The Language and Culture of the Batak People

Several closely related ethnic groups in central Sumatra, Indonesia. They have their own written language, which includes several different dialects and belongs to the South Island (Austronesian) language family. The Bataks are descended from the powerful original Malay race, which until 1825 lived in relative isolation on the high ground around Lake Toba in Sumatra. They never developed into a unified nation and had six cultural regions. It is believed that ancestors, plants, animals and inanimate objects have souls and can be driven by male shamans. Cannibalism was practiced at one time, but the victims were limited to criminals and those who committed incest. The population is about 3.1 million, of which 1/3 are Christians, 1/3 are Muslims, and the rest still follow traditional religions. After the Second World War, the inhabitants of Toba migrated in large numbers to the rich plantation areas on the east coast that had previously belonged to foreign investors.