Few thieves and fences of tau-tau have been put behind bars, thanks to protection—whether direct or indirect—of security officials, mummy owners and their own kind.

Candra Tulunggalo, 39, is one of the few fences to have ever been sent to jail. He served four months in prison last year for purchasing tau-tau in February 1999.

An old hand in this illegal business, Candra, who now sells Toraja woven cloth, says he got out of the b