Pediment Decoration

Kete Kesu, Tana Toraja

The pedimental decoration on this traditional house includes, on the left, a yellow rooster (in some traditions, white) that symbolizes the moon; on the right, a red rooster symbolizes the sun. The "Majapahit Sun" appears below each bird. The symbolism of lunar and solar clans appears everywhere in Southeast Asia. Its original meaning has been forgotten in Toraja, and is usually explained with a confused reference to "royal justice."

Cock-fighting is a very old and nearly indelible tradition in southeast Asia, in spite of the best efforts of numerous governments to control it. Today it is just a cruel gambling game, but its ancient roots can be traced back, given sufficient imagination, from symbols like these all the way back to the royal courts and their intermarriage with Hindu clans from early India.