Corpse Family | National Geographic

in the land of terrassa 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’m I’m
going to bring it to the funeral
ceremony because my auntie is
a Goose’s great-aunt mrs. min Don dolly
Ponk
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
hooyah because of mrs. dolly pawns 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
gold leaf decorating their mother’s
coffin to the hired entertainers the
family’s wealth and prestige are on
display suraj 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 pond 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 Viki fever the time
has come to send mrs. dolly ponder
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.
Dolly ponds 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. Dolly ponk finally rests in peace
and her community has forged new bonds
for the future