Corpse Family | National Geographic

in the land of terraza a remote region
of Indonesia cliffside effigies and
graves testified to a culture as
fascinated with death as ancient Egypt
funerals are the most important rituals
in their culture here in terrassa
beloved relatives receive their favorite
dishes three times a day even after they
are dead taraji ins don’t immediately
bury the body of a family member they
keep the embalmed corpse and treat it as
if it is still alive families here
prefer to wait until they can afford to
throw a lavish funeral and that may take
months even years a goose lamba is
shopping for a gift for the funeral of
his great-aunt I’m looking for the pigs
because I mean I’m going to bring it to
the funeral ceremony was my aunty his
diary last year a Goose’s great aunt
mrs. medan dolly pong died almost a year
ago ever since her body has resided at
her family home even in her casket she
is considered sick not dead mrs. dolly
pong was a member of the noble class and
had a large influential family people
here believe her spirit demands a lavish
funeral relatives lift a massive coffin
which resembles a traditional tirage and
house they carry her almost a mile from
her home to the field where her funeral
will take place it takes three hours for
the funeral procession to reach the
ceremony field for her family and
friends this is the moment when mrs.
dolly pong spirit leaves her body but
her spirit will need help reaching
paradise which they call kuya
because of mrs. Dawley pongs noble
status her children are spending
thousands of dollars to give her a
proper funeral the event is so big and
elaborate the family has hired funeral
planners who managed ceremonies
everywhere from the goldleaf decorating
their mother’s coffin to the hired
entertainers the family’s wealth and
prestige are on display tirage ins
believe that the more lavish the funeral
the easier it is for the soul to reach
paradise mrs. dolly pond children want
their mother’s spirit to have the same
status in paradise that she enjoyed on
earth to that end they also plan to
sacrifice many water buffalo symbols of
wealth people here believe the more they
send with mrs. dolly pawn the easier it
will be for me to enter paradise and the
more blessings her spirit will bestow
upon them before they are sacrificed
Buffalo fights provide the funerals most
dramatic entertainment it’s heavy
sometimes it’s dangerous sometimes the
heat fever the time has come to send
mrs. dolly pawned her transportation to
paradise
the mourners sacrifice almost a hundred
Buffalo but the meat won’t go to waste
Warners can take it home finally mrs.
Dawley conks family and friends are
ready to bid farewell to her spirit the
family prepares her body for its final
resting place in a cliffside mausoleum
the family quietly enters the body they
sealed the tomb against grave robbers
nearly a year after her physical death
mrs. Dawley pong finally rests in peace
and her community has forged new bonds
for the future