Rantepao is a town and the capital of North Toraja Regency, which is known for being the cultural center of the Toraja ethnic group. National and regional tourism offices have developed the city as the starting point for visiting Tana Toraja, since the area was opened for tourism in the 1970s. [1]
In Rantepao, there is also a significant Torajan Muslims population. [2]
In 1961, the government administration in the Tana Toraja underwent a change. This change occurred due to the issuance of the Letter of the Governor of the Level I Region of South Sulawesi No. 2067 A. In this letter, Tana Toraja Regency which originally consisted of 15 districts with a total of 410 villages changed to consist of 9 sub-districts with 135 villages. One of the districts formed was Rantepao District. Then the formation of a new style village was held through the Governor's Decree of the Head of the Level I Region of South Sulawesi No. 450/XII/1965. This decree was issued on December 20, 1965. [3]
Based on the decree, the Decree of the Head of the Second Level Region of Tana Toraja was stipulated again No. 152/SP/1967. Issuance of this letter on September 7, 1967 and its contents regarding the formation of the new style village. A total of 65 new style villages were designated in the Tana Toraja Regency Level II Region. These villages are then divided into 186 villages. In this decree, Rantepao District is divided into 4 sub-district and 18 villages. [3]
Rantepao District has been part of North Toraja Regency since the formation of this district in 2008. Its formation was stipulated by Law of the Republic of Indonesia No. 28 of 2008. [4] Rantepao District before becoming part of North Toraja Regency, including the Tana Toraja Regency. [5] This is because part of the Tana Toraja Regency area was divided into North Toraja Regency. [6] Rantepao District is one of the districts in North Toraja Regency which is located in the central part to the south. The dominant altitude in Rantepao District is between 500–1000 meters above sea level. [7]
Rantepao has 43,123 inhabitants (census 2010). [8] The town is on river Sadang, about 300 km north-east from Makassar.
Rantepao has an elevation moderated tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.
| Climate data for Rantepao | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.6 (79.9) | 25.9 (78.6) | 25.4 (77.7) | 26.4 (79.5) | 27.0 (80.6) | 28.1 (82.6) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.7 (80.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.3 (72.1) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.1 (71.8) | 22.4 (72.3) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.2 (73.8) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.6 (72.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 18.8 (65.8) | 19.0 (66.2) | 19.0 (66.2) | 19.0 (66.2) | 19.3 (66.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 17.8 (64.0) | 17.9 (64.2) | 17.9 (64.2) | 18.7 (65.7) | 19.0 (66.2) | 18.9 (66.0) | 18.7 (65.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 320 (12.6) | 337 (13.3) | 366 (14.4) | 469 (18.5) | 289 (11.4) | 202 (8.0) | 171 (6.7) | 160 (6.3) | 141 (5.6) | 169 (6.7) | 308 (12.1) | 381 (15.0) | 3,313 (130.6) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org [9] | |||||||||||||
Pongtiku Airfield is about 30 km from Rantepao to the south-west. Three times a week it is served by planes to and from Makassar. At present (2015) it is being enlarged to improve traffic connections and to promote tourism in Tana Toraja. Direct flights to Singapore are planned for the near future. [10]
Rantepao is the cultural centre of the Toraja who are mainly Christians. Several administration buildings in town were built in the typical style of the Toraja. A sightworthy monument dedicated to the introduction of the Bible in Tana Toraja in 1913 was erected in front of the largest Protestant church. The interior of Santa Theresia Catholic Church, another noteworthy building in town, was designed using traditional elements of the Toraja culture. The Cultural Centre and various administration buildings in the town centre were built in the traditional Toraja style of a tongkonan (a traditional house) with a typical roof.
A monument with a height of 10 metres dedicated to Pong Tiku was erected close to the market in the centre of Rantepao. Pong Tiku was a rebel fighting against the Dutch at the beginning of the 20th century. He was condemned to death in Rantepao in 1907. [11]
Mount Gunung Singki is a mountain in the west of the town centre with a height of 930 metres offering a panoramic view of Rantepao and its surroundings. [12] A tall Christian cross was erected on the top of the mountain.
Rantepao is surrounded by many traditional villages where the Toraja culture is well-preserved.
Ke'te Kesu is a famous village in the south of Rantepoao where a cave with several graves, five large tongkonans and a dozen of store houses (alang) can be seen. [13]
The village Kambira is known for an old tree in which small children were buried about 100 years ago. [14]
Provinces are the first-level administrative divisions of the Republic of Indonesia. It is formerly called the first-level provincial region provinsi daerah tingkat I) before the Reform era. Provinces have a local government, consisting of a governor and a regional legislative body. The governor and members of local representative bodies are elected by popular vote for five-year terms, but governors can only serve for two terms. Provincial governments have the authority to regulate and manage their own government affairs, subject to the limits of the central government.
South Sulawesi is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital and largest city is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sulawesi and West Sulawesi to the north, the Gulf of Bone and Southeast Sulawesi to the east, Makassar Strait to the west, and Flores Sea to the south.
Tana Toraja is a landlocked regency (kabupaten) of South Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, and home to the Toraja ethnic group. It covers an area of 2,054.30 km2 (793.17 sq mi) and had a population of 221,081 at the 2010 census and 280,794 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 291,046. The local government seat is in the town of Makale, while the traditional center of Toraja culture is in Rantepao. Formerly, the Tana Toraja area covered a larger area, but on 24 June 2008 this was divided into two regencies, consisting of Tana Toraja with its capital at Makale and Toraja Utara with its capital at Rantepao.
The Torajans are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 1,100,000, of whom 450,000 live in the regency of Tana Toraja. Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk. The Indonesian government has recognised this animistic belief as Aluk To Dolo.
Indonesia is divided into provinces. Provinces are made up of regencies and cities (kota). Provinces, regencies, and cities have their own local governments and parliamentary bodies.
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Mamasa Regency is one of the six regencies that make up the West Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, on the island of Sulawesi. It covers a land area of 3,005.88 km2. The population was 140,082 at the 2010 Census and 163,383 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 166,471. Its capital is the town of Mamasa. The Mamasa people - which is a sub-group of the Toraja people - form the most common ethnic group.
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North Toraja is a landlocked regency (kabupaten) of South Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, and the home of the Toraja ethnic group. The local government seat is in Rantepao which is also the center of Toraja culture. Formerly this regency was the northern part of Tana Toraja Regency, but on 24 June 2008 the northeastern 36% of the latter's area was split off to form this separate North Toraja Regency. It covers an area of 1,151.47 km2 and had a population of 216,762 at the 2010 census and 261,086 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 268,198, comprising 136,998 males and 131,200 females.
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Rev. Ishak Pamumbu Lambe was an Indonesian Torajan Christian pastor and politician. He served as a Senator in the national Regional Representative Council from 2004 to 2009. Lambe was also the former Chairman of the Toraja Church Synod Worker's Agency, a Protestant denomination headquartered in the Tana Toraja Regency of South Sulawesi, from 1992 to 2001.
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