Paradise in Toraja

Our house in Toraja face to the paddy field that surrounded by rocky mountains where the roots of banyan trees creep with glossy shady leaf growing in gaps of sugar palm trees and various other trees in a wave of bamboos clump that hissing in the blown of wind. 

The peak of mount that visible highest from our house is Sarira Mount. People say that Sarira Mount splits Toraja land into two parts. Moreover there a song of Toraja "Sarira Parerung" said that Sarira was the fortress when happened war so although behind of Sarira had happened bloodshed but is not visible to the eye caused by closed Sarira wall

Paddy fields that stretching from the edge of the highway front of our house untill the  Sarira valley on the morning routine plagued by white storks with number could reach hundreds. They flied in groups from the west decorate the sky., partly  down and painted a striking white in natural view that domination by combination of green landscape plants and black color combination of black stone, which not only forms the walls of mount but also looked at the fields on the sidelines of green rice plants, a well-liked young children waiting for their parents harvest the rice while cutting rang pelle ', instrument sounds made ​​from straw.

Performing of white uniform creatures with to go down while dissolving the line then flew back into line in the air proved to be quite effective if used by my mother to made me a boy in his age still elusive cause if angry or cry. Enough with the mantra "stork has come!", then I would immediately move to the porch watching their attractions and unknowingly made ​​me forget my anger

I was said this question for people , from whence comes the white storks ? And so difficult for me to believe the answer is that the creature had a nest remains to rest.

One day in the afternoon when we and our big family came back tongkon from Madandan, I was shown some big trees by my parents where hordes of white stork looks like a white blanket cover of trees at the edge of the road axis Makale - Rantepao City. Whether true or not greeting my parents that part of the  white stork that being moved to bed  was always hunting fish in rice fields in front of our house, the place where we used to play a bamboo raft farmers' we use hidden if the owner is not there.

Gradually I was slow to understand that hordes of white storks  didn't attraction but all it does for the stomach affair. Their presence is a sign that below the water surface fields there are different species of freshwater fish. I still remember that in the house there tagalak, a tool that is woven from bamboo to catch fish 

The other way to catch fish was fishing. The tool can be as high flagpole pole and only adults strong hold it cause I tried, but not strong  even made me almost fall.  Fishing poles are usually used for fishing cork that are larger in size.
 

There could be more memorable that way fishing bale todi', small fish that live in the fields. Smaller size than anchovy.  Usually done by children namely by way of fishing without the use of hooks. Simply by tying small caterpillar at the end of the fishing line so bale todi’ would caterpillars bite and still despite bite fishing line was pulled to the top,  out of the water and when bite apart, bale todi’  not fall back into the fields but has fallen into the instrument receiver of the angler that means bale todi’ ready to be cooked.

It seems like quite a long time to get bale todi’ sufficient that way but This activity is just one of many kinds of games children teens after school. And if there are already skilled play so,  cupful of bale todi’ can take home, cooked by adding grated coconut, leaf of semba, species of plant whose leaves sour, and lada katokkon, paprica Toraja spicy but sweet still felt.How to get the number of fish in rice fields in greater numbers was by using a light kerosene lamps at night. With a small machete weapon then the fish are exposed to glare can not do much to get away from the blade of a machete.

The fish hunters will walk down the field which from a distance looked just as light moves that difficult to distinguish from batitong, creatures glowing strange unanswered for me so far is categorized as fine creatures. Creatures that often appear at night in a place somewhat apart from the settlement.

Fish cork, catfish, bale todi ',eel to slug fields not actually the main dish is Torajanesse

because usually on wooden kitchen residents always depend pa’karing, jerked meat of pig or buffalo that smoked. Usually when there is a thanksgiving tradition will  available number of meat that  not be eaten on the day that only way  the meat is not removed is by fumigation. Various traditional feast is often held in the cool temperate soils. Rambu tuka’ and rambu solo’ each switch when possible pa’karing from the party earlier still remain

Buffalo, pigs and chickens is a favorite animal in Toraja that cooked by mixing with various types of herbs and vegetables that grow wild in Toraja like jackfruit, mayana leaf, banana stems, guava leaves, papaya leaf and  the others that compacted into a bamboo rod and burned where savory aroma resulting comparable to taste that not only contain protein but also vegetable fibers in the composition quite a lot.

Until a dozen years passed I realized that the white stork has disappeared without saying goodbye and do not know when the last greeted us with its attractions. Perhaps most of sangmane and the others playmate didn't realize that 

The white heron slowly disappear one by one without apparent cause up its presence can no longer form a row by the numbers counted on the fingers stay sometimes not visible at all. Possibly caused by bird shooter with a gun in and out of the village or maybe also because the crane has moved to another place because the population of fish in rice fields also lost contact with toxic pesticides, a modern way repel pests of rice. 

Another beauty disappears is joked the rice cutters, sipela’tekan sipetaa taan due to altered rice pieces tradition due to the emergence of new rice varieties that harvested not by rangkapan but with sickle.  It is no longer visible po'ko ', heap of rice in the rice like a Christmas tree after harvest, there was no sound of mortar in the harvest season because of the presence of rice milling. Not sounding too barrung, namely pelle’ that edges added twist palm leaves to form a trumpet for new varieties of rice stem smaller can not be made for pelle' and barrung.

Untill now, life has brought us unconsciously leave heaven, where we could eat from plant that  grown in soil where we stand, drinking from natural water where we play, live from hook and nets like story song Kolam Susu, interacting with nature and other human mutual cooperation in the cultural order inherited ancestors.

Still we can to back search for the lost paradise when our Mom and Dad at our beloved have returned to the real Heaven? Tongkonan house from friend one game also virtually uninhabited and those people that you can find modern generation is no different from urban communities. Indigenous culture and modern as if fighting. Still we can back to life of the estate abandon a way of life that relies on a bank account? Waiting and receiving salary like the breath of life that makes us forget that Puang Matua has left fertile soil its cool for us is paradise in Toraja

words :
Madandan : a place
Rantepao : a city
Makale : a city
Sipela’tekan sipetaa taan : joke
Tongkonan : house
tongkon : mourn
pelle' ,barrung : instrument sounds from straw
Puang Matua : God