Exhuming And Socializing With The Dead As Part Of Indonesia's Ma Nene Ritual Celebration

We are about to learn why Indonesians exhume the deceased, clean them up, dress them in new garments, and then rebury them. We live in a world where various cultures, customs, and traditions are practiced. On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the indigenous Torajas people hold this ritual known as Ma nene once a year.

One of the largest islands in the Indonesian archipelago, Sulawesi, is home to a hilly region where the majority of the Toraja people reside. The population of this region would be close to 500,000. Even though 85% of Indonesia's population is Muslim, the remaining are protestant or catholic.

Indonesian brothers standing by their dead parents. Photo credit: radionigeriaibadan.gov.ng/

However, many Torajas still adhere to the Aluk To Dolo, or "way of the ancestors," a belief system that places a high value on their ancestors, especially through the ritual Ma nene, or "doing something for the grandparents." It is observed annually in August or, more irregularly, in the many places where the Torajas, who are inhabitants of high mountains, reside.

Families then take the remains of the deceased from the coffins that were placed within family graves. The preserved body with hair is then cleaned to get rid of dust and any molds. Some families dress them in new clothes and then offer them cigarettes or perfume as though the deceased were still alive.

The families also allow the bodies to dry in the sun, which helps to preserve them, before dressing them in fresh clothing and reburying them. The bodies of some of the deceased are in good condition despite having passed away more than three decades ago.

According to Jean-Paul Rocle, charge de mission to the funeral services of the city of Paris, there are minimal health risks associated with this practice. While handling the bodies poses a risk of infection due to the presence of germs associated with the body's decomposition process, the germs that cause diseases are no longer active.

Entire family, including grandchildren, with their dead parents. Photo credit: radionigeriaibadan.gov.ng/

It is hardly unexpected that the body is in good condition because Torajas always want to preserve their dead, whether or not they engage in ritual Ma nene. He remarked, "In the Torajas, the dead are frequently buried several years after their passing.

Due to the high cost of this ceremony, families pool their resources to organize funerals, which can sometimes cost millions of dollars or even more than a wedding. The body is kept at home by relatives while it is preserved with customary herbs and formalin injections.

Despite this, many Torajas only occasionally or infrequently participate in this ritual, particularly after the spread of Christianity in the region. Many tourists often attend the Torajas' Ma nene rituals, which have developed into tourism hotspots.

The Ma nene ceremony is still performed every year, even though the fact that the majority of Indonesians who do not belong to these people find it terrifying. No one knows for sure when this practice started, but it is thought to have started many years ago because the Torajas wish to demonstrate to the dead that they are loved and respected.