Pre-Islamic Burial Practices of South Sulawesi: Insights from Archaeological Studies

Abstract

This study explores the diverse pre-Islamic burial practices of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, with a focus on the Toraja and other ethnic groups whose mortuary traditions reflect complex spiritual beliefs and social structures. Drawing on archaeological evidence, ethnographic records, and historical accounts, the research documents a wide range of burial methods, including primary (direct) and secondary (reburial) interments, both with and without containers such as earthenware jars (tempayan) and wooden coffins (erong, duni, allung). The study highlights distinctive Toraja forms such as Liang cave burials, Tangdan or Patane house-shaped tombs, tree burials (Passilliran) for infants, and Lamunan ground interments, each historically linked to social stratification (tanak) and spiritual symbolism. The findings reveal that grave orientation (east–west or toward mountains) and the inclusion of grave goods—locally made ceramics, imported Chinese and Annamese wares, metals, and personal belongings—underscore beliefs in an afterlife requiring provisions for the soul’s journey. Rituals before and after burial served not only to safeguard the spirit but also to reinforce kinship bonds and communal cooperation. By tracing the evolution of these practices from the Mesolithic through the early Islamic period and noting the influence of later Christian and Islamic traditions, this study illuminates how mortuary customs functioned as both spiritual rites and social events. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of Sulawesi’s cultural history, showing how burial traditions encode cosmological views, social hierarchy, and the enduring relationship between the living and their ancestors.