View source for Batak

{{Short description|Ethnic group in Indonesia}}
{{about|the Batak people of Indonesia|the Batak people of the Philippines|Batak people (Philippines)|indigenous [[Negrito]] group of peninsular Malaysia|Batek people}}
{{Other uses}}
{{use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{infobox ethnic group
| group            = Batak<br /><small>''Halak Batak''</small>
| flag             = [[File:Flag_of_Batak_(2).svg|260px]]
| flag_caption     = [[Flag of Batak]]
| image            = [[File:Halak Batak.jpg|260px]]
| caption          = Toba Batak male and female wearing traditional clothes
| pop              = 8,466,969 (2010 census)<ref name="BPS">{{Citation |last1=Na'im |first1=Akhsan |title=Kewarganegaraan, Suku Bangsa, Agama, dan Bahasa Sehari-hari Penduduk Indonesia: Hasil Sensus Penduduk 2010 |date=2010 |url=http://www.bps.go.id/website/pdf_publikasi/watermark%20_Kewarganegaraan%2C%20Suku%20Bangsa%2C%20Agama%20dan%20Bahasa_281211.pdf |trans-title=Nationality, Ethnicity, Religion, and Languages of Indonesians: Results of the 2010 Population Census |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194534/http://www.bps.go.id/website/pdf_publikasi/watermark%20_Kewarganegaraan%2C%20Suku%20Bangsa%2C%20Agama%20dan%20Bahasa_281211.pdf |publisher=Statistics Indonesia (BPS) |language=id |isbn=978-979-064-417-5 |access-date=23 September 2015 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |last2=Syaputra |first2=Hendry |url-status=live}}</ref>
| region1          = {{IDN}}
| pop1             = 8,466,969
| ref1             = <ref>{{Cite book |title=Kewarganegaraan, Suku Bangsa, Agama dan Bahasa Sehari-hari Penduduk Indonesia: Hasil Sensus Penduduk 2010 |last1=Na'im |first1=Akhsan |last2=Syaputra |first2=Hendry |publisher=Badan Pusat Statistik |year=2011 |isbn=9789790644175 |language=id |trans-title=Citizenship, Ethnicity, Religion, and Daily Language of Indonesian Population, Results of the 2010 Population Census}}</ref>
| region2          = {{nbsp|10}} '''{{flag|North Sumatra}}'''
| pop2             = 5,785,716
| region3          = {{nbsp|10}} '''{{flag|Riau}}'''
| pop3             = 691,399
| region4          = {{nbsp|10}} '''{{flag|West Java}}'''
| pop4             = 467,438
| region5          = {{nbsp|10}} '''{{flag|Jakarta}}'''
| pop5             = 326,645
| region6          = {{nbsp|10}} '''{{flag|West Sumatra}}'''
| pop6             = 222,549
| region7          = {{nbsp|10}} '''{{flag|Riau Islands}}'''
| pop7             = 208,678
| region8          = {{nbsp|10}} '''{{flag|Aceh}}'''
| pop8             = 147,295
| region9          = {{nbsp|10}} '''{{flag|Banten}}'''
| pop9             = 139,259
| region10         = {{nbsp|10}} '''{{flag|Jambi}}'''
| pop10            = 106,249
| region11         = {{flag|Malaysia}}
| pop11            = 30,000 {{smaller|(counted as part of the local "[[Malaysian Malays|Malays]]")}}
| region12         = {{flag|Singapore}}
| pop12            = unknown {{smaller|(counted as part of the local "[[Singaporean Malays|Malays]]")}}
| region13         = {{flag|Netherlands}}
| pop13            = unknown
| region14         = {{flag|Australia}}
| pop14            = unknown
| langs            = '''Native'''<br/>[[Batak languages]] ([[Batak Karo language|Karo]], [[Pakpak language|Pakpak]], [[Simalungun language|Simalungun]], [[Batak Toba language|Toba]], [[Angkola language|Angkola]], [[Mandailing language|Mandailing]])<br/>'''Also'''<br/>[[Indonesian language|Indonesian]]
| rels             = • [[Christianity]] ([[Protestantism]] and [[Catholicism]]) 55.62%<br>• [[Sunni Islam]] 44.17%<br>• [[Buddhism]] 0.11%<br> • [[Hinduism]] 0.017%<br> • Traditional religions ([[Parmalim]], [[Pemena]], etc.) 0.08%<ref>{{Cite book |title=Konflik Status dan Kekuasaan Orang Batak Toba: Bagian Sejarah batak |last=Bungaran Antonius Simanjuntak |publisher=Yayasan Pustaka Obor Indonesia |year=1994 |isbn=60-243-3148-7 |page=149 |language=id |trans-title=Conflict of Status and Power of Toba Batak People: History of Batak}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Sistim Gotong Royong Dalam Masyarakat Pedesaan Daerah Sumatera Utara |author1=B.A. Simanjuntak |author2=Hasmah Hasyim |author3=A.W. Turnip |author4=Jugat Purba  |author5=E.K. Siahaan |publisher=Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan |year=1979 |page=25 |language=id |trans-title=Mutual Cooperation System in Rural Areas of North Sumatra}}</ref>
| related          = {{ubl|[[Austronesian peoples]]}}
{{hlist|item_style=font-size:90%;|[[Nias people|Nias]]|[[Minangkabau people|Minangkabau]]|[[Malays (ethnic group)|Malay]]}}
}}
'''Batak''' is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]] [[ethnic groups]] predominantly found in [[North Sumatra]], [[Indonesia]], who speak [[Batak languages]]. The term is used to include the [[Karo people (Indonesia)|Karo]], [[Pakpak people|Pakpak]], [[Simalungun people|Simalungun]], [[Batak Toba people|Toba]], [[Angkola people|Angkola]], [[Mandailing people|Mandailing]]<ref>{{Cite book |title=Sedjarah kebudajaan Batak: suatu studi tentang suku Batak (Toba, Angkola, Mandailing, Simelungun, Pakpak Dairi, Karo) |last=Siahaan |first=Nalom |publisher=Napitupulu |year=1964 |language=id |trans-title=Historical culture of Batak: a study of Batak tribes (Toba, Angkola, Mandailing, Simelungun, Pakpak Dairi, Karo) |oclc=690038854}}</ref> and related ethnic groups with distinct languages and traditional customs (''[[adat]]'').
== Prehistory ==
[[File:Batak Toba House.jpg|left|thumb|A traditional Toba Batak house (see [[Batak architecture]]).]]
While the archaeology of southern Sumatra testifies to the existence of neolithic settlers, it seems that the northern part of Sumatra was settled by agriculturalists at a considerably later stage.
Although the Batak are often considered to be isolated peoples due to their location inland, away from the influence of seafaring European colonials, there is evidence that they have been involved in trade with neighbouring kingdoms for a millennium or more.
===Influenced by Tamil Peoples===
The Bataks practiced a syncretic religion of [[Shaivism]], [[Buddhism]] and local culture for thousands of years. The last Batak king who fought valiantly against Dutch imperialists until 1905 was an Indonesian Shaivite king. The Batak may be mentioned in [[Zhao Rugua]]'s 13th-century ''[[Zhu Fan Zhi|Description of the Barbarous Peoples]]'', which refers to a 'Ba-ta' dependency of [[Srivijaya]]. The ''[[Suma Oriental]]'', of the 15th century, also refers to the kingdom of Bata, bounded by [[Pasai]] and the [[Sultanate of Deli|Aru kingdom]].
Based on this evidence, the Batak may have been involved in procuring important commodities for trade with [[China]], perhaps from the 8th or 9th centuries and continuing for the next thousand years, with Batak men carrying the products on their backs for sale at ports.
It has been suggested that the important port of [[Barus]] in [[Central Tapanuli Regency|Tapanuli]] was populated by Batak people.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Drakard |first=Jane |title=A Malay Frontier: Unity and Duality in a Sumatran Kingdom |publisher=SEAP Publications |year=1990 |isbn=08-772-7706-0 |location=Ithaca, NY |language=en}}</ref> A [[Tamil language|Tamil]] inscription has been found in Barus which is dated to 1088, while contact with Chinese and Tamil traders took place at [[Kota Cina]], a trading town located in what is now northern [[Medan]] that was established in the 11th century, and comprising 10,000 people by the 12th century. Tamil remains have been found on key trade routes to the Batak lands.
These trading opportunities may have caused migration of Batak from Pakpak and Toba to the present-day Karo and Simalungun 'frontier' lands, where they were exposed to greater influence from visiting Tamil traders, while the migration of Batak to the Angkola-Mandailing lands may have been prompted by 8th-century Srivijayan demand for [[camphor]].
