Saturday

Kete Kesu And Londa-Ancient Stone Graves In Toraja

The Toraja are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 1,100,000, of whom 450,000 live in the regency of Tana Toraja ("Land of Toraja").

The word toraja comes from the Bugis Buginese language term to riaja, meaning "people of the uplands". The Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909. Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses known as tongkonan, and colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days

Tongkonan is the traditional ancestral house, or rumah adat of the Torajan people, in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Tongkonan have a distinguishing boat-shaped and oversized saddleback roof. Like most of Indonesia’s Austronesian-based traditional architecture tongkonan are built on piles. The construction of tongkonan is laborious work and it is usually built with the help of all family members. In the original Toraja society, only nobles had the right to build tongkonan.

Kete Kesu is a tourist village in Tana Toraja region known for its traditional life of the community can be found in this region. There are many ancient relics such as stone graves were estimated age of 500 years in Kete Kesu are. In the stones graves that resemble a canoe or boat, saved the remnants of skulls and human bones. Nearly all the tomb stones placed hanging on the cliffs or caves.

Londa is a grave of the past were reserved for the nobility with two large caves that can be entered by visitors and the coffin containing human skulls.

There are many ancient tomb stones like this in Toraja. But the famous is Kete Kesu and Londa. Toraja is known with this stone grave.

One of the unique culture of Toraja is called Rambu Solo. Rambu Solo is a funeral procession Tana Toraja society, who do not like funerals in general. Rambu Solo is a ritual death of Toraja society which aims to honor and deliver the spirits of Toraja people who died toward the spiritual realm

Ma'tinggoro tedong (typical cutting buffalo by Toraja society, by slashing buffalo with a machete and only with a one single slash),  in ceremony Rambu  Solo.


How to get to Toraja? Flight from Jakarta to Makassar. Then use the bus to Toraja about 8 long hours journey.

Thursday

The Indonesia Philately Museum


The idea of holding a permanent exhibition of stamps in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in Jakarta was expressed for the first time by Madam Tien Soeharto, wife of the second Indonesian President when she was visited the stamp exhibition that was held by Posts and Giro Public Corporation (now Pos Indonesia Inc,) on The 6th Asia Pasific Scout Jamboree that was held at Cibubur in June 1981

Indonesian Stamp Museum consist of eight show cases tells about: the History of stamps; The Stamp printing; The Stamp issued by period I & II; The Stamp by the Theme I & II; Philately; and Other Philatelic Items. Philately is a hobby of collecting, cure, and studying stamp and other things relation to stamps and payment of despatch, such as First Day Cover, Souvenir Sheet, Carnet, Maximum Card, Commemorative Cover, etc. If you want to complete your collections, we provide philatelic items here in Indonesian Stamp Museum

This museum is built on land with an area of 9,950 square metres on the right side of Komodo Museum and decorated with carvings in the styles typical of Bali and Java. On either side of the stamp Museum, there are two building of 204 square metres each for management office and Branch Post Office providing postal services to visitors and customers.

filateli.wasantara.net.id/NewTemp/Museum.htm