Ma’nene by Yoese Mariam

The way that we respect our ancestors varies depending on our culture and beliefs. The Torajans of Indonesia have a unique ritual called ‘Ma’nene’, in which they clean and dress dead bodies that have been buried for tens or possibly hundreds of years, in the belief that this will bring prosperity to their village.

According to Torajan history, the ritual started with a man called Pong Rumasek, a hunter who discovered a dead body in the middle of the woods near Balla mountain. Pong took care of the corpse by wrapping it in clothes, before resuming his hunt. Following his act of respect, Pong found it easy to spot his prey when he went out hunting, and to find fruits in the forest. Strange events continued when Pong returned home, as abandoned agricultural crops suddenly harvested faster and more abundantly than before.
 
Now, after the August harvest, every resident in Baruppu holds a funeral to honour their ancestors, while other regions perform the Ma'nene ritual every 3-5 years.