Tau-Tau

Londa Nanggala Village, Tana Toraja

The attractive modern Tau-Tau here have been newly-carved and refurbished in colorful traditional clothing. The most recent ancestor carvings are quite life-like and intended to resemble the deceased; the ones with bare wood faces and eyes of shell are either a bit older, or else recently carved to resemble the older style of statue. Modern Torajan tau-tau (burial effigies) are more realistic than their much-in-demand 19th-century counterparts, and are dressed (like American and European traditional burials) in their favorite clothes that they wore while still alive. It is worth emphasizing that the figures seen here are not just a touristic display; they participate in a still-living, vibrant, tradition of ancestor worship.