The [[Karo people (Indonesia)|Karo ''marga'' or tribe]] ''Sembiring'' "black one" is believed to originate from their ties with Tamil traders, with specific Sembiring sub-marga, namely Brahmana, Colia, Pandia, Depari, Meliala, Muham, Pelawi, and Tekan all of Indian origin. Tamil influence on Karo religious practices are also noted, with the pekualuh secondary cremation ritual being specific to the Karo and Dairi people. Moreover the Pustaka Kembaren, an origin story of the Sembiring Kembaren suggests linkages with [[Pagarruyung]] in [[Minangkabau Highlands]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bangun |first=Roberto |title=Mengenal suku Karo |date=2006 |publisher=Yayasan Pendidikan Bangun |location=Jakarta |language=id}}</ref>
From the 16th century onward, [[Aceh]] increased the production of [[Black pepper|pepper]], an important export commodity, in exchange for rice, which grew well in the Batak wetlands. Batak people in different areas cultivated either ''sawah'' (wet rice fields) or ''ladang'' (dry rice), and the Toba Batak, most expert in agriculture, must have migrated to meet demand in new areas. The increasing importance of rice had religious significance, which increased the power of the Batak high priests, who had responsibility for ensuring agricultural success.
==Language==
[[File:Image from page 129 of "Handbook to the ethnographical collections" (1910) (14783317945).jpg|thumb|right|Bark book with charms written in native [[Batak script]], 1910.]]
{{main|Batak languages}}
{{see also|Batak script}}
The Batak speak a variety of closely related languages, all members of the [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian language family]]. There are two major branches, a northern branch comprising the [[Batak Dairi language|Pakpak-Dairi]], [[Batak Alas-Kluet language|Alas-Kluet]] and [[Batak Karo language|Karo]] languages, which are similar to each other, and a distinct southern branch, comprising three mutually intelligible dialects: [[Batak Toba language|Toba]], [[Batak Angkola language|Angkola]] and [[Batak Mandailing language|Mandailing]]. [[Batak Simalungun language|Simalungun]] is an early offspring of the southern branch. Some Simalungun dialects can be understood by speakers of Batak Karo, whereas other dialects of Simalungun can be understood by speakers of Toba. This is due to the existence of a linguistic continuum that often blurs the lines between the Batak dialects. Batak dialect still influences the dialects in [[Medan]] city today.
The Batak possess their own script known as the ''[[Batak script|Surat Batak]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=KozoK |first=Uli |title=Illuminations: The Writing Traditions of Indonesia |date=1996 |publisher=Lontar and Weatherhill |isbn=0-8348-0349-6 |editor-last=Kumar |editor-first=Ann |edition=1st |location=Jakarta |page=1237 |chapter=Bark, Bones and Bamboo: Batak Traditions of Sumatra |editor-last2=McGlynn |editor-first2=John H.}}</ref> The writing has chiefly ceremonial importance within traditional religious ceremonies, and was subject to little change for this reason. It is likely that the Batak people originally received their writing system from southern Sumatra.
===Contribution to modern Malay and Indonesian literature===
{{see also|Indonesian literature}}
In the broader context of national language, the modern Batak authors are well-known as the outstanding Malay-speaking writers that shape modern Malay into the national concept of ''Bahasa Indonesia'' ([[Indonesian language]]) and its literary canon. These include novelist [[Merari Siregar]] (''[[Azab dan Sengsara]]''),<ref name="lbb">{{Cite web |title=Laman Badan Bahasa – Merari Siregar |url=http://pusatbahasa.kemdiknas.go.id/lamanv42/?q=detail_tokoh/964 |access-date=2011-07-15 |language=id |df=dmy-all}} {{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> [[Muhammad Kasim|Muhammad Kasim Dalimunte]] (''Teman Doedoek''),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rampan |first=Korrie Layun |title=Leksikon Susastra Indonesia |publisher=Balai Pustaka |year=2001 |isbn=979-666-358-9 |location=Jakarta |page=309 |language=id}}</ref> [[Soeman Hs|Soeman Hasiboean]] (''[[Kawan Bergeloet]]'' and ''Mentjahari Pentjoeri Anak Perawan''),{{sfn|Kasiri|1993|p=89}} [[Mochtar Lubis]] (''[[Senja di Jakarta]]'') and [[Iwan Simatupang]] (''Ziarah''); poets [[Sitor Situmorang]]; as well as literary critic [[Bakri Siregar]].{{sfn|Eneste|2001|p=44}}
==Profession==
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een Toba Batak prauw met houtsnijwerk op de voorsteven TMnr 60011149.jpg|thumb|left|Traditional boat ({{Circa|1870}}), photograph by [[Kristen Feilberg]].]]
The traditional occupation of the Batak was [[agriculture]], hunting and farming. The great lake of [[Lake Toba|Toba]] provided vast opportunity for freshwater aquaculture since ancient times. Interior rural Batak communities relied heavily on rice farming, horticulture and other plant and commercial crops, and to some extent, acquiring forest products, such as hard wood, plant resin, and wild animals.
The port of [[Barus]] on the western coast of Batak lands has become famous as the source of ''kapur barus'' ([[camphor]]). In ancient times, Batak warriors were often recruited by neighboring Malay courts as mercenaries. In the colonial era, the Dutch introduced commercial cash crops, such as coffee, ''sawit'' [[palm oil]], and [[rubber]], converting some parts of the Batak land into plantations.
[[File:KITLV - 1405915 - Kleingrothe, C.J. - Medan - Lake Toba near Haranggaul. Man guarding a rice field against birds - 1900-1910.tif|thumb|right|250px|Man guarding a rice field against birds in [[Haranggaol]], North Sumatera. Farming and agriculture is one of main source of living around Lake Toba]]
Throughout the history of modern Indonesia, the Batak community has been a significant contributor. Batak people have filled a wide range of occupations, from running modest tire service workshops to serving as state ministers. The modern Batak have gravitated towards professions such as bus and taxi drivers, mechanics, engineers, singers and musicians, writers and journalists, teachers, economists, scientists, military officers, and attorneys. Although the Batak are a minority among the Indonesian population (3.58%; only 8–9 million Batak people out of 236 million according 2010's census), a large number of notable Batak have achieved prominent places and well-represented especially in the field of law,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tjahjono |first=Tenissa |date=31 October 2017 |title=Batak Make Good Lawyers, Is It True? |url=http://www.globalindonesianvoices.com/31491/batak-make-good-lawyers-is-it-true/ |website=Global Indonesian Voices |df=dmy-all}}</ref> such as [[Adnan Buyung Nasution]] who founded the Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Jakarta (LBH Jakarta),<ref name="Lindsey & Crouch 2013">{{Cite journal |last1=Lindsey |first1=Tim |last2=Crouch |first2=Melissa |date=2013 |title=Cause Lawyers in Indonesia: A House Divided |journal=Wisconsin International Law Journal |volume=31 |pages=620–645 |ssrn=2465537}}</ref> [[Todung Mulya Lubis]], [[Ruhut Sitompul]] and [[Hotman Paris Hutapea]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Onishi |first=Norimitsu |date=24 April 2010 |title=A Top Indonesian Lawyer May Be Honest to a Fault |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/world/asia/24hotman.html |url-status=live |access-date=18 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219090357/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/world/asia/24hotman.html |archive-date=19 December 2017}}</ref>
<!-- Important figures such as local king ([[Sisingamangaraja XII]]), two Indonesian prime ministers ([[Amir Sjarifuddin|Amir Syarifuddin Harahap]], [[Burhanuddin Harahap]]), speakers of the parliament ([[Zainul Arifin|Zainul Arifin Pohan]], [[Akbar Tanjung]]), one vice president ([[Adam Malik|Adam Malik Batubara]]), two governors of the central bank ([[Darmin Nasution]], [[Arifin Siregar]]), one attorney general ([[Marsillam Simanjuntak]]), and many influential cabinet ministers ([[Albert Mangaratua Tambunan]], [[Ferdinand Lumbantobing]], [[Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan]], [[Malam Sambat Kaban|M.S. Kaban]], [[Tifatul Sembiring]]), business magnate and entrepreneurs ([[Chairul Tanjung]]), legendary military figures with five-star general ([[Abdul Harris Nasution]]) and leading-generals ([[T. B. Simatupang]], [[Maraden Panggabean]], [[Feisal Tanjung]]) are well-known as prominent persons that shape Indonesian history. In Malaysia, some Batak descendants held positions as ministers, such as [[Saifuddin Nasution Ismail|Saifudin Nasution bin Ismail]] and [[Senu Abdul Rahman|Senu Abdul Rahman Siregar]]. Note : Many disputes. Some people said that Chairul Tanjung and Akbar Tanjung aren't Batak people, precisely "Minang/Malay Coastal People" (Orang Pesisir) -->
==Society==
[[File:Tortor.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Batak sub-ethnics (''Toba, Karo, Pakpak, Mandailing'') dancing [[Tor-tor dance|Tor-tor]] or ''Manortor'' in [[Kesawan]], [[Medan]], 2021]]
Batak societies are [[patriarchy|patriarchally]] organized along clans known as [[Marga (Batak)|''Marga'']]. A traditional belief among the Toba Batak is that they originate from one ancestor "Si Raja Batak", with all ''Margas'' descended from him. A family tree that defines the father-son relationship among Batak people is called ''[[tarombo]]''. In contemporary Indonesia, the Batak people have a strong focus on education and a prominent position in the professions, particularly as teachers, engineers, doctors and lawyers.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Kinship and Family Organization |date=1966 |publisher=Wiley |editor-last=Farber |editor-first=Bernard |location=New York}}</ref> Toba Batak are known traditionally for their [[weaving]], [[wood carving]] and especially ornate stone tombs.
