Batak Toba:ᯅᯖᯂ᯲ ᯖᯬᯅ | |
|---|---|
 Toba Batak men and women performing theTortor dance | |
| Total population | |
| c. 4,100,000 (2020) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Indonesia:North Sumatra:Toba Samosir Regency,Samosir Regency,Humbang Hasundutan Regency,Sidikalang,Sibolga,Pematang Siantar,Medan,Dairi,Deli Serdang, and the surrounding areas – 3,000,000Outside North Sumatra:Riau,Batam,Jakarta,Java,Kalimantan,Sulawesi,Papua,Bali, and around Indonesia – 1,100,000[1] Outside Indonesia:  Singapore Malaysia United States European Union Australia Canada United Kingdom New Zealand – 1,100+ | |
| Languages | |
| Toba Batak (incl.Pardembanan),Indonesian | |
| Religion | |
Predominantly Christianity 98%Minority:  Islam 1.7%,Parmalim and other traditional religions 0.3% | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Angkola people,Karo people,Mandailing people,Pakpak people,Simalungun people |
_te_Samosir_Noord-Sumatra_TMnr_10005435.jpg)
TheToba (also known asToba Batak) people (Batak Toba:ᯅᯖᯂ᯲ ᯖᯬᯅ) are one of the sub-ethnic groups of theBatak people, found mainly inNorth Sumatra,Indonesia. The general term "Batak" is sometimes used to refer to the Batak Toba people, for one thing because the Toba people are the largest sub-group of the Batak ethnicity, for another because they tend to self-identify as merely Batak instead of "Toba" or "Toba Batak", contrary to the habit of the Mandailing, Angkola, Karo, Simalungun and Pakpak communities who commonly self-identify with their respective sub-groups. Religiously, they predominantly adhere toProtestantChristianity.
The Toba people are found inToba Regency,Humbang Hasundutan Regency,Samosir Regency,North Tapanuli Regency,Central Tapanuli Regency (withSibolga and its surrounding regions), and part ofDairi Regency.[2] The Batak Toba people speak theToba Batak language and are centered onLake Toba andSamosir Island within the lake. Batak Toba people frequently build in traditional Batak architecture styles which are common in Samosir. Cultural demonstrations, performances, and festivities such asSigale Gale are often held for tourists.
Paleontological research done in the Humbang region of the west side ofToba Lake suggests that human activity existed 6,500 years ago. The genetic test of the Toba Batak people shows that the Toba Batak are the descendants of different people with distinct genetic components. AsAustronesians, the Toba Batak's ancestors had migrated fromTaiwan to Sumatara thousands of years ago.[3]
There were numerous kingdoms and dynasties in the history of the Batak and Toba Batak people. The last dynasty in the Toba Batak people is the Sisingamangaraja dynasty with twelve successive priest kings called ‘Sisingamangaraja’ from theSinambela clan. During the time when the Batak kingdom was based in Bakara, the Sisingamangaraja dynasty of the Batak kingdom divided their kingdom into four regions by the name ofRaja Maropat, which are:[4]
The Dutch colonization started with the defeat of KingSisingamangaraja XII, ending the Thirty yearsBatak War. The Dutch colonization formally began with the annexation of the Onafhankelijke Batak-Landen or ‘The Free Batak-Country’ intoThe Dutch East Indies and the formation ofthe Tapanuli Residency in 1910. The Tapanuli Residency is divided into four regions that are calledafdeling (Dutch for "section"); today it is known asa regency or city, namely:
During theJapanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, the administration of the Tapanuli Residency had little changes.
After the independence, the government of Indonesia retained Tapanuli asResidency.Dr. Ferdinand Lumban Tobing became the first TapanuliResident.
Although there were changes made to the name, the division of the region was still the same. For example, the name of Afdeling Bataklanden was changed to Luhak Tanah Batak, and the firstluhak (federated region) appointed was Cornelius Sihombing; who was once also ademang (chief)silindung. The titleOnderafdeling (Dutch for "subdivision") was changed tourung, anddemangs that supervised an onderafdeling were promoted askepala (head)urung. Onderdistrik (subdistrict) then becameurung kecil, and was supervised bykepala urung kecil; which was previously known as assistantdemang.
