Let in Those Who Weep The Toraja of Sulawesi

There is a special moment in the lives of the that can be described by a single word Mabadong Toraja funerals are as they were 500 years ago The tradition of letting into the inner circle of mourners anyone weeping for the deceased is a ritual which brings together every rank of society It is a huge ceremony which reinforces the social hierarchy and keeps alive the spirit of the Toraja culture But it is also a tradition that threatens to put this people into financial ruin This is the story of a young man who puts his family in debt sells his parents house and gambles the lot on cockfights to raise the money for his grandmothers funeral and thus preserve his familys rank in the tribe