The Toraja word mangrara means ‘to anoint with blood’. Sacrifices made to celebrate the rebuilding of a house ensure the blessings for the house and its inhabitants.
It is maybe the last ritual of the East still celebrated by Christian converts, even though they have adapted it by substituting Christian prayers for the making of offerings (they still sacrifice pigs but don’t offer them to the ancestors and deities) and the traditional chants of the to minaa.
Again, several levels exists originally depending on the rank of the owner and the house each commanding different offerings to be made during the stages of the construction and the final days of celebration and a specific chant.
Buffaloes are not sacrificed when it comes to houses, only chickens and pigs. In the chant the to minaa used to :
- Summon the deities (deata) from the three level of the cosmos (sky, earth and under the earth) and from all points of the compass then the ancestors (to dolo) from the founder of the house until the most recently deceased. They are informed that the rite for the house is about to be performed.
- Ask for forgiveness for any fault or breach of the customs done by members of the community. This ‘cleansing’ part is called ma’sarrin.
- Request blessings from Puang Matua
A comprehensive description of the necessary rituals for the building of a new house can be found in Nooy-Palm.
According to the myth, the houses built by humans imitate the house of Puang Matua in the sky. His house is oriented towards East, facing the rising sun. Toraja always orient their houses to the north and it is prohibited to imitate the creator, otherwise ill fortune would befell on the house occupants.
This orientation is still respected today, this is why houses in a village or a compound are always aligned.
