I found this cassette simply labelled “Pa’badong” in a vegetable market in Rantepao, Sulawesi. The origins of the tape is unknown to me. This vocal style has been documented before, but this is interesting because it is a locally produced cassette of their own traditional style. Enjoy.
I found this cassette in a street market in Rantepao, the largest trading center in the Torajan valley of the inner highlands of southern Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Toraja were first contacted by the Dutch nearly 70 years ago, at which point they were still fierce warriors and occasional headhunters. It is widely stated that the Toraja’s animist religious beliefs include the idea that they came from outer-space to their current location, and their homes are designed to symbolize the “space-ships” that they came to earth on. More recent interpretations often see this merely as a symbolic creation story, and believe that the arching homes may have come about following trade expeditions to Sumatra, where both the Batak and Minangkabau have buffalo-horn shaped rooftops.
This Bamboo music is usually played by children’s groups, whereas the more subtle and arguably difficult trance musics (Pa’badong/Papelle) are performed by adults. The bizarre rectangular bamboo instruments have very limited pitch range, and no moving parts.
photo I took of the Bambu instruments in Buntu Kalando, Sulawesi
