Tag Archives: Indonesia

What Does Genocide Look Like Through the Eyes of a Killer?

How death squad leader Anwar Congo views his role in the Indonesian killings of 1965

Life was brutal for many Indonesians in the mid-1960s, unless you happened to be a gangster selling movie tickets on the black market. They also extorted money from Chinese people living in the area. When they could not pay, they … Continue reading

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Bali Fire Burials

Exploring the Balinese's liberation of the soul through fire and water

All around the world, people practice their own funerary customs and traditions. Some cultures practice air sacrifices, some practice cave burials – but people from Bali, Indonesia, combine religion and cremation in a ritual known as the fire burial. Through fire burial, … Continue reading

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Tana Toraja, Indonesia: Where Death is Never a Severe Goodbye

In this Indonesian province, family members continue to live, quite literally, with their recently passed loved ones

In the South Sulawasi province of Tana Toraja, Indonesia, lives a culture where death doesn’t automatically mean saying a clear-cut goodbye to our loved ones. Close to half a million Indonesians live in the region, which has held fast to … Continue reading

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Balinese Funeral Ceremony

Part one of Bali’s intricate end-of-life ceremonies

Bali, one of 33 provinces in Indonesia, is not only an exotic tourist destination but also home to the majority of Hindus in that country—92% to be precise.  Along with this factoid comes a wealth of cultural knowledge that details … Continue reading

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