DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/ihis.v9i1.25744

Interplay of Christian Missions, Batak Traditions, and Colonial Influence in North Tapanuli, Indonesia in 1861-1940

*JLM Siahaan  -  Doctor of History, Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, University Diponegoro, Indonesia
Yety Rochwulaningsih  -  Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, University Diponegoro, Indonesia
Singgih Tri Sulistiyono  -  Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, University Diponegoro, Indonesia
Ichwan Azhari  -  2History of Education Program, Faculty of Humanities, Stated University of Medan, Indonesia

Citation Format:
Abstract

This study focuses on the missionary movement of the Rhein Missionary Society (RMG) and its impact on the political and social dynamics of the Batak people. The RMG missionary movement, which began in the 19th century, became one of the key drivers in the spread of Christianity in the Toba Batak region. Additionally, the involvement of the missionary movement alongside the Dutch colonial government brought significant changes to the social life of the Batak people. Therefore, this article highlights the local social and political changes triggered by the Padri attacks, which also influenced the community's acceptance of Christianity. The historical method is used in this article to reveal various responses to Christian missions, ranging from traditional acceptance to integration into Christian traditions. This study also analyses how Dutch colonialism influenced the spread of Christianity, as well as the social, political, and cultural transformations that occurred. These findings offer a new perspective on the interaction between Christian missions, Batak customs, and colonialism in shaping the history of religion in the Batak region.

Fulltext
Keywords: Missionaries; RMG mission movement; Toba Batak; Dutch colonialism.

Article Metrics:

