection at any time," said PT GMGSC's Director Azzohir Mogen, explaining what makes the company so special.

Of the organic coffee it produces, in 2008 (through November) PT GMGSC exported 90%, over 30,000 tons, as dry coffee beans to the US, Europe, Japan, Australia and Canada, supplying around 15% of the world market demand for organic Arabica. The coffee it markets within Indonesia is in the form of ground coffee.

The development and upgrading of organic Gayo Arabica coffee is also supported by NGOs, such as the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA)-USAID which works with the Baitul Qiradh Baburrayyan cooperative in Takengon. During the Aceh conflict, coffee production was disrupted; much of the productive land was left idle or even damaged, and many farmers fled. After the conflict ended, farmers gradually returned to their villages, but they lacked the wherewithal to resume proper coffee production.

NCBA, working with the local government and the community, helped farmers rehabilitate their plantations. From 36 farmers at the beginning, they are now working with 7000 members.

Only certain farmers are allowed to join; they have to be certified as following proper organic farming procedures. But it's possible for uncertified farmers to become members; NCBA provides training to farmers, and once they have mastered the proper methods, they can be certified. Farmers who are certified members can sell their high-quality coffee beans to NCBA at 15% over market prices. This is just one of the benefits for the farmers.

"Once they saw how the land rehabilitation had succeeded, farmers were lining up to become members. So we're still thinking about how to accommodate them all," said Joselito Bombeta, NCBA's Enterprise Development Advisor.

NCBA’S Coffee Seedlings.

NCBA also manages nurseries; they operate 36 venues in Central Aceh and Bener Meriah, with a total of around 2.5 million seedlings.

It has also developed distribution markets for this 100% organic coffee, with foreign buyers in such places as New Zealand, France and the UK. A majority of NCBA's organic Arabica coffee is sold to the Starbucks chain.

NCBA also helps manage the sorting process. The sorting rooms, once idle, are busy again with noisy sorting machinery and the nimble hands of workers. This cooperation helped produce 1,500 cubic tons of coffee in 2008.

Research for Gayo Coffee Varieties
Research is an important part of the efforts to upgrade the quality of Gayo coffee. The Gayo Test Plot in Pondok Gajah, Bener Meriah, under the Department of Agriculture, is a center for seedling cultivation and research into new varieties.

In a recent development two years ago, this facility recommended three new types for cultivation: TimTim, Borbor and B8. These types resist disease, live long, and maintain steady production levels with standard care to produce excellent aroma and proper acidity. The test plot continues to investigate new varieties and announce its results to the public in Gayo.

Despite these significant achievements through cooperation in the organic coffee business, Gayo needs to continue and expand its efforts to bring even greater prosperity to the local people and more extensive recognition abroad. The average production level for Gayo coffee is round 700 kg per hectare per year, bringing in a total of between Rp 1.2 and 1.5 trillion per year. This figure could still be improved on, for the benefit of the 300,000 people of Gayo.

The Beauty of Glass Painting

A hidden artistic heritage of Cirebon that few people know about.

glass paintingIf Mas Komar hadn't taken me on the back of his motorbike that afternoon through the streets and alleys of Trusmi Wetan village, Plered, Cirebon, I might never have known that in addition to batik, this village is also a center of glass painting. And unlike the batik artists, who display and sell their batik creations in boutiques along the main road, the glass artists simply wait for their loyal customers –mostly art collectors– to come to their modest homes hidden in the back alleys.

Mas Komar took me to the home of Raden Sugro Hidayat, one of the pioneers of glass painting in Trusmi. The title 'Raden' indicates that he has a distant family relationship to one of the Cirebon royal houses (Kraton Kasepuhan Cirebon), though this obviously doesn't affect his economic status. When we arrived, Sugro (70) was busy tracing the sketch of a 20x25-cm glass painting of the Tiger of Ali. This is an ancient motif – a picture of a tiger made from Arabic calligraphy, which used to be used as a battle flag. On the walls of his home, as well as several awards for his glass painting, were two 45x60-cm glass paintings representing the wayang characters Kresna and Brajamusti. It turned out that Mas Komar had bought the Kresna painting for Rp 750,000.

