Batak peoples

The Batak, Toba, Karo, Simalungun, Pakpak, Angkola, Mandailing and kin, are the Austronesian highlanders of North Sumatra speaking Batak tongues. Clan marga exogamy, adat law books written in surat script on bamboo, ancestor sarcophagi and the great si gale-gale puppets ordered lake and mountain life around Toba's caldera. Pork, rice and palm wine fed Christians and Muslims alike after missions split the highlands by faith. Dutch plantations, Japanese occupation and transmigration pressed the clans; Batak lawyers, preachers, generals and pop singers carried them through. Medan sprawl, Lake Toba ferries and the gondang drums keep the highlanders drumming. Toba's lake still centres the Batak world. Karo, Simalungun and Pakpak keep distinct tongues. Angkola and Mandailing kin share the adat law. Adat customs still order every Batak wedding. Distinct languages divide but do not separate the clans. Traditional customs still fill every festival. Batak is heard across North Sumatra daily. Related ethnic groups still gather at Lake Toba.