Tana Toraja Market: An economics lesson

January 21, 2013 in Asia, Indonesia, Travelogue

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The weekly market at Tana Toraja is spectacular

And we’ve been to our fair share of markets.

This is not a tourist market like the one at Chichicastenago in Guatemala. This is a real, working, local market.

The main attraction is the livestock section which is populated with loads of water buffalo and pigs!

Water buffalo, in Tana Toraja, are not just meat, or beasts of burden, they are one of the primary means of wealth accumulation, and a status symbol.

When someone dies in Tana Toraja, an elaborate funeral is put on. So elaborate, that it takes years to save up for it. If your family is one of the “high class” families you are expected to put on a huge ceremony for friends, family, neighbours and the community. Part of that ceremony includes sacrificing water buffalo, and not just one or two, but ten, or twenty, or sometimes as many as a hundred, according to our friend Nichola. And then there are the pigs and the chickens! The meat is eaten at the feast and given as gifts to the funeral attendees. It’s a big deal.

Here’s what shocked me:

  • A plain black water buffalo runs about $1000 USD
  • A pink spotted, blue eyed water buffalo, around $4000 USD

In a region with a per capita income, annually, of less than $1000 USD… that’s a lot of money for a buffalo.

Now imagine coming up with ten, plus pigs, chickens & sundries. How ’bout 100, of course you’re probably wealthier if you’re coming up with 100 for your Dad’s funeral, but are you THAT much wealthier? That’s, like, $100,000… if you buy the cheap BLACK ones!!

We asked Nichola about this, because it kind of boggles the western mind a bit, the idea of shelling out even a conservative $10,000 for a one day BBQ fest in honor of dear old dad. He told us that the money doesn’t matter, what matters is the family, the legacy, the history, and making sure that Dad’s spirit has plenty of buffalo spirits to walk him to southern Toroja where “Paradise” is located in the Torojan way of thinking.

Love people, not things. I get that. Still, I could pass on a house worth’s of buffalo. When I die, some potatoe salad and potluck will suffice.

We took some pictures for you at the market… enjoy!

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Black spice made from the pit of a tree fruit… we had some for dinner on our water buffalo last night!

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Have pig, will travel

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Local wine… not a grape in sight! 🙂

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Rice! Taste the rainbow!

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