The tongkonan It is a traditional ancestral house of the Toraja, located in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Tongkonan has a boat shape distinctive, however, like many traditional Indonesian architectures, it is found built on columns. Tongkonan construction involves a lot of work and is usually carried out by family members. In the original Torah society, only the nobles had the right to build the tongkonan. The other people used to live in smaller and less decorated houses called banua.
Sulawesi is a large island, which lies between Kalimantan y Maluku. On this island, natural resources abound with a rich and varied cultural past, including some of the most distinctive anthropological objects in Indonesia. The dominant groups on the island are the Muslim Bugis and the Makassarese, in the south-west of the island; in the northern part, the Christian Minaza predominate. The Toraja of southern Sulawesi are one of the most distinctive ethnic groups in all of Indonesia.
The name Toraja is of Bugis origin and was given to the people who lived in the northern part of the southern peninsula. The Toraja have origins that come from southeastern Asia, probably from Cambodia. Like many Indonesian ethnic groups, the Toraja wear objects on their heads and its villas are located in strategic positions on the tops of the mountains. Dutch settlers guided the Toraja and led them to build their villas in valleys. The native religion is megalithic and animistic. Many of these native practices remain, including the sacrifice of animals.
The native faith began to change when the Protestant missionaries first arrived in 1909, with the Dutch settlers. Today, 60% of the Toraja are Protestant Christians and 10% are Muslims. The beliefs of the rest are centered in the native religions. The Toraja are divided into different geographical groups, the most important being the Mamasa, located around the Kalumpang valley, and the Sa'dan, in the southern lands. Known as "Tana Toraja", Sa'dan has a market in Makale and Rantepao.