Article Info
Section: Articles
Language : EN
Recent articles
Ethnolinguistic Pluralism and Multiculturalism in Contemporary Indonesia: A Case Study of Minority Javanese Muslim Migrants in Bali Interplay of Christian Missions, Batak Traditions, and Colonial Influence in North Tapanuli, Indonesia in 1861-1940 Maintaining Welfare: Adaptation Strategies of Coffee Farming Communities in Lumajang, Indonesia, 2014-2023 More recent articles
  1. Anas, M., Saraswati, D., Ikhsan, M. A., and Fiaji, N. A. (2025). “Acceptance of “the Others” in religious tolerance: Policies and implementation strategies in the inclusive city of Salatiga Indonesia.” Heliyon, 11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e41826
  2. Angerler, J. (2016). Images of God in Toba Batak storytelling. Wacana, 17(2), 303-335. https://doi.org/10.17510/wacana.v17i2.444
  3. Anwar, S. (2024). Historical analysis of rejection and acceptance of the values of Parmalim beliefs. Andalas International Journal of Socio-Humanities, 6(1), 40-52. https://doi.org/10.25077/aijosh.v6i1.64
  4. Aritonang, Jan Sihar, and Karel Steenbrink (Eds.). (2008). The sharp contrasts of Sumatra. A History of Christianity in Indonesia, 35, 527-638. Brill. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctv4cbgb1.18
  5. Damanik, E. L. (2018). Ethnic cleavages: The descendant and clan sentiment on the election of regional executives (Pemilukada) in Northern Tapanuli, North Sumatera Province. Komunitas: Intenational Journal of Indonesian Society and Culture, 11(1), 61-76. https://doi.org/10.15294/komunitas.v11i1.17410
  6. Hard, Mikael and Mai Lin Tjoa-Bonatz. (2020). “Trading zones in a colony: transcultural techniques at missionary stations in the Dutch East Indies, 1860-1940.” Social Studies of Sciences, 50 (6), 932-955
  7. Hesselink, L. (2015). The early years of nursing in the Dutch East Indies, 1895-1920. In H. Sweet & S. Hawkins (Eds.), Colonial caring: A history of colonial and post-colonial nursing (pp. 145-168). Manchester University Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt18dzrdn.13
  8. Hidayat and Damanik, E. L. (2018). Batak dan bukan Batak: Paradigma sosiohistoris tentang konstruksi identitas etnik di Kota Medan, 1906-1939. Jurnal Sejarah Citra Lekha, 3(2), 71-87. https://doi.org/10.14710/jscl.v3i2.19624
  9. Ikegami, S. Historical changes of Toba Batak reburial tombs: A case study of rural community in the central highland of North Sumatra. Southeast Asian Studies, 34(4), 643-675. https://doi.org/10.20495/tak.34.4_643
  10. Khairani, L. (2023). In the light of cultural studiesm the contest of Javanese Deli cultural identity vs. local culture. In International Conference on Communication, Policy and Social Science (InCCluSi) (pp. 87-92). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-07-7_11
  11. Parlindungan, M. S. (2021). “Westhelle’s vision of hybridity and the cultural hybrid practice of the Batak Church (HKBP).” Curreents in Theology and Mission, 48 (2), 14-19
  12. Ritonga, S. and Abdoellah, O. S. (2020). Kinship practice of Toba Batak moslem as a land control strategy in Asahan. Journal of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Societies, 4(1), 97-131. https://doi.org/10.30821/jcims.v4i1.7356
  13. Sahrul, Nirwansyah, A. W., Demirdag, S., and Daulai, A. F. (2024). Batu Qulhu – The stone of death: Harmonizing traditional funerals in the Mandailing community of North Sumatra. Heliyon, 10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33363
  14. Schröter, S. (2010). “Christianity in Indonesia.” In S. Schroter, Christianity in Indonesia: Perspectives of Power (pp. 9-28). UK: Global Book Marketing
  15. Siahaan, P. and Budi Agustono. (2021). “The development of Tarutung into a city”. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 4 (2), 2676-2685. https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v4i2.1975
  16. Sihombing, H. H. (2023). The Batak-Christian theology of land. CrossCurrents, 73(1), 43-63. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27233556
  17. Silalahi, B. (2025). Battak Kingdom since 1511: Geopolitics and its changes. Social Science Research Network. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5155367
  18. Tanjung, I. L. (2024). Modernity of the Bataknese in Tapanuli during the Dutch Colonial and Japanese Occupation periode. Paramita: Historical Studies Journal, 34(1), 79-89. http://dx.doi.org/10.15294/paramita.v34i1.45799
  19. Toha, R. J. (2024). “State institutions in North Sumatra, Indonesia: National identification of the Bataks.” In A. H. Liu & J. S. Selway (Eds.), State institutions, civic associations, and identity demands (pp. 56-72). University of Michigan Press
  20. van Bemmelen, S.T. (2012). Good Customs, Bad customs in North Sumatra: Toba Batak, Missionaries and Colonial Officials Negotiate the Patrilineal Order (1861-1942). [PhD-Thesis-Research external, graduation internal, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam]
  21. Viner, A.C. (1979). The changing Batak. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 52 (2), 84-112
  22. Wannewitz, M. and Garschagen, M. (2024). The role of social identities for collective adaptation capacities-general considerations and lessons from Jakarta, Indonesia. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.104194
  23. Warneck, J. (1912). The growth of the church in the mission field: I. among the Bataks. International Review of Mission, 1 (1), 20-43
  24. Widyawati, F., Lon, Y. S., and Midun, H. (2025). Mission and inculturation: Preserving local language and culture in the Indonesian Church. HTS Theological Studies, 8(10), 1-10. https://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/hts/v81n1/38.pdf
  25. Wulandari, R. (2024). Church documents, first Catholic missionaries in Java, and pontifical mission societies of Indonesia: The movement with a social entrepreneurial orientation. The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society, 15(2), 89-103. https://doi.org/10.18848/2154-8633/CGP/v15i02/89-112
  26. Zakaria, F. (2017). Landscapes and Conversions during the Padri Wars in Sumatra (1803–1840). abbreviated version of a chapter from “Sacred Ecologies of the North Sumatran Highlands: An Environmental History of Conversions”, PhD diss

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update:

No citation recorded.