Before they became subjects of the colonial [[Dutch East Indies]] government, the Batak had a reputation for being fierce warriors. Today the Batak are mostly Christian with a Muslim minority. Currently the largest Christian congregation in Indonesia is the [[HKBP]] (''Huria Kristen Batak Protestan'') Christian church. The dominant Christian [[theology]] was brought by [[Lutheran]] [[German people|German]] missionaries in the 19th century, including the well-known missionary [[Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen]]. Christianity was introduced to the Karo by [[Dutch people|Dutch]] [[Calvinist]] missionaries, and their largest church is the GBKP (''Gereja Batak Karo Protestan''). The [[Mandailing]] and Angkola Batak were converted to Islam in the early 19th century during the reign of Minangkabaus [[Padri War|Padri]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Luckman Sinar (Tengku) |title=The History of Medan in the Olden Times |date=1996 |language=en}}</ref>{{publisher missing}} A significant minority of Batak people do not adhere to either Christianity or Islam, however, and follow traditional practices known as the ''agama si dekah'', the old religion, which is also called ''perbegu'' or ''pemena''.<ref>Sibeth, p. 86.</ref>
{{Further|topic=the traditional ceremony|Manulangi Natua-Tua}}
=== Dalihan Na Tolu ===
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Toba-Bataks hoofd met zijn familie voor hun met fraai houtsnijwerk versierde huis TMnr 10001701.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Head or higher class Toba Batak man with his family in their home with the carved head of Toba Batak family "adathuis" or Roemah Adat Tapanoeli in North Sumatra, c. 1900]]
''Dalihan Na Tolu'' (three-legged furnace) is the philosophy of life of the Batak people. It consisted of three general rules in Batak society.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=S Aritonang |first=Jan |title=Beberapa Pemikiran Menuju Dalihan Natolu |publisher=Dian Utama |year=2006 |location=Jakarta |language=id}}</ref> Those are:
# Somba Marhulahula (showing respect to wife's family). Even though ''somba'' could mean worship, in Dalihan Na Tolu, it means respect to those with wife family and those with the same clan ([[Marga (Batak)]]). Those family includes wife of the grandfathers, wife of the fathers, and wife of the children.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=J |first=P Sitanggang |title=Raja Napogos |publisher=Penerbit Jala Permata Aksara |year=2010 |location=Jakarta |language=id}}</ref>
# Elek Marboru (showing kindness to all women). Kindness in this context means not accompanied by ulterior motives and self-interest. Also, women in this context means the family who marry the daughter, including the daughter itself.<ref name=":1" />
# Manat Mardongan Tubu (careful in living with close relatives). Living carefully means a cautious attitude towards fellow Marga to prevent misunderstandings in the implementation of custom tradition events. This act was reflected in the Batak proverb "''hau na jonok do na boi marsiogoson''" (only woods that are really close can cause friction). This illustrates that it is in close and frequent intercourse that possible conflicts of interest, status, etc. can occur<ref name=":1" />
The essence of this teachings is the moral code contains the teachings of mutual respect (''masipasangapon'') with the support of the moral rule: mutual respect and helpfulness.<ref name=":0" />
===Ritual cannibalism===
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM 'Het dorpsgebouw in een Batak-kampong vrouwen bezig potten te vormen Bataklanden' TMnr 10014161.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Pottery]] making by Batak women in [[Tarutung]], Batak-country; [[Dutch East Indies]] era.]]
Ritual [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]] was well documented among pre-colonial Batak people, being performed in order to strengthen the eater's [[#The tendi cult|''tendi'']].<ref name="tradebatak">{{Cite journal |last=Andaya |first=Leonard Y. |date=2002 |title=The Trans-Sumatra Trade and the Ethnicization of the 'Batak' |journal=Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde |language=en |volume=158 |issue=3 |pages=367–409 |doi=10.1163/22134379-90003770 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In particular, the blood, heart, palms and soles of the feet were seen as rich in ''tendi''.
In [[Marco Polo]]’s memoirs of his stay on the east coast of Sumatra (then called Java Minor) from April to September 1292, he mentions an encounter with hill folk whom he refers to as "man-eaters".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Polo |first=M. |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12410 |title=The Travels of Marco Polo: The Complete Yule-Cordier Edition; Including the Unabridged Third Edition (1903) of Henry Yule's Annotated Translation, as Revised by Henri Cordier, Together with Cordier's Later Volume of Notes and Addenda (1920) |publisher=Dover Publications |year=1993 |volume=II |location=New York |pages=366 |language=en |chapter=X }}</ref> From secondary sources, Marco Polo recorded stories of ritual cannibalism among the "Battas". Marco Polo's stay was restricted to the coastal areas, and he never ventured inland to directly verify such claims. Despite never personally witnessing these events, he was nonetheless willing to pass on descriptions which were provided to him, in which a condemned man was eaten: "They suffocate him. And when he is dead they have him cooked, and gather together all the dead man's kin, and eat him. And I assure you they do suck the very bones till not a particle of marrow remains in them...And so they eat him up stump and rump. And when they have thus eaten him they collect his bones and put them in fine chests, and carry them away, and place them in caverns among the mountains where no beast nor other creature can get at them. And you must know also that if they take prisoner a man of another country, and he cannot pay a ransom in coin, they kill him and eat him straightway.<ref>Polo, Vol. II, Chapter X, p. 369.</ref>
The Venetian [[Niccolò de' Conti]] (1395–1469) spent most of 1421 in Sumatra in the course of a long trading journey to [[Southeast Asia]] (1414–1439), and wrote a brief description of the inhabitants: "In a part of the island called Batech live cannibals who wage continual war on their neighbors."<ref>''The Travels of Nicolò Conte'' [sic] ''in the East in the Early Part of the Fifteenth Century'' [[Hakluyt Society]] xxii (London, 1857)</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sibeth |first1=Achim |title=The Batak: Peoples of the Island of Sumatra; Living with Ancestors |last2=Kozok |first2=Uli |last3=Ginting |first3=Juara R. |date=1991 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |isbn=0-500-97392-X |location=New York}}</ref>
[[File:Gerichtsstätte der Batak bei Tomok.jpg|thumb|right|Judgement Place of Toba Batak.]]
[[File:Batak Warriors 60011135 edit.jpg|thumb|Batak warriors, 1870.]]
Sir Thomas [[Stamford Raffles#Administration of Bencoolen.2C 1820.E2.80.931822|Stamford Raffles]] in the 1820s studied the Batak and their rituals and laws regarding the consumption of human flesh, writing in detail about the transgressions that warranted such an act as well as their methods.<ref>Nigel Barley (ed.), ''The Golden Sword: Stamford Raffles and the East'', British Museum Press, 1999 (exhibition catalogue). {{ISBN|0-7141-2542-3}}</ref> Raffles stated that "It is usual for the people to eat their parents when too old to work," and that for certain crimes a criminal would be eaten alive: "The flesh is eaten raw or grilled, with lime, salt and a little rice."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barley |first=N. |title=The Duke of Puddle Dock: Travels in the Footsteps of Stamford Raffles |date=1992 |publisher=H. Holt |isbn=0-8050-1968-5 |edition=1st American |location=New York |pages=112}}</ref>
The German physician and geographer [[Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn]] visited the Batak lands between 1840 and 1841. Junghuhn says about cannibalism among the Batak (whom he called "Battaer"):
"People do the honest Battaer an injustice when it is said that they sell human flesh in the markets, and that they slaughter their old people as soon as they are unfit for work...They eat human flesh only in wartime, when they are enraged, and in a few legal instances."
