Batak people

Batak
Halak Batak

A Batak Karo couple during their wedding, wearing Batak traditional costume.
Total population
(circa 8 million (2010 census))
Regions with significant populations
Indonesia	8,466,969
North Sumatera	5,785,716
Riau	691,399
West Java	467,438
Jakarta	326,645
West Sumatera	222,479
Riau Islands	208,678
Aceh	147,295
Banten	139,259
Jambi	106,249
Malaysia	30,000
Netherlands	8,000
Singapore	1,100 - 2,403
Brunei	500
Languages
Batak languages (Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Toba, Angkola, Mandailing), Malay, Indonesian
Religion
Christianity (predominantly), Islam, traditional religions (Parmalim, Pemena, etc.)
Related ethnic groups
Gayo, Nias, Malay, Minangkabau, Acehnese

Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The term is used to include the Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Toba, Angkola, and Mandailing which are distinct but related groups with distinct - albeit related - languages and customs (adat).

In North Sumatra, Toba people typically assert their identity as 'Batak', while other 'Batak' may explicitly reject that label, preferring instead to identify as specifically 'Mandailing' and 'Karo' people.

Linguistic and archaeological evidence indicates that Austronesian speakers first reached Sumatra from Taiwan and the Philippines through Borneo and/or Java about 2,500 years ago, and the Batak probably descended from these settlers. While the archaeology of southern Sumatra testifies to the existence of neolithic settlers, it seems that the northern part of Sumatra was settled by agriculturalists at a considerably later stage.

Although the Batak are often considered to be isolated peoples thanks to their location inland, away from the influence of seafaring European colonials, there is evidence that they have been involved in trade with other neighbouring kingdoms for a millennium or more.

Reliable historical records of the Batak before 1800 are virtually non-existent. The Batak may be mentioned in Zhao Rugua's 13th-century Description of the Barbarous People, which refers to a 'Ba-ta' dependency of Srivijaya. The Suma Oriental, of the 15th century, also refers to the kingdom of Bata, bounded by Pasai and the Aru kingdom.

Based on this evidence, the Batak may have been involved in procuring important commodities for trade with China, perhaps from the 8th or 9th centuries and continuing for the next thousand years, with Batak men carrying the products on their backs for sale at ports.