It is Called Tongkonan

This is one form of indigenous awesome custom home products in Indonesia. Tongkonan is a typical house in Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi Indonesia. Tongkonan is a traditional house with characteristic wooden houses on stilts under the house where the pit is usually used as a cowshed. The roof houses tongkonan black coated fibers and the curved shape just like a boat with a stern face down. Others say shaped like buffalo horns. Overview of similar buildings house just in Minang or Batak.

Tongkonan direction facing north and end of a peaked roof above symbolizing their ancestors came from the north. When later died they would gather together the spirits of his ancestors in the north.

Based on archaeological research, the Toraja came from Yunan, Tongkin Bay, China. Arrivals from China are then acculturated with the indigenous people of South Sulawesi. Tana word means the country, while the word from two words namely Toraja tau (person) and Maraya (large or the nobility). Then the words merge and has meaningful places for Toraja tribe known as Tana Toraja.

Tongkonan is central to the social life of the Toraja. Rituals associated with tongkonan very important in their spiritual lives. Therefore, all family members are required to participate as a symbol of their relationship with the ancestors.

Tongkonan Toraja people consider home as mothers, whereas grass sura (granary) as the father. Tongkonan works for residential, social activities, ceremonies, and foster kinship. The interior of the house is divided into three parts, namely the northern, central, and south. The room in the north called tangalok that serves as the living room, where the children slept, as well as a place to put offerings. Smoking south called Sumbung, a room for the head of the family but it is also considered as a source of disease. Sali called the center of the room that serves as a dining room, meeting room, kitchen, and a place to put people to death.

The bodies of the dead people buried Toraja indirect but kept at tongkonan. So that it does not smell and rotting corpse was embalmed with the traditional ingredients made from betel leaves and banana juice. Before the funeral, the bodies are regarded as 'sick' and will be stored in a special container. Toraja traditional coffin shaped called buffalo (male) and pigs (female). As for royalty shaped custom home. Before the funeral, the body is also stored in the grass first sura (granary) for 3 days.

The barns are poles made from palm tree trunks (Bangah) are slippery, so mice can not climb into the barn. At the front of the barn there is a variety of carvings, including a picture of chicken and sun which is a symbol to complete the case.

When you see this custom home, there are other features that stand out the buffalo head stuck in front of the house and the horns of the buffalo on the main mast in front of every house. The number of heads of buffalo horn line up from top to bottom and shows the high degree of family inhabiting the house. On the left side of the house facing west mounted jaw ever slaughtered buffalo. On the right side facing eastwards mounted jaw pig.

Buffalo horn ornaments in front tongkonan symbolizes economic capacity as the owner of the funeral home family members. Each ceremony in Toraja buffalo sacrifice like funeral will in large numbers. Buffalo horn and placed on family-owned tongkonan concerned. The more horns mounted on the front tongkonan the higher social status of the family.

Tongkonan home ornament in the form of a buffalo horn and the four primary colors are: black, red, yellow, and white which represent genuine belief Toraja (Aluk To Dolo). Each color used symbolize different things. The black color symbolizes death and darkness. Yellow is a symbol of grace and divine power. Red is the color that symbolizes the blood of human life. And white is the color of flesh and bone that is holy.