Tana Toraja is a mountainous region on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Most of the Torajan people converted to Christianity relatively recently in early 1900's. Still, some portion of the population worship the traditional animistic religion aluk to dolo which means "the law of the ancestors". Even those who identify themselves as Christians deeply believe in ancestral spirits. Death is treated here as a slow process, not a sudden event. Each family member who dies is not separated from the relatives. The deceased is kept in the house for many months, or even years and is considered just as a sick person. To preserve body, formalin is injected; for the same purpose herbs are available in the forest were in the past. Family members of the deceased talk to him, often bring him food, water and cigarettes. Torajans believe that the respect given in this manner to the ancestors brings good luck to the whole family.
