Gramedia Book Store

This is Matraman Gramedia Book Store. Place in Kramat Raya, the picture captured from Tegalan bus way shelter. We can come to this place by Kampung Melayu or Manggarai or Senen.
All of this building is the Gramedia Book Store. Consist of 4 floor with many kind of book. Include computer like note book, many kind music instrument, office tools, travel bag and many others.
Gramedia is a book store with big network.

You will get the best service from Gramedia employee here. The Gramedia book store just not exist here and we can get it in other places or other city but The Matraman Book store is the biggest store from all of Gramedia Book Store

Lihat Peta Lebih Besar

Musical Instruments from Bamboo in Toraja

Bamboo is a kind of plant that growth fertile in Toraja from many kind species. No difficult to find the plant here. Bamboo is multifunction in Torajanesse life. Bamboo used to cooking, make pa'piong, roof material and many others. Moreover in Toraja we know about Bamboo Music.

A Bamboo Music group consists of flute player dan bamboo music player. One of the bamboo function is for music instrument. Said Bamboo Music. The music played by children and adult. In common school or sundays school.

Making this musical instrument need diligence and patient. Caused by the tone of the music depend on the big or long of the bamboo. The music accompany by flute and sometime singer.
We can see the Bamboo Music concert in Indonesian Day by common school children and in Christmas Day by Sunday school children. We can see out of these time in hotels in Toraja specially for tourist.
The Bamboo Music players just not making the bamboo plant dancing on mountain by wind gust in Toraja but also making the bamboo can singing.

Torajan Style Cuisine

About culinary in Toraja, we'll also find the uniqueness although actually we'll find several equations with others places culinary in Indonesia. I mean pa'piong and how to make it ?. Making pa'piong with set on fire in bamboo.

Cooking in bamboo, we can also find in others places like in North and Middle of Sulawesi, West Sumatra and may be in out of the places. But I want to tell you about how Torajanesse cooking using bamboo as container for cooking.
Cutting meat and mixer with many kind of spices. The main matter is meat and the second is vegetable.

The vegetables is Coleus blumei (Indonesia :mayana, Toraja : Bulu nangko). This vegetables at most used in cooking pa'piong with compressed Colous blumei after mix with all of spices. One bar of pa'piong will contain much coleus blumai that means this is health culinary.
Many species of Coleus blumei can grow thriving in Toraja although Torajanesse not make cultivation of these species. These species can grow in wherever land moreover until to the land of mountains stone.


Mixture with meat, coleus blumei, spices in bamboo will emit fragrance after fired and sure tasty and delicious.

Makale Rantepao

Rantepao (the first picture) and Makale (the second picture) are biggest cities in Toraja. First, Toraja just one regency where Makale was government center city and Rantepao was trade city.

Toraja had divided in two government regency namely Tana Toraja and Toraja Utara. Tana Toraja (Tator) is south part and Toraja Utara (Torut) is north part.

Makale is capital city of Tator and Rantepao is capital city of Torut. Makale and Rantepao connected by a main street, where no difficult to find public transportation here.

The land along this street is the first class location in Toraja. The first facilities placed in the side of the street. Like government office, banks, hotels,hospital, mini market, school and others.
Almost all of place in Toraja reffering to the both city and the connecting road. So, not difficult to trip in the region.
Around the street we'll find tourism object like Ke'te' Kesu', Londa, Buntang and we also can get the souvenir in Rantepao where along the street we'll see the beautiful panorama.

Stone Mountains in Toraja

Toraja region consist of stone mountain, hill, garden, village, traditional market, little cities and the others land.

Enter to Toraja by bus along the street we'll trace hill in Mengkendek, south part of Toraja. In the right and left side we'll see the the stone mountains until down to Makale city where also protected by the stone mountain.
What's interesting there is we'll see the grave stone. So far and so high Torajanesse burial their family. Make hole on the stone wall or use the natural hole. Majority of them be laid to rest in 'liang' and 'patani'.
Liang is the grave hole and patani is like the mini house to put body . On one liang or patani consist one big family.
Torajanesse acknowledge that the mountain like the high wall that protect from enemy in the past. Moreover there a Torajan song, Sarira Parerung. Sarira is a name of a mountain that stand like a wall. Parerung in Torajan language means make an object hide. One side hide to other side.

Tominaa

What is Tominaa ?
Tominaa is a minister of origin religion in Toraja. Before modern religion enter to Tana Toraja, in this highland exist Aluk To Dolo religion. In verbal way Aluk To Dolo means The First Religion ( My Private Opinion).
For long time ago Aluk To Dolo has a religion in Toraja until now and Tominaa is minister of Aluk To Dolo religion. Just not known of Aluk To Dolo followers but also known by all of community.
Why ?
Caused by Tominaa is a predicate that really trusted have deep knowledge about Toraja language.
When I was still a little boy, I thought that Tominaa was a literary man, but actually Tominaa is minister, priest of Aluk To Dolo religion.
Tominaa role important in continue Torajan Language caused by until now no one university opening studiy program of the language.

Rambu Solo'

My office friends asked me about burial party in Toraja. Why I said as party ? I mean before burial in Toraja organized a party that Torajanesse said Rambu Solo'.

Rambu Solo' is a tradition in Toraja that organized with slaughtering pig and buffalo until hundreds. Party organized from two days until seven days. Where the big family will provide food and every one can come to the party.
Rambu Solo' managed with really professional based on rule of culture, organized in a wide land, consists of temporary building that said lantang, where the material of lantang majority consists of bamboo. The bamboo tree very much can growth in Toarajaland.
The number of lantang depend on the number of child of the ceased with common lantang that said lantang karampoan, as the first place where guest.
After that, the guess will be move one of the lantang suitable with they destination. They come to pay their respects to family of decease while bring pig and buffalo for the party.