Just as it was in the past, the government of the Tapanuli Residency was divided into four districts, namely:
During the transfer of sovereignty in the early 1950s, the Tapanuli Residency that was unified intoNorth Sumatra province and was divided into four new regencies, namely:
In December 2008, the Tapanuli Residency was unified underNorth Sumatra province. Since then, Toba is under theToba Samosir Regency's region withBalige as its capital.
The Toba Batak people practice a distinct culture. The central foundation of their culture is thecustoms oradat called ‘Dalihan Na Tolu’ (‘The Three Legged Stove’). The Toba Batak generally are regarded as apatriarchal society. While the role of men is central in the Toba Batak society, the role of women is very crucial with the existence of the Toba Batak concept of ‘Hula hula‘ where women and their families hold a higher ground in familial relations. Since theconversion to Christianity of the Toba Batak people in the 19th century,Christianity has played a vital part in the life of Toba people with church influencing the customs and regulations of the Toba Batak life. Toba Batak's adat traditions are often present in Christian ceremonies such asbaptism,confirmation,marriage, andburial, while churchhymns,psalms, andprayers are often involved and invoked in traditional ethnic Toba Batak ceremonies.[5]
The Toba Batak people are known to possess a robust tradition of ‘Mangaranto‘ or becoming migrants to look for better education, and social and economic opportunities. There is no obligation for Toba people to live in the Toba region, although they are obliged to be attached to their original village in Toba. The original village orBius of a Toba Batak person is called ‘Bona Pasogit‘. It is common for a Toba Batak person to identify his/her origin not by their birthplaces, but by theirBona Pasogit in ‘Tano Batak‘ or ‘The Batak Land’.[6]
Just as it is with other ethnicities, the Toba people have also migrated to other places to look for a better life. For example, the majority of the Silindung natives are the Hutabarat, Panggabean, Simorangkir, Hutagalung, Hutapea and Lumbantobing clans. Instead all those six clans are actually descendants of Guru Mangaloksa, one of Raja Hasibuan's sons from Toba region. So it is with the Nasution clan where most of them live in Padangsidimpuan, surely share a common ancestor with their relative, the Siahaan clan inBalige. It is certain that the Toba people as a distinct culture can be found beyond the boundaries of their geographical origins. According to the folklore of the Batak people, the first ancestor of the Batak people isSi Raja Batak, literally means ‘King Batak’ or ‘the King of Batak’. His origin is believed to be from a Toba village known as Sianjur Mula village, situated on the slopes of Mount Pusuk Buhit, about 45 minutes drive fromPangururan, the capital ofSamosir Regency today.
A surname or family name (marga) is part of a Toba person's name, which identifies the clan or family they belonged to. The Batak Toba people always have a surname or family name. The surname or family name is obtained from the father's lineage (paternal) which would then be passed on to the offspring continuously. Nainggolan, Napitupulu, Pardede, Gultom, Panggabean, Silalahi, Siahaan, Simanjuntak, Sihombing, Sitorus, Panjaitan, Sitompul, Marbun, Lumban Tobing, Aritonang, Pangaribuan, Situmorang, Manurung, Marpaung, Hutapea, Tambunan, Silitonga,Tampubolon, Sinaga, Siregar, Pakpahan, Sidabutar, Aruan, Ambarita, and Simatupang are among the common surnames. However, the number of all Toba Batak clans are in hundreds.
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The traditional house of the Toba people is calledrumah bolon. It is a rectangular building that can house up to five or six families. One can enter arumah bolon through a staircase in the middle of the house with an odd numbers of steps (odd number of staircase means offspring of slave, even number of staircase means offspring of king). When a person enters the house, one must bow in order to avoid one's head from knocking the transverse beam at the entrance of the traditional house. The interpretation of this is that the guests must respect the owner of the house.
