The people of Toraja village in South Sulawesi, Indonesia are said to have dug up the corpse of their loved ones to give them a makeover as part of the practice done in their ‘Ceremony of Cleaning Corpses’ which takes place every three years.
They exhume skeletons of both young and old, fix or replace damaged coffins and lay all the dead bodies in a single straight line as they perform the ritual.
Herman Tandi, a 32-year-old young man, dug up the skeletons of his grandparents, Jesaya Tandibua and Yakolina Namanda, who died four years ago. He dressed them up and wore them wedding apparel.
The corpse of an army veteran buried over ten years ago was dug up by another family .They dressed him in an army uniform for the Ma’nene ritual as they take family photograph.
In another family, the skeleton of Paul Sampe Lumba, who has been dead for seven years, was dressed on eyeglasses, a tie and a striped blazer so he could look good in the family photo while Ne’Tampo, who has been dead for 30 years, receives his own makeover.indo6
They usually embark on this ritual because of their strong belief that when they visit morgue frequently, the person’s spirit will return to their original place of origin.
