Batak

Batak, several closely related ethnic groups of north-central Sumatra, Indonesia. The term Batak is one of convenience, likely coined during precolonial times by indigenous outsiders (e.g., the Malay) and later adopted by Europeans. The groups embraced by the term—the Toba, the Karo, the Simalungun, the Pak Pak, the Mandailing, and the Angkola—have to a limited degree adopted it as a self-designation. They speak distinct languages that belong to the Austronesian language family and that share a common writing system. At the turn of the 21st century the Batak numbered about 6.1 million.

The Batak are descendants of a powerful Proto-Malayan people who until 1825 lived in relative isolation in the highlands surrounding Lake Toba in Sumatra. By the 2nd or 3rd century ce, Indian ideas regarding government, writing, elements of religion, arts, and crafts had begun to influence the Batak. They did not, however, develop a unified state, and today they are found in six cultural divisions. Within these are exogamous patrilineal clans known as marga. They practice a form of bridewealth, in which a husband’s family gives gifts and services to the wife’s family; once a particular proportion of the agreed-upon gifts is reached, the bride becomes an official member of her husband’s group. Among the Toba Batak a traditional village consists of several clan houses, but in the Karo division all dwell in one or more longhouses.

Historically, ancestors, plants, animals, and inanimate objects were considered to possess souls or spirits that could be coerced or enticed by male priests. Those priests were aided by female mediums who, in trance, communicated with the dead. Cannibalism was once practiced, but victims were confined to prisoners and those guilty of incest. By the early 21st century few Batak continued to practice strictly local religion. Rather, most followed Protestant Christianity, although there were also many adherents of Islam. Many Batak, moreover, occupied prominent positions in business and in the Indonesian government.