TOLERANCE AND PEACE IN
BATAK LAND, INDONESIA.
Picture 1: The beautiful and magnificent Toba lake was found by the migrating people from mainland Asia.
Possibly
around 1500 years b. C., in the Stone Age, some Malays people and their
families from the Mainland of South East Asia crossed the Strait of Malacca
with double-hulled dugouts to Sumatra to hunt their animal preys or to grow
their crops. The Malays had known that double-hulled dugout is more stable than single, besides
they can have wider deck where they could
build a shelter for their families, their provisions, hunting tools,
hoes and seeds.
Picture 2:The migrating Asian proclaimed themselves as Batak at Pusuk Buhit near Toba lake of Sumatera..
They landed on the beach of Sumatra,
walked inland and found a beautiful lake
and an island in the middle. Those people proclaimed themselves as Batak and named the place where they
stood as Pusuk Buhit. Then they
proliferated, roamed and spread to all directions.
In the
course of their history, they have been successful in the developing of
traditional communal big houses which require complicated wood cuttings and
structures. The houses are uplifted from the ground by strong pillars. There is
only one entrance thru a ladder which can be taken upward to avoid enemies
and animals enter the house.
Some
traditional houses are built in a cluster surrounded by a circle of mounded
soil 3-4 meter height and 5-6 meter
width at the base as a fort protecting the houses. There is only one way to enter
and out. Then thorned bamboo trees were planted on the man-made hill fort. Stamford Raffles,
the builder of Singapore in one of his book stated that Batak tribe is the “most
warlike people in the world”. I don’t know whether Raffles’ statement based on
proofs or only because he saw the forts
During
my several travels in N. Sumatera I was not shown remnants of massive arms like
arrows or lances in the museums as proofs that the Batak liked war. From about
more than 10 of Javaneses and Bataks who were asked, none of them remembered of any
racial or religious conflicts. There have never been a racial conflict between Javanese and the Batak.
Moreover, formerly clans
have relationship with mother-clan before parting to become a clan. Also there
is a Dalihan Natolu philosophy of
kinship and brotherhood among Batak tribe, so
that many potential conflicts are most likely rare and can be avoided.
Around
1600 the Batakian
who migrated to the south met with Islam which had been there since the Century
XVI. Islam was propagated by individuals who built very modest schools and taught of absolute one God and how
to live independently. Syaikh Burhanuddin was the most popular Islamic scholar who spread Islam there. Syaikh is a person who build pesantren or some kind of Islamic boarding school. In Java syaikh is called Kyai Haji. Some Batakian became Moslems and they prefer to be
called as Tapanulian.
Picture 3: Islamic Boarding School of North Sumatera.
Around
1870 a Zending priest
from Germany Dr. Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen came to north part of Batak Land and
introduced Christianity to the kings and the people of Batak. The Batak kings
were infuriated of having a guest who taught different concepts with their
divinity. Their original believes were worshipping of their ancestor’s
spirit Ompu Na Bolon, big stones, trees and mountains. So they wanted to test Nommensen’s strength. One
day the Batak kings and their shamans invited Nommensen to a party and Nommensen
was served with foods and local wine
mixed with the strongest poisons they had. The Batak kings were sure that Nommensen would die in a very short time. But next
morning Nommensen still hoeing his agricultural plots and still taught the Bible to the people.
So the Batak kings admitted that Nommensen’s
God is stronger than their local gods. Then many Batak people were christened.
Possibly now 70% among Batakian are Christians
and about 30% are Moslems. Both groups live peacefully and harmoniously. In the
clan party they mingled together but the tables are separated since foods for
Moslems and Christians are different.
When there were disputes they didn’t
involve their clans nor their religions. Moreover Batak clans are historically
related. They also have a philosophy of kinship
called Dalihan Natolu .
Around
1910 came to North
Sumatera Moslem Javanese slaves and contracted workers brought by the Dutch to
work in the plantations of North Sumatra. Since then N. Sumatra is a mixing pot
where the Batakians, Javanese, Malays, Chinese,
Tamils and Arabs live.
Picture 4: Thousands of Javanese slaves boarded Pinisi sailing ships arrived at Deli, N. Sumatera.
In
2005 some groups of
terrorists came to sparsely populated town of Ambon in the Moluccas and Poso in
Sulawesi, and they agitated the
peaceful Christians and Moslems. Riots
flared between Christians and Moslems. They
have been living in the area for hundreds of years without any disputes or
settled peacefully when there were. Since there were also political interests
in the areas Pela Gandong, a solutive
agreement between those sides did not work. The conflicts flared in the areas, many
people were victimized and churches, mosques, houses and shops were burned. People fled their villages,
suffered, injured and killed.
After a year the conflicts were
solved where Christian and Moslem community leaders met together organized by government civil and
military officials under the leadership of former Vice President Yusuf Kalla.
Meanwhile the terrorists thought that
if they could do the same in N. Sumatra where population are denser, more massive and colossal
conflicts between Christians and Moslems could be created. So they came to N. Sumatra
and they threw Molotov bombs to seven churches
in the hope that the Christians would be in a rage and accused that the
Javanese and Tapanulian Moslems had done enmity against the Christians.
The Christian and Moslem community leaders had known what had happened in the Moluccas
and Sulawesi, so they were aware of what the terrorists was thinking. The
Christians and Moslems of N. Sumatra never bought the terrorists’ ideas because
they know that their fellow-clan members and their Javanese neighbors never do
any harms to others for hundreds of years. They have been living peacefully and
harmoniously for about 400 and 100
years.
Back
prior to 1945
Soekarno one of two Indonesia’s founding father observed the people’s spirit to
live peacefully although they have many differences. Soekarno, put this
indication in the Pancasila national emblem as Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, or Unity in Diversity.
Back
1400 years ago,
Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) received divine
revelation from Allah (Glory Be To Allah):
O
mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made
you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may
despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he
who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted
(with all things)
(Translation of The
Qur'an 49:13, Abdullah Yusuf Ali)
God has predestined
diversity among Man, peaceful relationship in society is His guidance for a
better life of Man.
Sardjono Angudi
24/08/2011 revised 20/02/2023
