Ex Oriente Lux 2019

Ex Oriente Lux 86 СЕКЦИЯ IV КУЛЬТУРА СТРАН АЗИИ И АФРИКИ CULTURES OF ASIA AND AFRICA Anfilova Natalia St-Petersburg State University, Faculty of Asian and African Studies Traditional Torajanese Carvings: Meaning Uncovered Indonesia is inhabited by over 300 unique ethnic groups.The ethnos of Toraja is indigenous to the mountains in the South of Sulawesi Island. Their name derives from the Buginese term to riaja, which means "people of the uplands". Nonetheless the history of Toraja had started long before the time they moved up to the hills. The memory of long voyages started in the islands far northwards from the Sulawesi is clearly preserved in Torajanese language and culture. Not only do Torajanese cultural artifacts reveal significant historical evidences, but also they reflect traditions, values, beliefs and way of life of Toraja who, due to their geographical isolation and strong ada’(system of traditions),managed to preserve considerable part of them until nowadays. One of the most prominent artifacts is a Torajanese traditional house. A Torajanese traditional house is a piece of woodcraft art covered with specific carving colored with 4 fixed paints. Every detail of the house and every piece of the carving has its own meaning, which can be decoded like symbols of a language. This work introduces Torajanese culture to the Western scientific public by representing meaningful structural elements of the traditional house of Toraja and uncovering the