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Tana Toraja Regency is a landlocked regency (kabupaten) of South Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, and home to the Torajan ethnic group. It covers an area of 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 (comprising 150,655 males and 140,391 females), but the total then fell and the official figure for mid 2025 was a much reduced total of 256,780 (comprising 131,603 males and 125,177 females).

The local government seat is in the town of Makale, while the traditional centre 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 in the west and south with its capital at Makale and Toraja Utara (North Toraja) in the north and east with its capital at Rantepao.

The Tana Toraja boundary was determined by the Dutch East Indies government in 1909. In 1926, Tana Toraja was under the administration of the Bugis state of Luwu. The regentschap (or regency) status was given on 8 October 1946, the last regency given by the Dutch. Since 1984, Tana Toraja has been named as the second tourist destination after Bali by the Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia. Since then, hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors have visited this regency. In addition, numerous Western anthropologists have come to Tana Toraja to study the indigenous culture and people of Toraja.

Image:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM 'Leden van de 'Toradjasche Christelijke Jongelieden Vereeniging 'Boenga Lalan voor de pastorie te Malaboh Toraja Sulawesi.' TMnr 10001356.jpg|Christian mission in Tana Toraja Regency, Netherlands colonial period.picture credits: Tropenmuseum''.

Pagellu Dance, Toraja traditional dance Toraja traditional house The original tribe that inhabits Tana Toraja is the Toraja tribe. The Toraja people are a tribe who live in the mountainous region of the northern part of the province of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The population of the Toraja people is estimated at around 1 million people, and 500,000 of them are in Tana Toraja Regency, North Toraja Regency, and Mamasa Regency. Most of the Toraja people embrace Christianity, while some adhere to Islam and an animist belief known as Aluk Todolo. The Indonesian government has recognised this belief as part of the Hindu religion.

The word Toraja itself comes from the Bugis language, namely "to riaja" which means "people who live in the land above". In 1909, the Dutch colonial government called this tribe the Toraja. The Toraja tribe is famous for its funeral rituals, Tongkonan traditional houses and also various types of wood carvings typical of Toraja. Toraja funeral rituals are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days.

Before the 20th century, the Toraja tribe still lived in autonomous villages. They previously still adhered to animism, and had not been touched by the outside world. In the early 1900s, Dutch missionaries arrived and began to spread Christianity. Then, around the 1970s, Toraja people began to open up to the outside world, and Tana Toraja district (before it was expanded) became a symbol of Indonesian tourism. Then there was the development of Tana Toraja tourism, and it was studied by anthropology. So that in 1990-1s, the Toraja people underwent a cultural transformation, from a society with traditional and agrarian beliefs, to a society that was predominantly Christian, and the tourism sector in the Tana Toraja area continued to increase.

The government in Toraja has been started since the government Dutch East Indies. Based on the Emergency Law No. 3 of 1957, the District Level II Tana Toraja was formed which was inaugurated on 31 August 1957 with the first Regent of the Regency named Lakitta.

Decree of the Governor of the First Level Region of South Sulawesi Number 9541998 dated 14 December 1998, the district of Tana Toraja consisted of 9 definitive districts, 6 district representatives, 22 districts, and 63 villages. Then Law No. 22/1999 on Regional Government was issued, and followed up by issuing Regional Regulation No. 18 of 2000 dated 29 December 2000, 6 district representatives were changed to definitive districts, bringing the total number of districts to 15 definitive districts, 22 districts and 63 villages.

In 2001, the regional regulation no. 2 of 2001 dated 11 April 2001 provided for the entire description of the existing "village" to change their designations from desa to "lembang". After the stipulation of Regional Regulation No. 2 of 2001 concerning the First Amendment to Regional Regulation No. 18 of 2000, the Regional Regulation of Tana-Toraja Regency Number 8 of 2004 concerning the second amendment to the Regional Regulation Number 18 of 2000, as well as the regional regulation number 6 of 2005 concerning the amendment of the Third Regional Regulation Number 18 of 2000, the Tana Toraja Regency area developed into 40 administrative districts (kecamatan), subdivided into 87 kelurahan *urban villages or towns) and 223 lembang (rural villages).

Next came the discourse of "regional expansion", namely the separation of North Toraja Regency. The discourse of the separation had created pros and cons among the Toraja people themselves. The formation of North Toraja Regency was finally determined through the plenary session of the People's Representative Council on 24 June 2008. However, the inauguration of North Toraja Regency was carried out two months later, which was coupled with the commemoration of the 51st anniversary of Tana Toraja Regency, namely on 31 August 2008.

Tana Toraja is centrally placed in the island of Sulawesi, 300 km north of Makassar, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi. It lies between latitude of 2°-3° South and longitude 119°-120° East. The total area (since the separation of the new regency of North Toraja) is 2,043.62 km2, about 4.5% of the total area of South Sulawesi province. The topography of Tana Toraja is mountainous; its minimum elevation is 150 m, while the maximum is 3,083 above the sea level.