Tonggali (toŋˈɡa.li)

A Tonggali is an elaborate covered litter that was used by royal family of Lampuato in the final days of their kingdom. When it was adopted, it was a sign to many in the populace that the royals had truly abandoned Kosalo. It became emblematic of the concerns many in Lampuatoan society had about about the monarchy, and can be credited with garnering more popular support for the rebellion than anything, save for the desecration of Grojok Sakti, by which point the majority had already decided that the monarchy decadence was a threat to the order of the universe.

Description

Calling the Tonggali an elaborate litter does not begin to convey the scale upon which they were built. Tonggalli ranged in size from a small room, suitable for a half-dozen passengers, to the enormous Tonggali Moako'ewuno, which could carry the entire royal court and was more like a house than a vehicle. All of the Tonggali were ornately decorated and furnished, and were carried aloft by as many as one thousand strong men. The underlying structures that enabled the bearers to swiftly lift and transport these behemoths was one of the most impressive engineering feats ever performed.

Usage

The royal family used the Tonggali to travel around the island, and no one else was allowed to build, own, or use a similar conveyance. The last King of Lampuato, King Saambu believed that to be elevated upon the shoulders of the people was the privilege of royalty alone, although they could extend it to others as their guests. Practically speaking, the Tonggali were not the fastest way to travel, but they were among the most comfortable and more importantly made a statement about the importance of their passengers to all who saw them.

Reception

From the beginning, the people of Lampuato despised the Tonggali. Masters of Kosalo immediately denounced their use, claiming that they violated all proper relationships between humans, and that to continue their use would put the proper order of the universe in jeopardy. As had become the habit of the royalty under King Saambu, these statements were dismissed as impossible, since Saambu believed that nothing the King decreed good could be inconsistent with Kosalo.

When the spiritual collapse of Lampuato finally triggered the overthrow and execution of Saambu and his entire family, the Tonggali were not forgotten. The tribunal appointed by the rebel leaders actually decreed that they must be ritually executed, as though they were members of the royal family themselves. The Tonggali were destroyed by axe and fire, and their ashes cast into the sea, the same fate meted out upon the royals. To date, they remain the only vehicles ever condemned and executed by a governmental power.

Type

Litter/Palanquin

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