Ukhang Singkil | |
|---|---|
 The Singkil circumcision ceremony. | |
| Total population | |
| 75,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Indonesia (Aceh) | |
| Languages | |
| Singkil,Indonesian | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Pakpak,Karo,Gayo,Minangkabau,Acehnese |
TheSingkil people are a sub-group of theBatak people found inAceh Singkil Regency andSubulussalam, as well as in the Trumon districts of neighbouringSouth Aceh Regency, all part of the province ofAceh,Indonesia.[2] Sometimes the Singkil people are misunderstood as being Boang people, a sub-group of thePakpak people, especially because of their shared religion ofIslam and because they live side by side.[3]
Their closest linguistic relationship is with thePakpak people, but the customs and culture of the Singkil people are very different from those of the Pakpak people. This is because majority of the Singkil people practicesIslam, whereas the majority of the Pakpak people practicesChristianity. Apart from that the Singkil people have intermarried with the neighbouring ethnic group of people likeAcehnese people andMinangkabau people.[4]
TheSingkil language is one of theNorthern Batak languages widely spoken inAceh Singkil Regency,Subulussalam City, and part ofSoutheast Aceh Regency, all within the province ofAceh, Indonesia. TheSingkil language is very similar to thePakpak language of neighbouring the province ofNorth Sumatra. However, theSingkil language has its own uniqueness whereby the alphabet ⟨r⟩ is pronounce as ⟨kh⟩. For example, the word 'appearance' inIndonesian language isrupa, while in theSingkil language it iskhupa.
The culture of the Singkil people itself has been greatly influenced by Islamic traditions. Although they may belong to the same clusters of parent-ethnic, the culture of thePakpak people is vastly different from the Singkil people. This is because the Singkil people are mostly Muslims, while majority of thePakpak people are Christians. Apart from that, mix marriages among the Singkil people with other foreign ethnics such asAcehnese people andMinangkabau people occurs more frequently.[4]
Islam is believed to have spread in lands of the Singkil people a few centuries ago by foreign merchants that came fromMinangkabau Highlands and later during the rule of theAceh Sultanate. Many of theMinangkabau people have left traces of their history and their descendants in the coastline region. Abdurrauf Singkil, also known as Syekh Abdur Rauf as-Singkili was once a famous Singkilulama that was appointed as a headulama and amufti in the Acehnese kingdom in 17th century.[5]
Just as with other sub-ethnicBatak people, themarga (family name or surname) of the Singkil people derives from the patrilineal lineage.[6] Generally, themargas that are used by the Singkil people are similar to those used by thePakpak people,Alas people,Kluet people and part ofKaro people along withToba people. Nevertheless, there aremargas that are different. Several of themargas that are found among the Singkil people includes:
There are also a number of Singkilmargas that originates from the descendants of theMinangkabau people that have assimilated with the Singkil people centuries ago, such as:
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