indahnesia.com - Sumatra Utara - A colorfull and ethnically diverse region

Introduction

Introduction to Sumatera Utara

Northern Sumatera, with it's colorfull and ethnically mixed population, is after Jawa, the most crowded province in Indonesia. Currently it has over 11 milion inhabitants and that overshoots Kalimantan or Nusa Tenggara. Dynamic Batak, Malay, Jawanese, Indians and Chinese created a big variety of modern and traditional Indonesian culture. The economy, which has been based on plantation (...)


Danau Toba	*Jewel of the highland*

Danau Toba, with it's mystical island Samosir, forms the heart of the beautifull, usually rough Toba Batak highlands - a giant caldera high in the treeless mountains mountains of northern Sumatera. The lake was formed about 100,000 years ago after a giant eruption. This biggest lake of southeastern Asia measures 100 times 31 km and coveres an area of 1146 sq.km. It's also the deepest lake in the w (...)


Bukit Lawang	*Orang Hutans and Wild Rivers*

Introduction Bohorok is the administrative unit that contains Bukit Lawang. Indonesians normally say Bohorok when they refer to Bukit Lawang. The area of Bohorok has many plantations like cocoa, palm oil, natural rubber, or anges, etc. Bukit Lawang started as an orangutan rehabilitation center, but quickly developed into a major tourist desti (...)


Batak Fabric	*Multi-colored, traditional sheets*

The woven fabrics (ulos among the Toba, uis among the Karo) can't be missed from the traditional Batak community. Earlier they formed the daily dressing. Nowadays they are given as a present at special occasions, to strengthen the relationships between relatives. The need to exchange ulos at weddings, births and funerals is the most important reason for producing them. Be (...)


Batak Houses	*Traditional community houses*

Most main roads which run through the Batak highlands, date back to the Dutch colonial time and the settlements along the roads are not traditional. Batakvillages used to be built far away from main roads for security reasons. The Karo villages, for example, were located on high mountain edges, surrounded by steep cliffs, which causes them to be defendable very well. People who want to see the tra (...)


Simalungun Area	*Through the plantation belt to Toba*

The Simalungun or Timor Batak ('Eastern Batak') live in the highlands between Danau Toba and the eastcoast, nowadays an important plantation area where rubber, palmoil, cacaco and tea is being cultivated. The area is cut in half by a piece of the trans-Sumatera highway of 100 kilometres, which runs from Pematang Sianter towards Prapat. The name Simalungun dates back to the past and means 'des (...)


Tanah Karo	*Green plateau in the highlands*

Tanah Karo or Karoland, the homeland of the Karo Batak, is an extraordinary fertile plateau in the centre of the vulcanic Bukit Barisan, south of Medan. It has a surface of about 5000 sq.km. and is being surrounded by high peaks. The northern border rises steel from the densely forested area's about 50 to 60 km from the coast, while the southern border just touches the banks of Danau Toba. Th (...)


Tapanuli	*Rough southern Batak highlands*

The districts of Northern-, Central- and Southern Tapanuli roughly cover the southern part of the province, one thirds of the total area. In the north thei border at Danau Toba and in the south to Riau and Western Sumatera. Northern Tapanuli is inhabited by the Toba Batak. The Mandailing Batak and the Angkola Batak live in the southern areas. Many of them converted to the islam in the 19th century (...)


Berastagi	*Cool place on the Karo plateau*

The picturesque city of Berastagi is located on an altitude of 1330 metres at the northern edgde of the Karo plateau, 68 kilometres south of Medan (about two hours by car). The climate is very nice: the days are remarkably mild, and the nights cool. Ther city was founded in the 1920's as a Dutch governmental location, including 9-hole golf course and big European villas. Nowadays the city is loved (...)


The Missions	*Converts in the 19th century*

Ever since the 16th century christian traders visited the harbours of Sumatera, and franciscan munks served the foreign community in Aceh. The only populations which were allowed to convert during the colonial period were those who showed fierce resistance against the islam, especially in the Batak highlands and the Niha (from the island Nias). In the 19th century, several missionaries made t (...)


Pulau Nias	*A Mentawai island*

A small island, 130 km long and 45 km wide, slightly smaller than Bali, Nias lying just 125 km off Sumatra's west coast, administratively belonged to the North Sumatra, province. Like any other western isiand off Sumatra, Nias stands quite apart. Its rugged terrain, malarial climate and warlike population having served to isolate from the mainstream of Sumatran culture for many centuries. As a res (...)