Class affiliation
In early Toraja society, family
relationships were tied closely to social class. There were three strata: nobles, commoners, and slaves (slavery was abolished in
1909 by the Dutch East Indies government). Class was
inherited through the mother. It was taboo, therefore, to marry
"down" with a woman of lower class. On the other hand, marrying a woman
of higher class could
improve the status of the next generation. The nobility's condescending
attitude toward the commoners is still maintained today for reasons of family
prestige.
Nobles, who were believed to be
direct descendants of the descended person from heaven, lived in tongkonans,
while commoners lived in less lavish houses (bamboo shacks called banua).
Slaves lived in small huts, which had to be built around their owner's tongkonan.
Commoners might marry anyone, but nobles preferred to marry in-family to
maintain their status. Sometimes nobles married Bugis or Makassarese nobles.
Commoners and slaves were prohibited from having death feasts. Despite close
kinship and status inheritance, there was some social mobility, as marriage or change in wealth
could affect an individuals status. Wealth was counted by the ownership
of water buffaloes.
Slaves in Toraja society were family
property. Sometimes Torajans decided to become slaves when they incurred a
debt, pledging to work as payment. Slaves could be taken during wars, and slave trading was common. Slaves could buy
their freedom, but their children still inherited slave status. Slaves were
prohibited from wearing bronze or gold, carving their houses, eating from the
same dishes as their owners, or having sex with free women—a crime punishable by death.
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