Off the beaten track

On a visit to the Indonesian Island of Sumatra in the 13th century, the intrepid explorer Marco Polo was less than complimentary about some of its inhabitants, saying that they “live like beasts....and eat human flesh.”

Today’s visitors, however, have a far better opinion of the Batak, a  friendly, hill-dwelling people who welcome newcomers with their cheery “Horas!”. Equally welcoming is the spectacular Lake Toba, the largest (and arguably most photogenic) volcanic lake on the planet, which, at 87 kilometres long and 27 kilometres wide contains enough fresh water to completely immerse the whole of Britain to a 1 metre depth. Only 300 kilometres from the equator, yet the climate is refreshingly cool compared with other parts of Indonesia, due to it being 900 metres above sea level. Here, surrounded by lush volcanic peaks of the Barisian mountains, around 8 million Batak fish, farm and, of course, care for tourists who come to enjoy the unique, breathtaking views. Nature lovers are particularly thrilled with the orang-utans, Thomas’ leaf monkeys and white-handed gibbons which live on the north side of the lake, and the branded-leaf monkeys, tarsiers and tapirs to the south.

Originally, Batak families inhabited ornate communal longhouses perched on stilts. Built from wood, bamboo and sugar-palm fibre, with buffalo horn-shaped roofs, these were big enough to accommodate 12 families and were certainly well-made, as demonstrated by 300 year old homes that are still inhabited, although no nails were used in their construction.

The Batak are made up of several ethnic groups, all closely-related from large family clans, including the Toba, the Karo, the Dairi, the Mandailing, the Angkola and the Simalungun. Special events include elaborate wedding ceremonies attended by hundreds of relatives which last for hours with long speeches followed by a wonderful feast and dancing.

The Batak are renowned for their singing too which infuses the night air as people socialise in local cafés, while children splash in the lake. But what about Marco Polo’s lurid tales of cannibalism? According to history professor Leonard Y Andaya, such rumours “may have been provided by the Batak themselves in an effort to prevent outsiders from penetrating into their lands.”

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