Walking Dead: Spooky Photos from Tara Toraja Show the Deceased “Walking” Through Town

Some spooky photos recently surfaced on a popular Indonesian blog (mamasa-online) depicting the long disregarded ritual of corpse-walking. The photograph (shown above) depicts what appears to be the corpse of a woman moving along the streets with the aid of a man guiding her towards a waiting open casket.

The ritual itself is known to have been practiced in the village of Tara Toraja, where it was believed that when a person died their spirit must return to their village of origin in order to finish their journey into the afterlife.

In order to spare the family the burden of carrying the body to its final resting spot, the corpse was awoken by an experienced black-magician and, along with the family members, led towards the village cemetery on its final journey. During this journey the corpse was never to be addressed directly, or it would suddenly become un-animated and “fall down senseless.”

For this, quiet back-roads were mainly used in order to lessen the chance of coming into contact with others who might not recognize the ritual underway. Upon arrival the body would climb agreeably into its own casket, ending the journey and entering safely into the afterlife.

Whether you believe in the practice of corpse-walking or not, it is difficult not to admit that the custom is an interesting part of Tara Toraja culture.

(Source: Above Top Secret)

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