Sa’dan To’ Barana’ is located in Sa’dan Malimbong Village, Sa’dan District. About 16 km north of Rantepao. In this village there are several traditional houses (Tongkonan) with barns (Alang) owned by the Langi’ Para’pak nobles. This village is famous as a center for traditional weavers and has interesting views because it is on the banks of the Sa’dan river. Sa’dan To’ Barana’ consists of two words, namely Sa’dan which means water stem and To’ Barana’ which means banyan tree. Located on the side of the Sa’dan river, this tourist attraction is a center for traditional Toraja weaving. Tongkonan To’ Barana’ was first built by the ancestor of the To’ Barana’ family named Langi’ Para’pak (Tolla’). Initially this tongkonan was located in Pali’pangan then moved to tongkonan To’ Nangka’ before finally being moved to To’ Barana’.
Sa’dan To’Barana’ today is a weaving village well known for its weaving handicrafts or tenun. The craftswomen and men still use traditional tools made from wood and bamboo to weave and tie these colourful cloths. In this village, weaving and tying traditional textiles is an activity passed down for generations. Even thestring or thread used in the fabric is created from natural materials such as bark or cotton and is hand-spun into yarn. The yarn is dyed with natural ingredients, including a mixture of betel nuts and ginger roots to produce a red colour, bilante leaves or mud to produce a black colour, and tarun leaves or indigo to produce a blue colour. White is one of the fundamental colours used in tenun and is generated from cotton flowers.
When walking through Sa’dan, you will find shops at the back of the Tongkonan that sell various tenun, but only some are handmade. You may also see women tying an ikat cloth with a variety of motifs in front of the Tongkonan who are happy to tell you about the different cloths and patterns as well as what occasions the cloths are worn. They may even let you sit at their looms to take a picture to bring home!
