Indonesia is known as the land of a thousand islands and discussing its Indonesia is known as the. The country has diverse tribes with unique characteristics, from birth to death, celebrated with different rituals. Kalimantan Island is the largest island in Indonesia, covering an area of 737,330 km2, and is the third largest island in the world.
The Dayak Ngaju tribe is one of the tribes on the island that has different cultural traditions, including a traditional death ritual called the Tiwah or Tiwah Lale ceremony. The Tiwah ritual is a procession that delivers the ancestral spirits (Salumpuk liau uluh matei) who have passed away to Heaven (Lewu tatau) with the Creator (Ranying Hatalla).
The bones of the deceased are cleaned and placed in a small house made of intact round wood with a size of about 9x12 meters, which is commonly known as a sandung or balai nyahu. This ceremony is specific to the adherents of Hindu Kaharingan, the original belief of the Dayak tribe.
The Dayak tribe, who follow the Hindu Kaharingan belief, believe that death must be followed by specific rituals to ensure that the spirit can rest peacefully with Ranying Hatalla in Lewu Tatau. Basir guides the ceremony, and like most traditional ceremonies, the Tiwah ritual has certain taboos that must be obeyed. These include restrictions on certain animals and vegetables that cannot be brought during the ritual. Anyone who violates these taboos or pali will be subject to customary sanctions.
The Tiwah ritual is performed to relieve the family left behind of bad luck and is a form of respect for the spirits, displaying devotion to the ancestors. Additionally, the ceremony allows for the status of those who are married to be released. Following Tiwah, the abandoned spouse (widow/widower) is permitted to remarry. Typically, the Tiwah ceremony is not performed for a single corpse, but can be carried out for several bodies, requiring significant funds. The ceremony holds deep spiritual meaning, and it generally lasts between 7 to 40 days.
The tiwah ceremony is typically held after the rice harvest season, as this is a time when people have ample food and can engage in activities beyond their usual work in the fields.
The Tiwah Festival has been a significant part of the religious and cultural heritage of the Dayak Ngaju community, followers of the Kaharingan religion, for centuries. The ritual, which is a secondary burial ceremony, aims to guide the spirits of the ancestors to the transcendent dimension known as Lewu Tatau in East Kotawaringin.
Throughout the years, the Tiwah Festival has undergone several transformations in response to the socio-cultural changes in the Dayak Ngaju community. Unfortunately, the rapid modernization and globalization have led to the erosion of the Tiwah Festival and the Dayak Ngaju culture. The influx of cultural acculturations has also caused the Dayak Ngaju tribe to become increasingly heterogeneous.
The death ritual typical of the Dayak tribe is very interesting, not only for local people but also domestic tourists to international tourists who are enthusiastic to witness this ceremony directly. Because of its uniqueness, in 2014 Tiwah was included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia, Ministry of Education and Culture.
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