The traditional boat of the Toba Batak people is thesolu. It is adugout canoe, with boards added on the side bound with iron tacks. The boat is propelled by sitting rowers, who sit in pairs on cross seats.[7]
The Toba Batak are known throughout Indonesia as capable musicians, and are perceived as confident, outspoken and willing to question authority, expressing differences in order to resolve them through discussion. This outlook on life is contrasted toJavanese people, Indonesia's largest ethnic group, who are more culturally conciliatory and less willing to air differences publicly.[8] Batak Toba people are also known as professingChristians in contrast with the largely Muslim population in Indonesia. In terms of occupational sector, Batak Toba is also known to be well represented in some sectors particularlylaw,education,military,economy, andpolitics.
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An overwhelming majority of the Toba Batak people are adherents ofChristianity. The value and practice of Christianity are absorbed deeply into the daily life of the Toba people in combination with the practice of Toba traditional customs known asAdat.[9] The currently pertaining traditional law, customs, and regulations used by most Batak Toba people to regulate their social relations nowadays were products of discussions between the Christian Toba Batak Rajas with the German Missionaries during the 1886 to evaluate the pre-Christian customs of the Toba Batak society to be inline withChristian values andChurch Ordinance.[10] The result of this discussion is the codification of Batak Toba customs by the Christian Rajahs and the Missionaries into two treaties: Ruhut Parsaoron di Habatahon 1898 or The Customs regulating the social life of the Batak (referred to as Ruhut), and Patik dohot Uhum ni Halak Batak 1899 or Laws and Regulations of the Batak people (referred to as Patik).[10]
Most of the Toba people are adherents ofProtestantism withLutheranism as the biggest denomination. After Protestantism,Catholicism is the second largest religious belief among the Toba people.[citation needed] Being the largest ethnic group in the Indonesian Protestant community, it is common for Protestant churches in Indonesia to provide service inToba Batak language.
The first Protestant missionaries who tried to reach theBatak highlands of inner Northern Sumatra were English and American Baptist preachers in the 1820s and 1830s but without any success. AfterFranz Wilhelm Junghuhn andHerman Neubronner van der Tuuk did intensive research on Batak language and culture in the 1840s, a new attempt was done in 1861 by several missionaries sent out by the GermanRhenish Missionary Society (RMG). The first Bataks were baptized during this year. In 1864,Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen from the German Rhenish Missionary Society reached the Batak region and founded a village called "Huta Dame" (village of peace) in the district ofTapanuli inTarutung,North Sumatra.[11]
TheBatak Christian Protestant Church (Indonesian:Huria Kristen Batak Protestan) is the largest Protestant church with Lutheranism in Indonesia. It was founded by the German missionaries and still regarded as the traditional church of the Toba Batak people. In the early 20th century, HKBP disported into several independent Protestant churches such asGKPS (Simalungun) andGKPA (Angkola) to accommodate church services for the Batak people outside of the Toba community.
Before the conversion to Christianity, the old belief of the Toba Batak tribe was a mixture ofAnimism andHinduism with significant influence ofIslam. In the beginning of the 20th century, some Toba Batak Rajahs who refused to embrace Christianity instituted a religion inspired by the pre-Christian Toba Batak beliefs, customs and practices. This religion is called ‘ Ugamo Malim‘ with its adherents calledParmalim. The Parmalims worship Debata Mula Jadi Nabolon, which means The Great Almighty God.[12]
A minority of Toba Batak are adherents ofSunni Islam. Many of the Muslim Toba Batak are originated from port ofBarus,Sorkam, parts ofSibolga, and fromAsahan areas. They are generally regarded as the original Toba Batak Muslims, although, sometimes the Batak Muslims from these regions are identified and self-identified as distinct sub-group known as Coastal Batak (Pesisir people) in the west coast of North Sumatra andBatak Pardembanan inAsahan Regency. In some cases ofconversion to Islam, there are occurrences of Toba Batak Muslims disassociating themselves with Toba Batak customs and identity and prefer association with other ethnic identities (e.g. of their spouses) or to disassociate ethnic identity at all. This would cause the departure from the traditional Toba Batak customs and adoption of the more conventional Islamic customs in instances such as wedding or burial, as many aspects of the former are now seen as no longer compatible with Islamic standard.[13]
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