Junghuhn tells how after a perilous and hungry flight he arrived in a friendly village, and the food that was offered by his hosts was the flesh of two prisoners who had been slaughtered the day before,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Junghuhn |first=F. W.  |title=Die Battaländer auf Sumatra |date=1847 |volume=II |page=249}}</ref> however he maintains that the Batak exaggerated their love of human flesh in order to frighten off would-be invaders and to gain occasional employment as [[mercenaries]] for the coastal tribes who were plagued by [[pirate]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Junghuhn |first=F. W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BXMPAAAAYAAJ |title=Die Battaländer auf Sumatra: Im auftrage sr. excellenz des general-governeurs von Niederländisch-Indien hrn. P. Merkus in den jahren 1840 und 1841 untersucht und beschrieben |date=1847 |publisher=G. Reimer |location=Berlin |language=de |access-date=15 October 2020 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
Oscar von Kessel visited Silindung in the 1840s and in 1844 was probably the first European to observe a Batak cannibalistic ritual in which a convicted adulterer was eaten alive. His description parallels that of Marsden in some important respects, however von Kessel states that cannibalism was regarded by the Batak as a judicial act and its application was restricted to very narrowly defined infringements of the law including theft, [[adultery]], spying or treason. Salt, red pepper and lemons had to be provided by the relatives of the victim as a sign that they accepted the [[verdict]] of the community and were not thinking of [[revenge]].<ref>Von Kessel, O., "Erinnerungen an Sumatra", ''Das Ausland,'' Stuttgart (1854) 27:905-08.</ref>
[[Ida Laura Pfeiffer]] visited the Batak in August 1852 and although she did not observe any cannibalism, she was told that:
:"[[Prisoners of war]] are tied to a tree and beheaded at once; but the blood is carefully preserved for drinking, and sometimes made into a kind of pudding with boiled rice. The body is then distributed; the ears, the nose, and the soles of the feet are the exclusive property of the [[Rajah]], who has besides a claim on other portions. The palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, the flesh of the head, and the heart and liver, are reckoned peculiar delicacies, and the flesh in general is roasted and eaten with salt. The [[Regent]]s assured me, with a certain air of relish, that it was very good food, and that they had not the least objection to eat it. The women are not allowed to take part in these grand public dinners."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pfeiffer |first=Ida |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aF0SAAAAYAAJ |title=A Lady's Second Journey Around the World: From London to the Cape of Good Hope, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Celebes, Ceram, the Moluccas, etc., California, Panama, Peru, Ecuador, and the United States |publisher=Harper & Brothers |year=1856 |location=New York |pages=151 |language=en}}</ref>
Samuel Munson and Henry Lyman, American Baptist missionaries to the Batak, were cannibalized in 1834. Dutch and German [[missionaries]] to the Batak in the late 19th century observed a few instances of cannibalism and wrote lurid descriptions to their home [[parish]]es in order to raise donations for further missions.<ref>An example may be found in Wegner, R., ''Einzelzüge aus der Arbeit der Rheinischen Mission,'' Gütersloh (1900)</ref> The growing Dutch influence in northern Sumatra led to increased [[Malay (ethnic group)|Malay]] influence in coastal trade and plantations, pushing the Karo farther inland. Growing ethnic tensions culminated in the 1872 Karo Rebellion where the Karo were suppressed by Dutch and Malay forces. Despite this, Karo resistance to Dutch imperialism lingered into the early 20th century.<ref>Niessen, Sandra. "Foreign Penetration of North Sumatra." ''Indonesian Heritage: Early Modern History.'' Vol. 3, ed. [[Anthony Reid]], Sian Jay, T. Durairajoo. Singapore: Editions Didiers Millet, 2001. pp. 134–35.</ref> In 1890 the Dutch colonial government banned cannibalism in the regions under their control.<ref>Sibeth, p. 19.</ref> Rumors of Batak cannibalism survived into the early 20th century but it seems probable that the custom was rare after 1816, due partially to the influence of [[Islam]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kipp |first=R. S. |title=The Early Years of a Dutch Colonial Mission: The Karo Field |date=1990 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=0-472-10176-5 |location=Ann Arbor, MI |language=en |doi=10.3998/mpub.13231}}</ref>
===Tarombo===
{{main|Tarombo}}
Family tree or lineage is a very important thing for the Batak, as those who do not know the lineage will be considered as a strayed (''nalilu'') Batak. Batak people are required to know their lineage or at least the ancestors of which the family name ([[Marga (Batak)]]) and the related clans (''dongan tubu'') came from. This is necessary in order to determine the relation of a kinship (''partuturanna'') within a clan or simply the surname ([[Marga (Batak)]]) itself.
==Geography==
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The Batak lands consist of [[North Sumatra]] province, excluding [[Nias]] island, the historically Malay kingdoms of the east coast and the western coast of [[Minangkabau people]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Perret |first=Daniel |title=Kolonialisme dan Etnisitas: Batak dan Melayu di Sumatra Timur Laut |date=2010 |publisher=Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia |location=Jakarta |language=id}}</ref> In addition, part of the Karo lands extend into modern-day [[East Aceh Regency]] in [[Aceh]] province, while parts of the Mandailing lands lie in [[Rokan Hulu]] Regency in [[Riau]]. Significant numbers of Batak have migrated in recent years to prosperous neighbouring Riau province.
To the south of North Sumatra are the Muslim Minangkabau of [[West Sumatra]], while to the north there are various Muslim Acehnese peoples.
==Traditional Batak religion==
[[File:Rumah Bolon.jpg|left|thumb|Batak village on Huta Siallagan, Samosir island.]]
The various Batak cultures differ in their pre-colonial religious ideas as they do in many other aspects of culture. Information about the old religious ideas of the [[Mandailing]] and Angkola in southern Batakland is incomplete, and very little is known about the religion of the [[Pakpak people|Pakpak]] and [[Simalungun people|Simalungun]] Batak. For the [[Toba people|Toba]] and [[Karo people (Indonesia)|Karo]] on the other hand the evidence in the writings of missionaries and colonial administrators is relatively abundant. Information on the traditional forms of Batak religion is derived mainly from the writings of [[Germans|German]] and Dutch missionaries who became increasingly concerned with Batak beliefs towards the end of the 19th century.<ref>Sibeth, p. 64.</ref>
Various influences affected the Batak through their contact with Tamil and [[Javanese people|Javanese]] traders and settlers in southern Batakland, and the east and west coast near Barus and [[Central Tapanuli Regency|Tapanuli]], in particular the large [[Padang Lawas temple complex]] in Tapanuli. These contacts took place many centuries ago and it is impossible to reconstruct just how far the religious ideas of these foreigners were adopted and reworked by the Batak. It is suggested that the Batak adopted aspects of these religions, specifically [[Mahayana Buddhist]], [[Shaivism|Shaivist]], and [[Tantra|Tantrist]] practices<ref name=tradebatak /> within their own customs.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Parkin |first=H. |title=The Extent and Areas of Indian/Hindu Influence on the Ideas and Development of Toba-Batak Religion and Its Implications for the Christianization of the Toba-Batak People of North Sumatra |date=1975 |degree=D.Th. |publisher=Serampore College |page=440}}; Also published under the title ''Batak Fruit of Hindu Thought,'' (Christian Literature Society 1978, 1987)</ref>
The modern Indonesian state is founded on the principles of [[Pancasila (politics)|pancasila]], which requires the belief in 'one and only God', the practice of either Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism or Hinduism, one of which must be entered on an individual's [[Indonesian identity card|KTP]]. Traditional religions are not officially recognised, and accordingly traditional religions are increasingly marginalised, although aspects of the traditional Batak religion are still practised alongside Christianity.
===Creation myths===
[[File:Ethnic Batak Datuk, Indonesia Tanah Airku, p10.jpg|thumb|right|A Batak priest or known as ''Datuk'' with Book of ''Pustaha'' or Batak wizard book, circa 1952]]
There are many different versions in circulation. These were formerly passed down through oral tradition but have now been written down in the local languages. There are also large collections of Batak tales collected by European scholars since the mid-19th century and recorded in European languages, mostly Dutch.<ref>Much of this section is derived from Stohr, W. & Zoeta Jadider, P. (1965) "Die Religionen Indonesiens." ''Die Religionen der Menschheit,'' vol. 5:1, Stuttgart.</ref>
At the beginning of time there was only the sky with a great sea beneath it. In the sky lived the gods and the sea was the home of a mighty underworld [[dragon]] ''Naga Padoha''. The earth did not yet exist and human beings, too, were as yet unknown. All the surviving [[myths]] record that at the beginning of creation stands the god ''Mula Jadi Na Bolon''. His origin remains uncertain. A rough translation of the name is the "beginning of becoming". The creation of everything that exists can be traced back to him. ''Mula Jadi'' lives in the upper world which is usually thought of as divided into seven levels. His three sons, ''Batara Guru'', ''Mangalabulan'' and ''Soripada'' were born from eggs laid by a hen fertilized by ''Mula Jadi''. Two swallows act as messengers and helpers to ''Mula Jadi'' in his act of creation. Their functions vary in the different versions. ''Mula Jadi'' begets three daughters whom he gives as wives for his three sons. Mankind is the result of the union of the three couples. Besides the three sons of ''Mula Jadi'' there is another god, ''Asiasi'', whose place and function in the world of the gods remains largely unclear. There is some evidence that ''Asiasi'' can be seen as the balance and unity of the trinity of gods.
The ruler of the underworld, i. e. the primeval sea, is the serpent-dragon ''Naga Padoha''. He too existed before the beginning and seems to be the opponent of ''Mula Jadi''. As ruler of the underworld ''Naga Padoha'' also has an important function in the creation of the earth.
