The Samosir island serves as a cultural center of the Batak people
carefully preserving the traditions, architecture and arts. It has been
wonderful learning about the heritage of Lake Toba at the source.
Though situated smack in the middle of Muslim kingdoms: staunch Acehnese to the north, matrilineal-Muslim society of Minangkabau to the south and Malay kingdoms everywhere else in Sumatra, Bataks (or most of them) have been devout Christians Dutch and German missionaries traveled here during the mid-19th century and influenced the religious views of the community, which is now mostly Christian.
The Batak community consists of four distinct sub-groups: Batak Karo, Batak Toba, Batak Mandailing, and Batak Simalungun. Apparently no physical and social differences exist between these tribes, just a slight difference in visible behavior and dialect, which of course we didn’t notice as visitors.
Once on the island, you’ll quickly notice the Batak houses called “Jabu”. Their signature is the roof – oversized with steep, sharp angles.
The Jabu houses are built off the ground and supported by wooden poles. You have to climb a steep ladder to get into one of them.
As you travel the island, you will also notice tiny-looking structures
that resemble the Batak houses. These are the tombs that are sprinkled
all over the island and typically look like this:
However, a former king Sidabutar’s tomb is completely different and is a
must-see on the island. You just need to travel to a small village of
Tomok to check out this important heritage site.
Though situated smack in the middle of Muslim kingdoms: staunch Acehnese to the north, matrilineal-Muslim society of Minangkabau to the south and Malay kingdoms everywhere else in Sumatra, Bataks (or most of them) have been devout Christians Dutch and German missionaries traveled here during the mid-19th century and influenced the religious views of the community, which is now mostly Christian.
The Batak community consists of four distinct sub-groups: Batak Karo, Batak Toba, Batak Mandailing, and Batak Simalungun. Apparently no physical and social differences exist between these tribes, just a slight difference in visible behavior and dialect, which of course we didn’t notice as visitors.
Once on the island, you’ll quickly notice the Batak houses called “Jabu”. Their signature is the roof – oversized with steep, sharp angles.
The Jabu houses are built off the ground and supported by wooden poles. You have to climb a steep ladder to get into one of them.
Around the same area, you can purchase traditional Batak arts and crafts
We also fell in love with the Batak people. Most of them are farmers who
work and live off of their land. It is uncommon for large families to
live in a small Batak house or even for a few families to live on the
same land while sharing responsibilities. Given that they are surrounded
by a deep, clear lake, it isn’t surprising that you see many fishermen
on the water. Their technique is fascinating though. They use a plunger
hitting the water in circles to scare and direct the fish toward their
nets.
The people of Samosir island not only love the arts and crafts, but they
really enjoy music and singing. It seems like everyone has a guitar and
definitely knows how to use it. Most nights, when we were not simply
starring out on to the lake, we were hanging out with the owner of our
hotel and his friends. They played the guitar, sang and we sang along
and cheered them after each song.(/backpackofmemories.com)
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