The Tree Graves of Indonesia: Where Dead Babies Are Absorbed by Nature (PHOTOS)

There’s a remote region of Indonesia where they place dead babies inside tree trunks so that they can be absorbed by nature. Dozens of bodies can be buried in a single tree.

The place is called Tana Toraja in South Sulawesi. about 186 miles away from the capital. These tree graves only contain the corpses of children who passed away before they began teething.

The ritual, called Ma’nene, occurs every three years, and is carried out by hollowing out holes in a tree’s trunk, wrapping the child in cloth, and then placing them inside. Afterwards, the hole is then sealed up with palm fiber.

A lthough it is believed that the bodies are absorbed into the living tree over time, according to legend, locals think the wind carries their soul away.