Sugro, who learned how to paint on glass from his uncle, Raden Saleh Jawahir, a minor official (lurah) in the Kraton Kasepuhan, is in rather poor health these days, though his eyes are still sharp. He doesn't wear glasses but can still produce paintings with tiny dots as isen-isen (fill-in motifs), one of his trademarks.

Two other things that have made Sugro famous in the world of glass painting are his black and white glass painting technique and his discovery of the use of the crown pen for painting. Sugro showed us one of the pens he uses, and it took me back to my penmanship lessons in primary school. The teachers taught us to write cursive letters using such a pen, which had to be dipped in ink after every word or so.

It might seem that making black-and-white paintings would be easier than ones with many colors, because all you have to do is paint the glass white and then, when it's dry, apply the image in black. Not so. "Because there's only one color, if there's any mistake, such as just a drop of white or a line out of place, the whole impression is ruined," explained, Sugro, the father of three daughters. "But if you have a lot of colors, the viewer's attention is distracted by the other colors from a mistake with one color."

Unlike ordinary painting, in which the painter can simply pour out his idea with brushstrokes on the canvas, glass painting requires five stages. First, the painter produces a plek, a pattern or sketch on tracing paper of the object to be painted. The painter can produce the sketch by copying from other plek previously made by other painters, copy directly from an actual wayang –for painters who specialize in wayang paintings– or order a ready-made sketch from someone else. Second, the plek is placed below a pane of clear glass, which can be purchased from a building supply shop, in the desired dimensions, and the painter makes a rengreng, the contour or outline of the painting, directly on the glass from the plek below it. This rengreng or tracing is done using a rapidograph or a dip pen, depending on the painter's expertise.

glass paintingThird, after the outline is complete, the painter continues with the isen-isen, filling the space within the outline with dots or lines. Fourth is the nyungging process, coloring the object painted with the isen, using a fine paintbrush. Finally is the natar process, producing the background to the painting. After each stage in this process there is also a gap of one or two days to wait for the paint to dry, so that no flaws occur when new paint is applied in the next stage. The glass painting process is thus somewhat like the batik production process, except that glass painting has the advantage that the painter doesn't have to cover up the output from the previous stages with malam (paraffin), but simply waits for the paint to dry.

The completed glass painting is then framed, with the painted surface on the back side. So what we end up seeing is the reverse side of the painting, which is completely smooth and shows no paint strokes. This is what makes glass painting unique. It's no wonder that the technique is referred to as "negative style" because the painter produces the work from the back, while what we see is the front; much like the traditional way to view a wayang kulit performance.

Apparently glass painting first became popular during the rule of Panembahan Ratu II (1568-1646), the sixth sultan of Kraton Pakungwati, before the kingdom was split into the three kraton of Kasepuhan, Kanoman, and Kacirebonan. This is evident from the natural pigments used to produce the sunggingan that were popular back then. As times changed, natural pigments were replaced with synthetic pigments, and paint started to be used in around 1965. The most popular brand is Kuda Terbang (Flying Horse), with turpentine used for thinner. Sugro helped popularize the use of paint and thinner; before then, painters used inkwells.

Kuda Terbang is the favorite brand of paint because it does not dry too quickly, which gives the painter the chance to erase mistakes. "If you use metal paint, it dries too fast and makes things more difficult," Sugro explained. A 100-cc can of Kuda Terbang costs Rp 6000; if it's used for rengreng and isen-isen, one can is enough for ten paintings, or for four if it's used for the background.

