Imagine having to dig up your deceased and buried family member for some unavoidable reason – would you be able to do it? In Kalimantan, the Dayak tribe is required to perform this daunting ritual.
Tiwah ritual is a procession that is intended to deliver ancestral spirits of relatives who have passed away to the afterlife by way of cleansing and move the rest of the body from the grave to a place called sandung.
Ritual tiwah is a unique and distinctive culture because it is only done by the Dayak of Central Kalimantan. Tiwa
h ritual is the final level of death for the Dayak tribe in Central Kalimantan especially for Kaharingan religion as the religion of the Dayak ancestors.
Tiwah is a funeral ceremony, usually held on a person who has been dead and buried a long time until the remains of his body were expected only a bone.
Ritual tiwah aims to straighten the trip of the spirit or soul concerned into Lewu Tatau (Heaven – in Sangiang
language) so that he can live in peace and peace in the power of nature.
In addition, tiwah also intended as a procession to release Rutas or bad luck for the family of the deceased from negative effects befell.
For the Dayak tribes, a process of death needs to be continued with the advanced rituals (completion) so as not to impair the quality and tranquility of the living.
Furthermore, tiwah also aims to remove the bond status of widows or widowers for married couples. Post tiwah, they are customarily allowed to determine the subsequent spouse or still choose not to marry again.
Conducting the tiwah ceremony is not an easy job. It requires a long and complicated preparation as well as
a lot of funding. In addition, this series of tiwah procession itself takes nonstop for days, even up to one month.
The living relatives are responsible and liable to hold the tiwah ceremony. This ritual is also a proof of their love for the ancestral. There is no specific time for the family to conduct Tiwah.
This ritual can be held any time based on the readiness of the deceased’s family since a Tiwah ceremony requires a complicated preparation and substantial financial funding.
This ritual has been performed hundreds of years ago. Lifting frame of the deceased then put it in a small house or sandung nad it must not touch the ground.
Tiwah ritual is the last p
illar of death with a non-specified timeframe. It can be implemented at any time in accordance readiness of families of the deceased.
Before tiwah ceremony held, fi
rst, held another ritual ceremony called tantulak. According to Kaharingan’s religious beliefs, after death, the deceased had not been able to directly enter into heaven.
Then tantulak ceremony held to escort the spirits of the dead to Bukit Malian (the mount Malian), and from there, they are waiting to depart to meet with Ranying Hattala Langit, their God, until the living relatives held the ceremony of tiwah.
It could also be said that Bukit Malian is Alam Rahim, a holy place for man lived before being born into the world. In that place, those who died will be waiting before departure to heaven through tiwah ceremonies.
The peak of this tiwah event itself will put the bones uneart
hed from the tomb and has been purified through a special ritual into sandung. However, the first event held is a spearing of sacrificial animals, buffaloes, cows, and pigs.
The practice of Tiwah also aims to cast away bad luck and show respect and affection to their ancestors.
On the flip side, if Tiwah is not held properly, the locals believe the spirit of the dead will curse the family and bring misfortune to its members.
