Mamasa
A Cool Highland Valley With Boat Roofed Houses, Stone Graves And Elaborate Funerals Like Toraja'S Over The Mountains And Almost None Of The Visitors · Mamasa, West Sulawesi
Mamasa is what people imagine Toraja was before anyone went there. A COOL VALLEY AT ELEVEN HUNDRED METRES west over the mountains from Tana Toraja, with the same broad cultural inheritance - TONGKONAN-STYLE HOUSES WITH UPSWEPT BOAT ROOFS, stone graves cut into cliffs, carved effigies, and ELABORATE MULTI-DAY FUNERALS WITH BUFFALO SACRIFICE - and almost none of the visitors. THE MAMASA PEOPLE DISTINGUISH THEMSELVES FROM THE TORAJA firmly: a different dialect, a separate identity, and a quiet irritation at being described as Toraja's poor relation. The valley is rice terraces, coffee and pine ridges, cold enough at night to want a blanket, with hot springs and walking between villages. GETTING HERE IS WHY NOBODY DOES: a rough road from Polewali, or the notorious mountain track from Toraja that takes ten hours or more and is often impassable - which is precisely why the valley is still what Toraja used to be.
Mamasa Regency, West Sulawesi, Mamasa, West Sulawesi, Indonesia
THERE IS NO GATE - Mamasa is a valley and a small town. TWO ROADS REACH IT AND BOTH ARE DIFFICULT. FROM POLEWALI ON THE WEST COAST it is roughly four to six hours of winding mountain road, which is the normal approach. THE DIRECT TRACK OVER THE MOUNTAINS FROM TANA TORAJA takes ten hours or more, is rough throughout and is OFTEN IMPASSABLE IN THE WET SEASON - it is legendary among the few travellers who attempt it and should not be planned without local advice on the day. GUESTHOUSES IN MAMASA TOWN ARRANGE GUIDES AND VILLAGE WALKS. FUNERALS ARE NOT SCHEDULED AND ARE NOT PERFORMANCES - attending requires an introduction and a gift, as in Toraja. THE HOT SPRINGS keep casual hours. It is cold at night and the town is small; bring cash.