The glass paintings made by Sugro, the other painters in Trusmi, and other painters in Cirebon are often referred to as classical glass painting, because the objects and motifs have been handed down from the past, such as the various calligraphy motifs, wayang motifs, kratonan (paintings of objects relating to the kraton), batik motifs, and so on. Unfortunately, none of Sugro's daughters has inherited his talent; luckily, however, several of his neighbors have followed his lead: Astika and his wife Satinah, and Eryudi –Astika's younger brother– and his wife Sairi.

Sairi, who lives right next door to Sugro, was making the rengrengan of a painting of the Sunyaragi Cave, a popular tourism venue in Cirebon. She had several finished 20x25-cm glass paintings sitting around, for sale at Rp 150,000 each. There was also a larger one –45x60 cm– which she planned to sell for Rp 1 million. All of these were kraton motifs: paintings of Taman Arum, Siti Hinggil, the tomb of Sunan Gunung Jati, and so on. Sairi is known as a woman painter who specializes in kratonan motifs. Her paintings, mostly in white, cream, various shades of blue, and red, are lovely and display a genuine Cirebon character. I was very impressed by her works.

I became even more impressed when I had the chance to try my hand at making a glass painting. I borrowed Sairi's pen and tried to make a rengrengan for the painting she was working on. But after trying several times to make some circular strokes on a flower motif, I gave up, because either the strokes were too broad or the connections between the strokes were messy. Luckily, it was easy enough to remove my faulty strokes with a damp cloth, as the paint was still wet. But if so many pen strokes are needed to produce just one line, how long must it take to make an entire painting? Sairi just smiled. For her, it takes only a week to do the entire process, and she can finish a small painting in only three days.

Exploring the Beauty of Tana Toraja

After being dormant for quite some time, Tana Toraja is displaying renewed enthusiasm through a South Sulawesi provincial government program, Lovely December in Tana Toraja, launched in December 2008 as part of the effort to restore the glory of tourism in this region, which has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Even when it's "quiet," Tana Toraja constantly emanates beauty, but in this special month it's even more fascinating. We had the chance to visit last December, and were completely entranced.

The Rambu Solo of Aris Belo Salurante
Like most other tourists, we came to Tana Toraja with one specific objective: to see a Rambu Solo, the traditional funeral ceremony. Many Rambu Solo were taking place at the time, but one of the biggest was for Aris Belo Salurante, a noble and hero from Tana Toraja, in Tondon village.

Aris, who died in April 2007 at the age of 71, played an important role in upholding the dignity of the Torajans in their struggle against the Bugis, and was a second generation descendant of Salurante, as well as a retired Army officer who fought in the Permesta rebellion.

The people of Tana Toraja have great respect for the dead. The family of the deceased is obliged to hold a major ceremony as a sign of last respect, which is divided into several stages depending on the family's social status.

The funeral for Aris Belo Salurante was both elegant and widely publicized. One indication of the extravagance was that the series of ceremonies went on for over seven days, not only at the family home but also at an open field (rante) in which temporary shelters (lantang) with typical Torajan décor were erected to accommodate the guests. The field encompassed several megaliths, a requirement for the venue of the Rambu Solo for a person of noble descent.

But the most prestigious aspect was the number of animals slaughtered, mostly buffalo and pigs. Entering the venue, we were greatly impressed by black buffalo with horns two meters across, not to mention quite a large number of albino buffalo (tedong bonga). Just one of these rare animals costs at least Rp 100 million, so you can only guess at how much the family spent on sacrificial beasts alone. The second son of the departed, Ratte' Salurante, said that the family had arranged for over 140 buffalo and pigs to be slaughtered, both those they bought themselves and those donated by relatives.

Ma’ randing memberikan We witnessed several of the rituals. When relatives arrived, they were greeted with a war dance (Ma'randing) and then escorted around the lantang along with the tedong bonga and other animals to be offered to the late relative's family. The war dance is not performed at just any Rambu Solo, but only at the funerals of nobles or other heroes. The guests promenade around with the animals they have brought to donate to the hosts so that their presence will be noted and the arrival of the animals will be properly recorded, with no errors. In Torajan belief, the family that receives donated animals for a funeral will have to repay the same number of animals to the other family when that family later holds a funeral. While the debt remains unpaid, it binds the families in an unseverable relationship.