What all the six gods so far mentioned have in common is that they play a minor role in ritual. They do not receive any sacrificial offerings from the faithful and no places of [[sacrifice]] are built for them. They are merely called on in prayers for help and assistance.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Leertouwer |first=L. |title=Het Beeld van de Ziel bij Drie Sumatraanse Volken |date=1977 |degree=Doctoral |publisher=Rijksuniversiteit Groningen |language=nl |trans-title=The Image of the Soul in Three Sumatran Peoples |page=177}}</ref>
[[File:Sopo Guru Tatea Bulan 4.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Monument of ''Sopo Guru Taea Bulan'' that depicting history of ''Siraja Batak'' (King of Batak), located in Samosir Island, North Sumatera]]
The origin of the earth and of mankind is connected mainly with the daughter of ''Batara Guru'', ''Sideak Parujar'', who is the actual creator of the earth. She flees from her intended husband,
the lizard-shaped son of ''Mangalabulan'', and lets herself down on a spun thread from the sky to the middle world which at that time was still just a watery waste. She refuses to go back but feels very unhappy. Out of compassion ''Mula Jadi'' sends his granddaughter a handful of earth so that she can find somewhere to live. ''Sideak Parudjar'' was ordered to spread out this earth and thus the earth became broad and long. But the goddess was not able to enjoy her rest for long. The earth had been spread out on the head of ''Naga Padoha'', the dragon of the underworld who lived in the water. He groaned under the weight and attempted to get rid of it by rolling around. The earth was softened by water and threatened to be utterly destroyed. With the help of ''Mula Jadi'' and by her own cunning ''Sideak Parudjar'' was able to overcome the dragon. She thrust a sword into the body of ''Naga Padoha'' up to the hilt and laid him in an iron block. Whenever ''Naga Padoha'' twists in the fetters an earthquake occurs.
After the lizard-shaped son of ''Mangalabulan'', the husband the gods intended for her, had taken another name and another form, ''Sideak Parujar'' marries him. ''Sideak Parujar'' becomes the mother of twins of different sexes. When the two have grown up their divine parents return to the upper world leaving the couple behind on the earth. Mankind is the result of their [[incestuous]] union.
The couple settle on Pusuk Buhit, a volcano on the western shore of [[Lake Toba]], and found the village of Si Anjur Mulamula. The mythological ancestor of the Batak, ''Si Raja Batak'' is one of their grandchildren.<ref>Sibeth, p. 65.</ref>
===The ''tendi'' cult===
[[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Carved bone calendar and almanac.jpg|thumb|upright|left|A 20th-century carved bone of a [[Porhalaan]] Batak calendar.]]
In the religious world of the Toba and Karo Batak the gods and the creation of mankind are far less significant than the complex concepts connected with the ''tendi'' (Karo) or ''tondi'' (Toba) and the ''begu''. Probably the most useful translations of these terms are "life-soul" and "death-soul". A person receives his "life-soul" (''tendi'') from ''Mula Jadi Na Bolon'' before he is born. The [[destiny]] of the individual ''tendi'' is decided by the ''tendi'' itself before birth. Various myths are woven around manner in which the ''tendi'' choose their destiny from ''Mula Jadi''. Warneck, a missionary and for a long time superintendent (''ephorus'') of the Batak Church, recorded two particularly expressive myths in his major work on Batak religion.<ref>Adapted from Warneck, J. (1977) ''Tcba-Batak: Deutsches Wörterbuch.'' The Hague.</ref> What is significant is that the ''tendi'' themselves are responsible for their destiny:
:"''Mula Jadi'' presents him with all kinds of things to choose from. If the ''tendi'' asks for ripe eggs, then the person whom he animates will be a poor fellow; if he asks for flowers, then he will live only a short time; if he asks for a hen, the person will be restless; rags indicate poverty; an old mat, lack of fame; a gold piece, wealth; plate, spear, medicine pot indicate that he will become a great chief or understand magic arts."
:"With ''Mula Jadi'' in the upper world is a mighty tree called ''Djambubarus''. ''Mula Jadi'' has written on all its leaves. On one leaf is written 'many children', on others 'wealth' or 'respect' and so on. 'Contemptible life', 'poverty', 'wretchedness' are also written on the leaves. All the possible different fates of the person are entered on the leaves. Every ''tendi'' that wishes to descend to the middle world must first ask ''Mula Jadi'' for one of the leaves. Whatever is written on the leaf chosen by him will be his destiny in the middle world."
Among the Karo and the Toba there are sometimes widely diverging versions of where the ''tendi'' dwells and how many ''tendi'' there are. According to the Toba a person has seven ''tendi''. The second ''tendi'' is found in the [[placenta]] and [[amniotic fluid]] of the new-born baby, and accordingly the afterbirth is given special attention after the birth of a child. It is usually buried under the house, is called ''saudara'' (brother) and is regarded as the person's guardian spirit. Similar ideas about the afterbirth are also found among the Karo, who also bury the placenta and amniotic fluid under the house and regard them as two guardian spirits (''kaka'' and ''agi'') who always remain close to the person.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Westenberg |first=C. J. |date=1892 |title=Aanteekeningen Omtrent de Godsdienstige Begrippen der Karo-Bataks |journal=Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indië |language=nl |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=208–253 |doi=10.1163/22134379-90000181 |jstor=25737304 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
All Batak regard the loss of ''tendi'' as signifying a great danger for "body and soul". ''Tendi'' can be separated from their owners through inattentiveness, or as a result of black magic by a ''datu'' with evil intentions. In other words, the ''tendi'' is not tied to the body; it can also live for a time outside the body. The final loss of the ''tendi'' inevitably results in death. There are a variety of ideas about where exactly in the body the ''tendi'' dwells. It is present to a particularly high degree in certain parts of the body, especially the blood, the liver, the head and the heart. Sweat too is described as rich in ''tendi''. It is believed that illnesses are connected with the absence of ''tendi'', and the bringing back of the ''tendi'' is a main method of healing. The Karo, for instance, have gifts, called ''upah tendi'' (''upah'' = wage, payment, gift), which they give to their ''tendi'' so that their ''tendi'' stay with them. These gifts may consist of a knife, a gong, a particular piece of clothing, a water buffalo or a small holy place. The gifts are carefully cared for in order to keep the ''tendi'' satisfied.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kipp |first=R. S. |date=1974 |title=Karo Batak Religion and Social Structure |journal=Berita Kajian Sumatra/Sumatra Research Bulletin |language=en |volume=3,2 |pages=4–11}}</ref>
''Tendi'' love the sound of the ''surdam'' (a bamboo flute). If a ''tendi'' has abandoned the body of a patient, the playing of the ''surdam'' in the ''raleng tendi'' ritual can contribute to the ''tendi'' returning to the body of the sick person. It must be emphasized that only the ''datuk'' are in a position to interpret and influence people's ''tendi'' correctly. If their endeavors are unsuccessful, then clearly the ''tendi'' has chosen another destiny for itself.<ref>Sibeth, P. 87.</ref>
===Death cult===
[[File:Batak totem 09N9443.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Batak [[Totem pole]].]]
At death the ''tendi'' leaves the human body through the [[fontanelle]] and the "death-soul" (''begu'') is set free. It is thought that the ''tendi'' vanishes and after the death of any human being only the ''begu'' continues to exist. The Batak believe that the ''begu'' continue to live near their previous dwelling (in a village of the dead which is thought to be situated not far from the
cemetery) and that they may contact their descendants. Bad dreams, particular misfortune and such like may be signs that the ''begu'' of an ancestor is not satisfied with the behavior of its descendants. Any individual can attempt to pacify an enraged ''begu'' by means of food and drink offerings and prayers. If this does not work, a ''datu'' or a ''guru'' must be called in.<ref>Kipp, 1974, p. 11.</ref> The ''begu'' are not immortal, since death also rules in the land of the dead: a ''begu'' dies seven times before it is changed into a straw and finally becomes earth.<ref>Sibeth, p. 69.</ref>
The Batak believe that three categories of ''begu'' exist.<ref>Westenberg, p. 221.</ref> The ''bicara guru'' are the ''begu'' of stillborn babies or of babies who have died before teething. It is possible to turn ''bicara guru'' into guardian spirits if misfortune has befallen the family of the child shortly after its death. With the help of a ''guru sibaso'', the ''bicara guru'' can be made the family's guardian spirit for which a shrine is provided and to which sacrifices are regularly made. Once a year the ''bicara guru'' is accorded a special feast, preceded by ritual hair washing.
The ''begu'' of members of the family who have had a sudden death (''mate sada-uari'') can also act as guardian spirits for the family. They include the victims of accidents, suicides, murder victims, or people struck by lightning. A shrine is built where they are venerated and where sacrifices are made. A third category consists of the ''begu'' of dead virgins (''tungkup''). Their graves, called ''bata-bata'' or ''ingan tungkup'', are maintained for a long time by their relatives.
===Burial traditions===
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een stenen sarcofaag in een Toba Batak dorp TMnr 60045329.jpg|thumb|left|A stone sarcophagus in a Toba Batak village.]]
Batak [[burial]] traditions are very rich and complex. Immediately after death various ritual actions are performed to make the ''begu'' understand that from now on its world is separate from that of its kin. Symbolically this is done by reversing the mat on which the corpse is laid out so that the body lies with its head at the foot of the mat. Thumbs and toes respectively are tied together and the body is rubbed all over with [[camphor]] and its orifices stopped with [[camphor]], then it is wrapped in a white cotton cloth. During this ''perumah begu'' ceremony a ''guru sibaso'' declares to the ''begu'' of the deceased that it is definitely dead and must take leave of its relatives.
