Dear Reader<\/p>\n
Please let me introduce my country, Indonesia to you. I
\nam a native born Indonesian and have lived here all my
\nlife. My life is very simple: I live in the suburbs, in a
\nsmall village, Makassar, in South Sulawesi. I am working in
\ntourism. My parents work as subsistence farmers. I would
\nlike to relate a little information about the area in which
\nI live. This gives me the opportunity not only to practice
\nmy English, but also to become more self reliant and learn
\nfrom others.<\/p>\n
First, I would like to change the views of anyone who
\nthinks that Indonesia is dangerous to visit. Be assured
\nthat the real problems that exist here are internal and are
\nrelated to the way our government works. The people of
\nIndonesia are peaceful and are as shocked by the recent
\nBali bombing as the rest of the world, and want no part of
\nthis global terrorism.<\/p>\n
Secondly, I want to make one thing very clear, that
\nIndonesia is a very beautiful country and is an interesting
\nplace to visit and far different to the media’s view
\nof terrorism and danger. On behalf of all of my people, I
\nwould like to stress: INDONESIA IS PEACE LOVING AND FROWNS
\nON ALL VIOLENCE.<\/p>\n
Most people coming to Indonesia know only Bali, which is
\na great shame as Indonesia is an archipelago consisting of
\n17,000 islands in 27 Provinces, and one of them is
\nSULAWESI. Sulawesi, formerly known as CELEBES has a total
\nland area of about 227,000 square Kilometers and is divided
\nin to four areas or provinces : south, central, northeast
\nand the north, with a total population of over 10 million
\npeople.<\/p>\n
Sulawesi is home to an amazing variety of people. The
\nmajority are fisherman, catching flying fish, shark, tuna,
\nmackerel, squid, as well as other fish. We have farmers who
\ngrow wet and dry rice, maize, tapioca, sago, vegetable,
\ncoffee, cacoa and cloves. There are numerous small groups
\nof upland people who practice slash and burn agriculture in
\nthe interior of Sulawesi. Unemployment is a big problem in
\nmy country.<\/p>\n
Sulawesi is full of rich and varied cultures and
\ntraditions, languages and religious beliefs practiced by
\nseveral ethnic groups such as: Makassar, Bugis, Mandar,
\nPamona, Tolaki, Manadoi and the Hulontalo. There are many
\nreligions, including Islam, Christianity, Budhism,
\nHinduism, Confucianism and Animism. The Animism beliefs
\nuntil now can mainly be found in Torajaland or Tana toraja,
\nan upland area of southern Sulawesi. Here the religion’s
\nbelief has a special name in the local language called
\n“Aluk Todolo.” Aluk mean :rules or belief and Todolo means:
\nAncestor. According to this teaching, human beings in the
\nworld have only two problems that are opposites, for
\nexample: ” lose or benefit”, and “happiness or
\nsadness”. This philosophy has been manifested into
\ntheir ceremonies and they have two kinds of ceremony:
\nThanks Giving Ceremony and Funeral ceremony. The Funeral
\nCeremony is very sacred because according to the Animists,
\nDeath is the end of life.<\/p>\n
If you come and visit tana toraja in Sulawesi, you can
\nsee many houses in the village, and the owners put the body
\nof their loved ones in a coffin in a room and consider them
\nas sick person before they died, until a funeral is held
\nalthough this maybe as many as 10 or 20 years have passed
\nfrom the date of actual death.<\/p>\n
After the funeral is held, the family take the coffin to
\na cave in a mountain for burial. The cave can also function
\nas a house. Their philosophy is that ” Death is an event
\nthat changes from the real world to the unreal world”.<\/p>\n
I hope from this small article you can get a feel for
\nhow remarkable Sulawesi is. Although it is my home, I
\nbelieve it is quite special. If you are planning a trip to
\nIndonesia, do please come and visit Sulawesi, and do not
\nhesitate to contact me for information about tours and
\npersonal itineraries. I would be very happy to share my
\nknowledge with you and help to show you around.<\/p>\n
For more information, please visit my simple website:
\nhttp\/\/www.alamnusantaratour.ch<\/p>\n
Please be assured that our traditions of warmth,
\ntrustworthiness and memorable hospitality make an enduring
\nmemory for our guests.<\/p>\n
Syamsu Alam (Alam)<\/p>\n
Tel\/Fax. (062)411-553927<\/p>\n