We were fortunate to be in Toraja at funeral season time.Torajan funerals are held only when the families have saved enough money to host the elaborate event. Part of the costs is the necessity to build a temporary village to house and feed hundreds of guests over the five-day period. The other major cost involves buying animals for sacrifice.
Therefore. the deceased may end up being kept in the house for several months or more to await the accumulation of finances.

While the body is waiting for its funeral, their last journey, it is important to make sure the soul is not neglected, a bowl of food is replenished daily and palm wine poured plus an offering of betel nut or chewing tobacco is made at regular intervals. The Torajans believe it is only through this intense rich ritual that the deceased will always be “a free soul” and become richer in their next life.

Here you see the final resting places of teh Torajans. The dead are placed in chiseled coffin slots in rocks or cliffs, which you can clearly see here.
Wooden effigies (Tau-tau) are placed on balconies to guard the spirit of the dead body.