The traditional houses in Tana Toraja are fantastic.

Boat shaped beauties with roof lines reminiscent of water buffalo horns, so important to the people of this culture, with walls covered in ornate carvings that have significance to the owners. We were told that the original settlers in this region arrived by water, and at first had to sleep in their boats, so the houses are shaped like boats as a collective memory of their history.

The houses, raised on posts,  are built in a north-south orientation.

The north representing death and the south, life in Torajan tradition. Each house has three rooms inside, one room to the north, for the children to sleep in, the middle room for guests or socializing, the south room for the parents. If there is a death in the family and a body needs to be stored for a few months to a few years, it is placed in the north room and the kids are moved to the middle room if there’s space.

We got to see several houses in various stages of construction, with bamboo poles erected like scaffolding around the roofs.

The rice barns are like miniature houses and are positioned directly across from the houses. They represent the wealth of a family. Traditionally, only the women are allowed in the rice barns, they are the keepers of the wealth. Nicholas laughed when he told us, “For this reason, when we are children, if we need money, we learn to ask the Mama!”

We stopped, roadside, to watch some men who were carving on the sides of new rice barns.

The construction of the barns and the houses, is jointed, there are no nails used. The exterior walls are painted a flat black before the carving begins. They are then carved by master craftsmen who pass down their trade from father to son. After the carving is done, the paints, traditionally made from clays, are applied.

• Black symbolizes death.
• Red symbolizes strength.
• Yellow symbolizes luck and wealth.
• White symbolizes innocence.
• There are no other colours used, ever.

The designs carved are stylized water buffalo and pigs, sun, moon, stars and planets. The forms are very consistent and haven’t changed much in nearly a thousand years, as is evidenced the the carved remains of coffins we saw in one of the caves.

The roofs, traditionally, are fashioned of interlocking bamboo. They are often covered with metal corrugate now to help preserve the life of the bamboo.