Art in Architecture / Toraja

All old cultures have developed their own aesthetic identity over time. There is a certain preference for colors and shapes and materials. And over time the designs that develop come to be uniquely associated with that culture and become a signature of their identity.

But in the last few decades, as the wave of modernization has gained momentum and reached remote locations and enveloped the last bastions of culture, there is a division in thought between the need to move forward and the need to hold on to the past. And the casualty is usually the past … with many getting brainwashed into believing that all that is modern is “better” than all that is traditional.

And then sadly, older designs that are perfectly in sync with the demands of the location, are given up for homogeneous ‘one-size-fits-all’ global identity.

Fortunately, this has not yet happened in Toraja – and it is with great delight that I found traditional arts thriving in Toraja. Their houses, their traditions, their clothing all remain traditional and ethnic even as they adopt modern technology.

Why is Toraja different from most other cultures that have caved in and given up their traditional identity? No idea … and finding out the secret power to resist this annihilation will take many more interviews and much more thought. But in the meanwhile I enjoyed their refreshing sense of muted conviction in themselves.

One of the visible examples of this conviction is in their architecture and the art on their walls. Here are some pictures.

Initially as I roamed the villages, I thought all the houses must be old and inherited. It was only when I saw that new houses were also being built that I first understood that their traditional identity faces no danger of being moved down by modern ideas.

For, the new generation also prefers the old aesthetic!

They’ve managed to get the balance right!

More notes on Toraja – take a look!

BACK TO TORAJA TALES

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To view recent acquisitions and the freshly-added collection of antique textiles from Toraja, visit WOVENSOULS Art gallery / Click the link below.