989,218,747 visitors served.
989,218,747 visitors served. |
|
 Dictionary/ thesaurus |  Medical dictionary |  Legal dictionary |  Financial dictionary |  Acronyms |  Idioms |  Encyclopedia |  Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
Batak |
Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.04 sec. |
BatakAny member of any of several closely related ethnic groups of central Sumatra, Indon. The Batak are descendants of a powerful Proto-Malayan people who until 1825 lived in relative isolation in the highlands surrounding Lake Toba in Sumatra. They have their own written language. In their traditional religion, ancestors, plants, animals, and inanimate objects are considered to possess souls or spirits; today about a third of the 3.1 million Batak adhere to traditional beliefs, while the rest profess Christianity or Islam. |
|
? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | |
|---|---|---|
In other cases, systems of graphic inscription such as those found on a Tibetan mandala or a Batak calendrical instrument both were artfully rendered and served to transmit knowledge. Two of the Christian leaders were of Batak origin, home of a thriving ethnic "folk" church, and source of many upwardly mobile emigrants within Indonesia. Most Batak are ostensibly Christian now but traces of animism remain, rooted in the awesome natural spectacle of their heartland around Lake Toba with its smoking craters, blazing sunsets and violent storms. |
 |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Browser extension |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content NEW! | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|
|---|
Disclaimer |
Privacy policy |
Feedback | Copyright © 2008 Farlex, Inc.
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Batak
