What the extraordinary funeral rituals of Tana Toraja and Trunyan in Indonesia can teach us about living a better life

via ABC News, 14 May 2022: Funerary rituals from Bali and South Sulawesi. Contains imagery of dead people.

Trunyan sits on a narrow stretch of land, on the eastern shores of a volcanic crater lake inside the caldera of Mount Batur, an active volcano perched on the infamous Ring of Fire.

Bodies aren’t burnt here — that might anger the deity the Bali Mula believe lives inside their volatile neighbour. Instead, corpses are offered up to the elements.

Dozens of moss green skulls are visible piled atop rocks, “almost like artwork”, says Juli. He points to bones that lie scattered in the thick undergrowth, some moved by humans, others by animals.

Even in the heart of paradise, there is no looking away from this stark reminder of our mortality.

Source: What the extraordinary funeral rituals of Tana Toraja and Trunyan in Indonesia can teach us about living a better life – ABC News