Cap.

Title

PP.

0.1

Foreward

7

0.2

Introduction

9 to 11

1

Historical Survey

13 to 30

2

Oikonomic Foundations of the Society

31-38

3

Traditional Foundations of Society

39-63

4

The Old Religion

64-98

5

Batak Script and Litterature

100-114

6

Art and Crafts

115-216

0.1

Foreward

7

"The Batak of Northern Sumatra ...number approximately 3 million ... ."

0.2

Introduction

9 to 11

"The Batak consist of six ethnic groups :

the Mandailing and Angkola in the south,

{The Mandailing are located to the east and the southeast of the Angkola.}

the Toba in the centre,

{The Toba occupy the east shore of the Toba See, and also the drainage of the Asahan (emerging from the Toba See).}

the Pakpak/Dairi in the north west,

{The Pakpak (who occupy the west shore of the Toba See) are located to the south, however, of the Karo.}

the Karo and and the Simalungun in the north and north-east."

{The Karo (on the Lau Biang) are located to the north of the Pakpak.}

1

Historical Survey

13 to 30

"In India the island [to wit, Sumatra] was known as Suvarnadvipa ... ."

"Five ancient Malayan inscriptions dating from between 683 and 686 mention a state called Srivijaya in south Sumatra."

"the Batak ... magician-priest (guru) "whose limbs are tattowed in the shape of birds and beasts, and painted with different colors, with a large wooden mask on his face" (Marsden ...:388)."

"the magician-priests (datu) made substances which concealed magical powers. Pupuk, the magic mixture thus produced, ... was kept ... ."

{Elsewhere, e.g., in Bharata and in Burma, \dhatu\ is the term for the magical substance (a mixture of minerals) itself.}

2

Oikonomic Foundations of the Society

31 to 38

"At the beginning of the harvest the women brought to Boraspati {Br.has-pati} Ni Tano ("Spirit of the Earth") an offering in the form of ... betel-pepper. ...

Three months after the harvest the harvest festival or kerja tahun took place, ... and offerings presented to the spirits of the ancestors while the gendang orchestra played ... ."

3

Traditional Foundations of Society

39-63

"These communal houses were not divided up into separate rooms : the living space was an area running through the building which was subdivided at night by hanging mats ... which ensured the individual families at least some privacy."

"The traditional dwelling house of the Toba ... is a rectangular building on pillars, which is reached by steps from below. The house is locked in the evening by means of a trap-door set into the floor which can be bolted from the inside.

The substructure of the house consists of massive wooden pillars which rest on flat stones ... . ...

The pillars are linked together by inserted planks, which ... form an enclosed substructure which is traditionally used for larger livestock."

"A Karo peculiarity is the building of skull-houses or ossuaries (geriten) in which the bones of long dead ancestors were -- and still are -- kept ... . ... The model skull-house ... shows a from of substructure ... consisting of a single massive central support. The geriten were built for the influential, rich and eminent dead by their wealthy descendants ... .

Poorer families kept the skull and larger bones of their ancestor in the roof space above their family sleeping place."

"moieties -- halves {of the Batak tribe} whose common ancestor is -- at least according to the beliefs of the Toba Batak --

Si {S`ri} Raja {Rajan} BATAK {BHADrAtunGa}, who lived in the distant past on the holy mountain of Pusik Buhit on the west shore of Lake Toba. {"high god Mulajadi na Bolon {cf. Maya 9 gods Bolon-ti-Ku} sent away his daughter Si Boru Deak Parujar. After ... she created the world ..., ... Then her father sent a man named Odap-odap {"Odap-odap, the son of Mangalabulan ... preferred Sorbayati's younger sister, Si Boru Deak Parujar." (CMWE, s.v. "Batak", p. 66a)} to become her husband. Their union ... is ... on a slope of the sacred mountain Pusuk Buhit on the western side of Lake Toba. Twins -- a son Raja Ihatmanisa and a daughter Boru Ihatmanisa -- were born of this union; they married and bore a son, Si Raja Batak, the progenitor of all Batak." (KD&AKB, p. 70)}

{As son of Odap-odap (cf. Skt \uddip\ 'to flare'), Mangala-bulan may be Mangala, who is begotten when his father's (Skanda Puran.a -- PE, s.v. "Mangala (2)", p. 477a) "eyes ... blazed" [blaze = flare]; while Si Boru Deak Parujar may be goddess Mangala-can.d.ika, who (PE, q.v. -- Devi-bhagavata 9) "grants the requests of Mangala.} {Batak mountain-name \Pus_k\ = name \Pus.kara\ of (PE, s.v. "Pus.kara V." -- MBh, "Bhis.ma Parvan" 12:24) "A mountain in the island of Pus.kara ... full of precious stones. \Bhadra-TUNGA\ (PE, q.v.) is similar to \ TUNGA-karan.ya\, where Alambus.a's (MBh, "Vana Parvan" 83:43-50 -- PE, s.v., "Sarasvata II", p. 694b) son r.s.i Sarasvata performed (PE, q.v. -- MBh, "Vana Parvan" 85:46) the Devata-adhi Ayana on behalf of hermits. The Batak "holy mountain" could be a replication of mt Rohita (vide PE, s.v. "Sarasvati I.3)", p. 695b); for, this mt Rohitaka (PE, q.v. -- MBh, "Sabha Parvan") is also called Rohita-KARAN.YA), reminiscent of the site Tunga-KARAN.YA (PE, q.v).}

His sons are the ancestors of the two halves {of the Batak tribe; those sons being}, Lontung and Sumba ... ."

{"Si Raja Batak ... had two sons, Guru Tatea Bulan and Raja Isumbaon {iSUMBAon = SUMBA}, the ancestors of the two phratries" (AS"MI", p. 166a).}