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'''Batak''' designates two distinct peoples, one living in
Indonesia, the other in the
Philippines. Both speak languages of the
Austronesian family.
==The Batak of Indonesia==
The term "Batak" is used to identify a number of ethnic groups found in the highlands of North Sumatra
Indonesia. Their heartland lies to the west of Medan centred on
Lake Toba. In fact the "Batak" include several groups with distinct, albeit related, languages and customs (adat). While the term is used to include the Toba, Karo, Pak Pak, Simalungun, Angkola, and Mandailing groups, some of these peoples prefer not to be known as Batak.
Before they became subjects of colonial
Dutch East Indies government, the Batak had a reputation for being fierce warriors. Afterwards Christianity was embraced widely, and the Toba Batak Christian church is presently the largest Christian congregation in Indonesia.
Batak societies are patriarchal and a dowry system exists. The Batak culture(s) stands out in weaving, wood carving and especially in its ornate stone tombs. Their burial cultures are very rich and complex, and includes a ceremony in which the bones of one's ancestors are reinterred several years after death.
The Bataks themselves today are one-third Muslim, one-third
Christian, and one third
Animist or Hindu. They have also came under strong Hindu-Buddhist influence since the earlier Hindu period of
Indonesia. Recently, however, due to the large number of
Indians and
Balinese living in the city of Medan, a large number of the Karo Bataks have converted to
Hinduism in 1977.
Bataks speak a variety of (closely related) languages, all members of the
Austronesian language family.
Ancestors of the Bataks are believed to have sailed across the
Indian Ocean and colonised
Madagascar
==See also==
*
Batak alphabet
==External link==
*
The family tree of the Batak languages, from Ethnologue.com
es:Batak
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==The Batak of the Philippines==
The '''Batak''' are one of the
indigenous people of the
Philippines. They are located in the northeastern portions of
Palawan. There are only about 1,000 Batak remaining. Also called ''Tinitianes'', the Batak are considered by anthropologists to be closely related to the
Ayta of
Central Luzon, another
Negrito tribe.
Their society is primarily in an early agricultural stage with some people living on subsistence. The Batak also practice ''
kaingin'' farming which is a slash-and-burn method. Other economic activities include hunting, fishing, and cultivating produce such as rattan for building materials.
The Batak are a somewhat nomadic people, never staying permanently in one place. Their belief system is that of ''
animism'', which is belief in nature spirits.
==External links==
*
"Batak" by Christine Abriza
*
Some information on the language of the Philippine Bataks, from Ethnologue.com