Wealthier families have their coffins (Karo: ''[[pelangkah]]'') made of the wood of the ''[[kemiri]]'' tree (''[[Aleurites moluccanus]]''), carved in the shape of a boat, its bow decorated with the carved head of a [[hornbill]], or a horse, or a [[mythical beast]] known as a [[Singa (mythology)|singa]]. The lid is then sealed with [[resin]] and the coffin may be placed in a special location near the family's house until a reburial ceremony can take place. Families that are not wealthy use simple wooden coffins or wrap the body in a straw mat.
The corpse is carried a few times round the house, usually by women, and then to the [[cemetery]] with musical accompaniment from the ''[[gondang]]'' orchestra and the continual firing of guns. At any crossroads the corpse is put down and eleven people go around it four times to confuse the ''begu''. It is hoped that the ''begu'' will then be unable to find its way back to the village. When the funeral procession arrives at the cemetery the grave is dug and the corpse laid in it, flat on its back. Care is taken that the head lies towards the village so that, in the unexpected event that the body should get up, he or she will not be looking in the direction of the village. The bodies of ''datuk'' and those who have died from lightning are buried sitting up with their hands tied together. The palms of the hand are tied together and [[betel]] placed between them.<ref>Kipp, 1974, p. 9</ref>
===Reburial===
[[File:Batak Tombs.JPG|right|thumb|Batak ''tugu'' on the island of [[Samosir]], Lake Toba, December 1984.]]
The burial tradition includes a reburial ceremony in which the bones of one's ancestors are reinterred several years after death. This secondary burial is known among the Toba Batak as ''mangongkal holi'', among the Karo as ''nurun-nurun''. In a ceremony lasting several days the bones of a particularly honored ancestor and those of his descendants are exhumed, cleaned, mourned and finally laid to rest again in a bone house known as a ''tugu'' or ''tambak'':
:"On the morning of the first day of the festival the graves in the cemetery are opened and the bones of the ancestors that are still there are removed. The unearthing of the skulls is presented as especially moving. The bones are collected in baskets lined with white cloth and then ritually cleaned by the women using the juice of various [[citrus]] fruits. The exhumation and cleaning of the bones is accompanied by the singing of laments. The bones are kept in the baskets in the ''tugu'' until the next morning, when the remains are wrapped in traditional cloths (''[[ulos]]'') and transferred from the baskets to small wooden coffins. After long speeches and a communal prayer the coffins are nailed down and placed in the chambers of the ''tugu''. A feast consisting of meat and rice follows and traditional dances are performed.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Simon |first=A. |date=1982 |title=Altreligiöse und soziale Zeremonien der Batak |journal=Zeitschrift für Ethnologie |language=de |volume=107 |issue=2 |pages=177–206 |jstor=25841816}}</ref>"
In ancient times these [[sarcophagi]] were carved from stone or constructed from wood and later brick. Nowadays they are made of cement or concrete. Large and very ornate ''tugu'' can be seen around Lake Toba and on the island of [[Samosir]].
One motive for the reburial ceremony appears to be to raise the status of the ''begu'' of the deceased. Traditional Batak beliefs hold that the dead occupy a hierarchical status similar to the social position they held in life. This means that a rich and powerful individual remains influential after death, and this status can be elevated if the family holds a reburial ceremony. A rich descendant can advance a ''begu'' to the status of a ''sumangot'' by means of a great ceremony and a ''horja'' feast which can last up to seven days. In antiquity a vast number of pigs, cattle or even buffalo were slaughtered at such festivals, and the ''gondang'' orchestra provided an accompaniment.
The next level up from the ''sumangot'' is the ''sombaon'', who are the spirits of important ancestors who lived ten to twelve generations ago. To raise a ''sumangot'' to a ''sombaon'' requires another great festival, a ''santi rea'', often lasting several months, during which the inhabitants of the whole district come together. These powerful ancestor spirits offer protection and good fortune to their descendants, but the ceremony also serves to establish new [[kinship]] groups descended from the ancestor thus honored.<ref>Stohr, p. 197.</ref>
===Traditional Batak medicine===
[[File:Mme Sitorus Dukun.jpg|thumb|left|Madame Sitorus, a well-known Toba ''guru sibaso'' who practiced in [[:id:Laguboti|Laguboti]] in 1984. She is consulting a paperback edition of the [[New Testament]] in lieu of a ''[[pustaha]]''. On the shelf are components of herbal remedies. In front of her is a [[kaffir lime]] in a bowl of water, a form of divination used to locate lost items or people.]]
In traditional Batak society ''datuk'' (animist priests) as well as ''[[gurus]]'' practiced [[traditional medicine]], although the former were exclusively male. Both professions were attributed with supernatural powers and the ability to predict the future. Treatments and healing rituals bear some resemblance to those practiced by [[dukun]]s in other parts of Indonesia. Following the Christianization of the Toba and Karo Batak in the late 19th century, missionaries discouraged traditional healing and divination and they became largely [[Clandestine operation|clandestine]] activities.<ref>Sibeth, p. 98</ref>
Both ''datu'' and ''guru'' healers also practiced [[divination]] by consulting a ''[[pustaha]]'', a handwritten book made of wood and bark in which were inscribed recipes for healing remedies, incantations and songs, predictive calendars, and other notes on magic, healing and divination written in ''poda,'' an archaic [[Batak script|Batak shorthand]]. According to Winkler,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Winkler |first=J. |title=Die Toba-Batak auf Sumatra in gesunden und kranken Tagen |year=1925 |location=Stuttgart |pages=79–224 |trans-title=The Toba Bataks of Sumatra in Sickness and in Health}}</ref> there were three categories of ''[[Pustaha]]'' based on the purpose of their usage:
:1. '''Protective Magic''', which includes diagnosis, therapy, medicinal mixes which have magical properties, such as [[amulets]], ''parmanisan'' (love charms), etc.
:2. '''Destructive Magic''', which encompasses the art of making poison, the art of controlling or utilizing the power of certain spirits, calling the ''pangulubalang'', and the art of making ''dorma'' (magical formulas for causing a person to fall in love).
:3. '''Divination''', which involves [[oracles]] (words of the gods), the wishes of the spirits, commands from the gods and from the spirits of the ancestors, and an [[almanac]] or calendrical system (''porhalaan''), and [[astrology]] to determine auspicious days and months to accomplish certain actions or goals.<ref name="V7177">Voorma, pp. 71–77.</ref>
The ''datu'' or ''guru'' consulted the ''[[pustaha]]'' when presented with a difficult problem, and in time this became in itself a ritual. When missionaries began to discourage traditional healing and [[augury]] the [[Bible]] may have been adopted by some ''gurus'' in place of the ''[[pustaha]]''.<ref name="V7177"/>
Among the most important healing ceremonies performed in Toba and Karo communities is that of recalling the ''jinujung,'' or personal guardian spirit. According to Toba and Karo [[cosmology]], each person receives a ''jinujung'' in childhood or at [[puberty]] and they keep it for life unless they are unfortunate enough to lose it, in which case they will fall ill. In order to call the ''jinujung'' back, a female ''guru'' (''guru sibaso'' in Karo) goes into a [[trance]] and the ''jinujung'' will enter into her and speak through her mouth. At this time the sick person or the family can negotiate ritual payment to entice it to return.<ref>Sibeth, p. 68.</ref>
Traditional healers are not powerful enough to cure illness due to the loss of a person's ''tendi'' (this falls under the jurisdiction of the ''datuk''); however, they do play a role in communicating with ''begu'' and influencing their behavior.<ref>Sibeth, p. 67.</ref>
==Religions==
{{see also|Religion in Indonesia}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Religions !! Total
|-
| [[Christianity]] ([[Protestantism]] & [[Catholicism]]) || 4,707,658
|-
| [[Sunni Islam]] || 3,738,660
|-
| [[Buddhism]] || 9,190
|-
| [[Hinduism]] || 1,476
|-
| Others || 6,620
|-
| '''Overall''' || '''8,463,604'''
|}<ref>Aris Ananta, Evi Nurvidya Arifin, M Sairi Hasbullah, Nur Budi Handayani, Agus Pramono. ''Demography of Indonesia's Ethnicity''. Singapore: ISEAS: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2015. p. 273.</ref>
{{Pie chart
|caption = Religion of Batak people in Indonesia (2010 census)<ref name="2010 census">{{Cite book |last1=Aris Ananta |title=Demography of Indonesia's Ethnicity |last2=Evi Nurvidya Arifin |last3=M Sairi Hasbullah |last4=Nur Budi Handayani |last5=Agus Pramono |date=2015 |publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies |pages=271 |language=en}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Christianity]]
|value1 = 55.62
|color1 = Blue
|label2 = [[Sunni Islam]]
|value2 = 44.17
|color2 = DarkGreen
|label3 = [[Buddhism]]
|value3 = 0.11
|color3 = Gold
|label4 = [[Hinduism]]
|value4 = 0.017
|color4 = DarkOrange
|label5 = Others
|value5 = 0.08
|color5 = Black
}}
===Christianity===
At the time of Marco Polo's visit in 1292 the people were described as "wild [[Idolatry|idolaters]]" who had not been influenced by outside religions, however by [[Ibn Battuta]]'s visit in [[1345]] [[Arab]] traders had established river-ports along the northern coasts of Sumatra and Sultan Al-Malik Al-Dhahir had recently converted to [[Islam]].
