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Jakarta Post

The "Mangokal Holi" tradition of the Batak Toba tribe

Sun, May 15, 2016   /   05:35 pm
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    Family members take turns to do the digging during the Mangokal Holi ritual. JP/ Hotli Simanjuntak

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    Bones are cleaned in preparation for being placed into a small box for storage at the monument. JP/ Hotli Simanjuntak

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    Family members carefully collect all their ancestors’ bones. They have to separate bone parts and dirt as the ancestors have been buried for decades, or even centuries. Sometimes, they cannot find all the bones. JP/ Hotli Simanjuntak

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    The family members hand over the box of bones to the wife’s family as a sign of respect. JP/ Hotli Simanjuntak

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    The bones are arranged into a small box after the grave digging is completed. JP/ Hotli Simanjuntak

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    The family walks to the new sites with those carrying the boxes leading the parade. JP/ Hotli Simanjuntak

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    The bones of the ancestors are placed into the monument. JP/ Hotli Simanjuntak

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    Inside the monument, the boxes are carefully arranged. JP/ Hotli Simanjuntak

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    Inside the monument, made of stones or cement, the bones of the ancestors are left, marking the final stage of the Batak life cycle. The monument is known as "Batu na pir, pasir na so marlapis” [A hard stone and layer-less sand]. JP/ Hotli Simanjuntak

North Sumatra is home to a diversity of tribes that have lived in harmony for centuries, each one with their own rituals and beliefs.

One of the tribes is the Batak Toba people who live on the banks of magnificent Lake Toba, once known as the world’s largest caldera lake, formed by powerful volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. The area around the lake is inhabited by other Batak tribes, such as Batak Karo, Batak Mandailing, Batak Simalungun, Pakpak and Nias.

One of Batak Toba traditions that has been preserved until now is Mangokal Holi, literally meaning, digging bones.

In the Mangokal Holi, the bones of tribal ancestors are moved to a new site, in the form of a monument made of stone or cement.

The ritual takes a long time. Prior to digging the graves, people must ask approval from the wife’s family. All bones, which might have been buried for decades or even centuries, are carefully collected and sorted out before being placed into small boxes.

According to Batak beliefs, death is not the end of the life cycle, but rather a stage on the journey to perfection. The Mangokal Holi is one of the bridges on the way to attaining that perfection.

During the ceremony, descendants are given the chance to show off the fact that they and the Batak people of their generations have managed to lead successful lives and are thus able to pay their respects to the older generations by placing them at more noble sites. [dmr]

JP/ Hotli Simanjuntak