The Ma' badong ritual is perhaps the most moving part. The relatives gather and form a circle, moving around in identical rhythm while retelling the life of the deceased from childhood to death through songs in the local language. The songs also comprise a prayer to the Creator that the departed may be allowed to enter heaven.

Other exciting parts of the Rambu Solo include the buffalo fights (Ma'pasilaga tedong) and the foot wrestling (Sisemba). In the Ma'Pasilaga tedong, local Torajan buffalo, with downward-pointing horns and sturdy bodies, are pitted against one another. Tourists are always fascinated by this lively event.

Apart from the Rambu Solo, another important major ceremony in Tana Toraja is the Rambu Tuka, for auspicious events such as the building of a new traditional house (tongkonan). These two ceremonies – living traditions in Tana Toraja – are the main attractions for tourists who come to visit the region.

Market Day on Christmas and Batutumonga
We had assumed there would be no significant activity during the time we were there, which happened to be Christmas, because a majority of the Torajans are Christians; we thought they would all be busy celebrating the holiday with their families. How wrong we were!
After visiting churches on Christmas Eve to take in the Christmas atmosphere, the next morning we found it was a market day. Once a week, on changing days, it's market day in Bolu. On the market day, all basic needs can be purchased easily, particularly buffalo and pigs.

After checking out the vegetables and balo' (arak), we headed toward the cattle section of the market. It seems that the people of Tana Toraja are not affected by red dates on the calendar, even religious holidays; if it's market day, it must be celebrated by trading and seeking a profit.

Buffalos in Bolu Market.The animal market was crowded that morning. The market area was full of trucks bringing in buffalo and pigs from various regions. And once the animals were unloaded, the market space became a huge animal market.

"Around 400 buffalo and pigs, and hundreds of traders registered with the local government, fill the market each market day," we were told by Adi Asty, staff of the Tana Toraja Regency Tourism Service.

He added that the buffalo are brought there from as far away as Central Kalimantan, Kupang, Poso and Palopo, while most of the pigs come from Poso.

The market, formerly known as Kalambe', fully meets the needs of the Torajans to purchase animals both for regular consumption and for traditional ceremonies. The public has a wide range of price options to choose from.

Small pigs, for example, start at around Rp 500,000, while larger ones weighing around 20 kg cost Rp 1.5 to 2 million. There's an even greater variety of buffalo available, from the lowest quality (Sambao') to Balian, buffalo with huge long horns that cost at least Rp 200 million each.

Adi Asty said that despite the large volume, nearly all the buffalo and pigs are sold each market day. Don't even try to think about how much money changes hands here in the animal market; simply try to imagine how much the Torajans spend in one week just for animals. In any case, the animal market is a unique tourist attraction; as well as sellers and buyers, it's always full of gawking foreign tourists.

After dealing with the crowds in the market, we sought some fresh air by heading to Batutumonga. Here, at an elevation of 1200 meters above sea level, we enjoyed the natural beauty of Tana Toraja with its long terraces, green and enticing, with many rice fields nearly ready for harvest. We were given a choice of exploring the area by car or trekking 10 kilometers through the villages. Batutumonga is 20 km from Rantepao, the economic center of Tana Toraja.

The beautiful landscape of Tana Toraja.

In our trip to Tana Toraja, we deliberately skipped the better-known favorite tourism objects such as Kete Ketsu, Londa, Lemo or Bori so that we could experience other, equally interesting aspects of traditional life. We saw how strongly the local culture and traditions continue to underlie daily life – tenun weavers in Malimbong village, Sa'dan and traditional sculptors (making tau-tau statues) in La'bo Karatuan village, Sangala, all of which were very enjoyable tourist attractions, especially in December.