[[File:HKBP Dame Saitnihuta, Res. Dame Saitnihuta (Patung Nommensen) 11.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen|Nommensen]] statue in ''Dame Sainihuta'', ''Tarutung'', Indonesia. He was known a Protestant preacher from [[Germany]] who spread [[Lutheran Christianity]] in the land of Batak during 19th century.]]
Sir Stamford Raffles perceived the Batak lands as a buffer between the Islamic Aceh and Minang kingdoms, and encouraged Christian missionary work to preserve this.<ref name="mandailingislam">{{Cite journal |last=Lubis |first=Abdur-Razzaq |date=2005 |title=Mandailing Islam Across Borders |url=http://www.cseas.ncnu.edu.tw/journal/v02_no2/pp55-98.pdf |journal=Taiwan Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |language=en |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=55–98 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308042807/http://www.cseas.ncnu.edu.tw/journal/v02_no2/pp55-98.pdf |archive-date=8 March 2012}}</ref> This policy was continued by the Dutch, who deemed the non-Muslim lands the 'Bataklanden'.
In 1824 two [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Baptist]] missionaries, Richard Burton and Nathaniel Ward, set off on foot from [[Sibolga]] and traveled through the Batak lands.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Burton |first1=R. |last2=Ward |first2=N. |title=Report of a Journey into the Batak Country, in the Interior of Sumatra, in the Year 1824 |journal=Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society |language=en |volume=1 |pages=485–513}}</ref> After three days' journey they reached the high valley of Silindung and spent about two weeks in the Batak region. Considering the shortness of their stay their account reveals very intensive first-hand observation. This was followed in 1834 by [[Henry Lyman (missionary)|Henry Lyman]] and [[Samuel Munson]] from the [[American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions]] who met with a more hostile reception.<ref>{{Cite web |title="Missionaries: The Martyrs of Sumatra," in ''The Most of It: Essays on Language and the Imagination.'' by Theodore Baird, Amherst, Mass.: Amherst College Press, 1999. |url=https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/magazine/issues/2000_winter/amherst_authors#anchor52178 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225071557/https://www.amherst.edu/aboutamherst/magazine/issues/2000_winter/amherst_authors#anchor52178 |archive-date=25 February 2012 |access-date=4 February 2010 |via=www.amherst.edu}}</ref> According to [[Ida Pfeiffer]]:
:"Some time before the arrival of the missionaries the unfortunate Americans presented themselves as religious teachers, the Battakers felt that these people were invaders, and resolving to be beforehand with their tormentors, they killed them and ate them up."<ref>Pfeiffer, p. 150. Professor Uli Kozok disputes the belief that the missionaries were eaten. [http://www.hawaii.edu/indolang/downloads/Rima36.pdf See his discussion.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108050841/http://www.hawaii.edu/indolang/downloads/Rima36.pdf |date=8 January 2010 }}</ref>
[[Herman Neubronner van der Tuuk]] was employed by the Nederlands Bijbel Genootschap (Netherlands Bible Society) in the 1850s to produce a Batak–Dutch grammar-book and a dictionary, which enabled future Dutch and German missionaries to undertake the conversion of the Toba and Simalungan Batak.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tuuk |first=H. N. van der |title=Bataksch Leesbok, Stukken in het Mandailingsch; Stukken in het Dairisch |date=1861 |location=Amsterdam |language=nl}}</ref>
The first German missionaries to the Lake Toba region arrived in 1861, and a mission was established in 1881 by Dr. [[Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen]] of the German [[Rhenish Missionary Society]]. The [[New Testament]] was first translated into Toba Batak by Dr. Nommensen in 1869 and a translation of the [[Old Testament]] was completed by P. H. Johannsen in 1891. The complete text was printed in [[Latin]] script in [[Medan]] in 1893, although a paper describes the translation as "not easy to read, it is rigid and not fluent, and sounds strange to the Batak…[with] a number of errors in the translation."<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Aritonang |first=Jan Sihar |title=The Encounter of the Batak People with Rheinische Missions-Gesellschaft in the Field of Education, 1861–1940, A Historical-Theological Inquiry |date=2000 |degree=Doctoral |publisher=Utrecht University |language=en |page=173 |hdl=1874/596 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>
The Toba and Karo Batak accepted [[Christianity]] rapidly and by the early 20th century it had become part of their cultural identity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ooi |first=Keat Gin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QKgraWbb7yoC |title=Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor |date=2004 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781576077702 |location=Santa Barbara, CA |language=en |access-date=15 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510224605/https://books.google.com/books?id=QKgraWbb7yoC |archive-date=10 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:People leaving the church of the protestant mission at Sipahutar - Collectie stichting Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen - TM-10016576.jpg|thumb|right|250px|People leaving the church of the Protestant mission at ''Sipahutar'', North Tapanauli, Indonesia]]
This period was characterized by the arrival of Dutch colonists and while most Batak did not oppose the Dutch, the Toba Batak fought a [[guerrilla]] war that lasted into the early 20th century and ended only with the death in 1907 of their charismatic priest-warrior-king Si [[Sisingamangaraja XII]], who had battled the Dutch during the First Toba War with both magic and weaponry.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sherman |first=D. George |title=Rice, Rupees, and Ritual: Economy and Society Among the Samosir Batak of Sumatra |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1990 |isbn=0804716668 |location=Stanford, CA.}}</ref>
====Batak churches====
The Huria Kristen Batak Protestan ([[HKBP]]) Church was established in [[Balige]] in September, 1917. By the late 1920s a nursing school was training [[nurse]] [[midwives]] there. In 1941, the Gereja Batak Karo Protestan (GBKP) was established.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Kushnick |first=G. |title=Parent-Offspring Conflict Among the Karo of Sumatra |date=2006 |degree=PhD |publisher=University of Washington |url=http://faculty.washington.edu/kushnick/diss.htm |language=en |via=faculty.washington.edu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313064524/http://faculty.washington.edu/kushnick/diss.htm |archive-date=13 March 2011}}</ref> Although missionaries ceded much power to Batak converts in the first decades of the 20th century, Bataks never pressured the missionaries to leave and only took control of church activities as a result of thousands of foreign missionaries being interned or forced to leave<ref>Kipp, 1990, p. 211.</ref> after the 1942 invasion of Sumatra by the [[Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies|Japanese]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Archer |first=B. |title=The Internment of Western Civilians under the Japanese 1941–1945: A Patchwork of Internment |publisher=F. Cass |year=2004 |isbn=9622099106 |location=London |language=en}}</ref>
The [[Simalungun Protestant Christian Church|Gereja Kristen Protestan Simalungun]], originally part of the HKBP and preaching in Batak Toba language, eventually became a distinctively Simalungun church, adopting Simalungun customs and language, before finally incorporating as GKPS in 1963.
===Islam===
The [[Mandailing people|Mandailing]] and [[Angkola people|Angkola]] people, occupying the southern Batak lands, came under the influence of the neighbouring Islamic [[Minangkabau people]] as a result of the [[Padri War]] (1821–1837).<ref name="mandailingislam" /> Some [[Mandailing people|Mandailing]] had previously converted to [[Islam]], but the Padri war was a watershed event, with the Padris suppressing traditional customs (''[[adat]]'') and promoting 'pure' Islamic faith. Over time Mandailing Islam, has been brought closer to the predominant Southeastern [[Shafi`i]] school of Islam as a result of Mandailing discourse with other Islamic practitioners and the practice of [[hajj]], although traditional elements remain, such as dividing inheritance among all children, a Mandailing rather than Islamic practice. Islam caused the decline in importance of marga, with many Mandailing abandoning their marga in favour of Muslim names, much less so among the Angkola to their North.
[[File:Mandailing hadjis te Mekka, KITLV 90586.tiff|thumb|left|250px|Group of Mandailing people going to perform [[Hajj]] in [[Mecca]]]]
The advent of [[Islam]] also caused the relegation of the datuk to a medicine man, with traditional rice-planting ceremonies and other such remnants of traditional culture deemed incompatible with Islam. The 'pasusur begu', a ceremony invoking ancestors to aid the community, was also suppressed. Other aspects of adat were however tolerated, with the Mandailing Islamic ideology placing adat on the same level as Islamic law, as in contrast with the Minang practice of placing Islamic law above adat. In more recent times, learned Islamic scholars (ulama) studying abroad, have suggested that many traditional Mandailing practices, such as the 'Raja' hereditary leaders, were in conflict with Islam, being indicative of 'pele begu'. The Islamist ulama were in conflict for authority with the Namora-Natora, the traditional village legal practitioners, who were influenced by adat as much as Islam.
