Bataks Losing Identity

I was saddened somewhat when I read the article in the Jakarta Post about the Batak people living in Jakarta seemingly losing their identity.

Young Batak people losing identity, study says
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A study has shown that many young Batak Toba people living in Jakarta have lost a strong sense of ethnic identity due to the inevitable mingling of cultures in the capital.

Togar Nainggolan said the younger generation of Batak people born in Jakarta identified themselves as Jakarta-Batak people.

Togar was speaking during the launch of his book Batak Toba in Jakarta: continuity and identity changes, which is based on his doctoral thesis at Radboud Nijmegen University in the Netherlands.

The Batak are an ethnic group from North Sumatra.

Data issued by the Central Statistics Agency in 2000 showed there were 81,248 Batak families living in Jakarta.

“Sixty percent of the second generation of Batak people do not feel included within a Batak identity. They are Batak people but don’t consider themselves migrants to Jakarta. In their daily lives, and even at home, they don’t speak Batak languages anymore,” Togar said.

“The older generation, those who first settled in Jakarta, refer to themselves as Batak migrants, even though they have been living here for a long time. They continue to retain their traditions,” he said.

The study concluded that Batak Toba living in Jakarta had experienced some continuity, but also felt less affinity with their ethnic group than those who had stayed in North Sumatra.

“The continuity can be seen in the use of marga (family names) and their attendance at church.

“Poor families adhere to traditional practices and, for them, the family network is important to survive in the capital, while the richer Batak tend to simplify their traditions,” he said.

The study focused on family networks, religion, culture and identity.

It surveyed 250 Batak people living in five areas of East Jakarta: Kayu Putih, Pulogadung, Rawamangun, Cawang and Cililitan.

It was limited to Batak Toba. There are six Batak subethnic groups: the Angkola, Karo, Mandailing, Pakpak and Toba.