BATAK HOUSE

INTRODUCTION

Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of ethnic groups found in the highlands of North Sumatra , Indonesia.
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 , Dairi , Simalungun , Angkola and Mandailing.





Total population of Batak is circa 6 million (2000 census)
Regions with significant populations of Batak:

1. North Sumatra =4827000
2. Riau =347000
3. Jakarta =301000
4. West Java =275000
5. West Sumatra =188000

Languages
Btak languages ( Alas-Kluet, Angkola,Dairi, Karo,Mandailing, Simalungun, Toba), Malay, Indonesian

Religion
Christian, Muslim,Parmalim, Hinduism

Related ethnic groups
Malay

SOCIETY

Batak societies is known as Marga.The Toba Batak believe that they originate from ancestor "Si Raja Batak", with all Margas descended from him.Fof batak society, that house was built to show their burial and marriage traditions are very rich and complex.A family tree that father-son relationship among Batak people called tarombo.For batak people,that house is a symbols or gifts gives by husband family to their wife family.

THE UNIQUE OF BATAK HOUSE

Batak house is not like other house.It is because this house mostly unique by its architecture. The roofs aof this house nearly same with horns of the buffalo..




Batak house has no door.It is just some opening under the house by the stairs.









CONSTRUCTION
The Batak house of the Toba and Karo are recognizable by their massive style of building construction, whiich is suited to the way the inhabitants settled more and less permanently. The stilt house is an eminently practical form of achitecture for life in the tropics.

The ornaments put onto the external wall of the house are meant to drive away evil influences.These ornaments consist of anthropomorhic and zzmorphic representatios, carved decorative ornaments, and wall paintings. The colours used are natural colours, the most important being red(from red clay), white(from chalk), and black(from charcoal), which respectively represent the three spheres of the cosmos:

• the human world
• the world of good spirits
  
• the underworld