To see the massacre of dozens and even hundreds of animals at a Torajaland funeral is not a sight for the faint of heart. Many may not ever wish to see such a thing. Mainly, the sacrifice is that of water buffalo – with albino buffaloes the rarest and most expensive – but there are also pigs and horses. Machete hits throat after throat as mourners sing their barely audible dirges over the screams of the sacrificed.

The minimum for a traditional Torajaland funeral is six water buffalo sacrifices. For the people of Torajaland, it is a high price indeed; my guide tells me that some women joke that they don’t want to marry Torajan men because they spend all their money on funerals.