Christian missionaries had been active among the northern Mandailing from 1834 onwards, but their progress was restricted by the [[Dutch East Indies|Dutch]] government, who feared conflict between newly converted Christians and Muslims. In addition, the [[lingua franca]] of the government was [[Malay language|Malay]], associated with Muslims, as were government civil servants, creating the perception that Islam was the religion of modernity and progress. Missionaries determined that resistance among the [[Muslims|Muslim]] [[Mandailing people|Mandailing]] to [[Christianity]] was strong, and the [[missionaries]] abandoned them as 'unreachable people', moving north to [[Religious conversion|convert]] the Toba.
At the turn of the 20th century, nearly all [[Mandailing people|Mandailing]] and [[Angkola people|Angkola]] were [[Muslims]]. Despite this, the Dutch administration marked them as part of the Bataklanden, and therefore heathen or Christian. This perception was an inaccurate one, and many [[Mandailing people|Mandailing]] strongly rejected the 'Batak' label.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mandailing.org/Eng/abdlonmandid.html |title=The Mandailings in their own terms |website=Mandailing.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725172658/http://www.mandailing.org/Eng/abdlonmandid.html |df=dmy-all |archive-date=2011-07-25 |url-status=dead |access-date=2010-10-09}}</ref> Abdullah Lubis, writing in the 1920s, claimed that while the Mandailing followed Batak marga practice, they had never followed the Batak religion, and that the Mandailing people pre-dated the Toba, having acquired marga directly from 'Hindu' visitors. In the Dutch census, the Mandailing objected strongly to being listed in the census as 'Batak Mandailing'. Mandailing in Malaysia (who migrated in the years following the Padri war), had no such objection to their being deemed '[[Malays (ethnic group)|Malays]]', and indeed Malaysian Mandailing retain little of their distinct identity, partly due to a British colonial policy of rice-land ownership restrictions for all but Malay-speaking Muslims, and the disapproval of 'Batak' Muslim practices by the existing Malay Muslim population.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}
===Traditional Religions (Parmalim/Pemena)===
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Dansende Goeroe sibaso (vrouwelijke Karo-Batak sjamaan) in trance bij de peroemah bégoe ceremonie in het huis van Pa Mbelgah te Kabandjahe Sumatra TMnr 10004592.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Dancing ''Guru sibaso'' (female shaman) in trance at a ''Perumah Bégu'' / House of spirit ceremony in the house of ''Pa Mbelgah'' in [[Kabanjahe]], North Sumatera, circa 1914 and 1919 ]]
{{Main|Parmalim}}
{{Other uses|Pemena}}
''Ugamo Malim'' or Malim is the modern form of the Batak Toba religion. Practitioners of Malim are called Parmalim.<ref>{{Citation |last=Hotli Simanjuntak |title=Malim: The Batak's Native Religion |date=2010-08-16 |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/08/16/malim-the-batak%E2%80%99s-native-religion.html |work=The Jakarta Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018185652/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/08/16/malim-the-batak%E2%80%99s-native-religion.html |language=en |archive-date=18 October 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
At the end of the 19th and in the beginning of the 20th century the Parmalim movement, which originated in [[Toba Batak people|Toba]] lands spread to other areas of the Batak lands. Especially in the lower [[Karo Regency|Karo]] lands, the 'dusun' the Malim religion, became very influential as an expression of anti-colonial sentiments at the turn of the 20th century. Today the majority of Parmalim are [[Toba Batak people|Toba Batak]]. The largest of the several existing Parmalim groups has its centre in ''Huta Tinggi'' in the vicinity of ''Laguboti'' on the south shore of [[Lake Toba]].<ref name=jpost>{{cite web |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/08/16/malim-the-batak%E2%80%99s-native-religion.html |title=Malim: The Batak's native religion |access-date=2010-10-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018185652/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/08/16/malim-the-batak%E2%80%99s-native-religion.html |archive-date=2010-10-18 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sahalana7o.blogspot.com/2008/08/parmalim-antara-agama-dan-budaya-batak.html|title=BATAK BUKAN BAKAT: Parmalim Antara Agama Dan Budaya Batak|first=Sahala|last=Napitupulu|year=2008}}</ref>
Non-Malim Batak peoples (those following Christian or Muslim faith) often continue to believe certain aspects of traditional Batak spiritual belief.
Another traditional religion of Batak is ''Pemena'', is a [[tribal religion]] of [[Karo people (Indonesia)|Karo people]] of Indonesia.<ref name="Bangun2">{{in lang|id}}Bangun, Roberto. 1989. ''Mengenal orang Karo''.Jakarta: Yayasan Pendidikan Bangun.</ref> Pemena means the first or the beginning.<ref name="Bangun2" /> Pemena is regarded as the first religion of [[Karo people (Indonesia)|Karo people]].<ref name="Bangun2" /> One of the doctrines of Pemena is the concept of ''[[Devata|Dibata]]''.<ref name="Bangun2" />
The 'Perodak-odak' movement among the Karo people in the 1960s was a reassertion of the traditional Karo religion, but has largely faded; a subsequent Karo movement to identify as [[Hindu]] was noted starting from the late 1970s in order to adopt, if only in name, one of the [[Pancasila (politics)|recognised religions of Indonesia]], while in practice still following traditional beliefs.<ref>History of Christianity in Indonesia, p. 579</ref>{{full citation needed|date=February 2021}}
==Notable people==
{{Main|List of Batak people}}
[[File:Sisingamangaraja XII.jpg|thumb|upright|right|200px|[[Sisingamangaraja XII]], the [[National Hero of Indonesia]]]]
==See also==
{{Portal|Indonesia}}
*[[Batak architecture]]
*[[Batak cuisine]]
*[[Batak mythology]]
*[[Batak script]]
*[[Malays in Singapore#The Batak|Batak in Singapore]]
*[[Hasapi]]
*[[Marga (Batak)]]
*[[Museum Huta Bolon Simanindo]]
*[[Naga morsarang]]
*[[Piso Halasan]]
*[[Porhalaan]]
*[[Proto-Malay]]
*[[Sigale Gale]]
*[[Tandok dance]]
*[[Tor-tor dance]]
*[[Tunggal panaluan]]
*[[Ulos]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
===Sources===
* {{cite book |last=Eneste |first=Pamusuk |year=2001 |language=Indonesian |title=Bibliografi Sastra Indonesia |trans-title=Bibliography of Indonesian Literature |publisher=Yayasan Indonesiatera |location=Magelang |isbn=978-979-9375-17-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6hApcTtOsQMC&pg=PR5 |access-date=13 August 2011}}
* {{cite book |chapter=Soeman Hs: Guru yang Berjiwa Guru |trans-chapter=Soeman Hs: A Teacher with the Soul of a Teacher |title=Memoar: Senarasi Kiprah Sejarah |trans-title=Memoir: A Narration of History |publisher=Grafiti Press |year=1993 |volume=3 |isbn=978-979-444-274-6 |location=Jakarta |language=Indonesian |last=Kasiri |first=Julizar |pages=89–118}}
==External links==
{{commons category|Batak}}
{{NIE Poster|Battaks}}
*[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=1485-16 The family tree of the Batak languages, from Ethnologue.com]
*[http://www.silaban.net/category/artikel-batak/ Many articles about Batak in Indonesian language, from Silaban Brotherhood] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119061753/http://www.silaban.net/category/artikel-batak/ |date=19 January 2016 }}
*[http://www.silaban.net/category/artikel-batak/ Many articles about Batak in Indonesian language, from Silaban Brotherhood] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119061753/http://www.silaban.net/category/artikel-batak/ |date=19 January 2016 }}
*[http://www.technocraft.org/tuansihubil/tarombo.htm Tarombo Tuan Sihubil. Online and live for the clans Tampubolon, Baringbing and Silaen]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091229193152/http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/indon/batak.html Batak Religion]
*[https://www.jstor.org/pss/25124963 "Compassion", an excerpt from a memoir describing the ''Rumah Sakit HKBP'' in Balige (1988).]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110819012734/http://joegiardina.net/T/INDO/SUMATRA/toba/bataks.htm An article on the Toba Batak by Joe Giardina]
*[https://www.scribd.com/doc/12945455/Batak-Literature-by-Tunggul-Siagian A Bibliography of the Batak Peoples by Tunggul Siagian.]
*[https://soundcloud.com/suarakecil/nasonang-do-hita-nadua Recording of the popular Batak song ''Nasonang Do Hita Nadua'']
* [https://margaharahap.org/ Silsilah Marga Harahap]
*[https://klikbatak.com/lifestyle/apa-itu-arti-dari-marga-batak/ Apa itu Marga Dari Batak, from KlikBatak.com]
{{Ethnic groups in Indonesia}}
{{Ethnic groups in Malaysia}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Batak| ]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Indonesia]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Malaysia]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Sumatra]]
[[Category:Indonesian Lutherans]]
[[Category:History of Sumatra]]
[[Category:Ethnography]]