NINNA.ID-Kampung Ulos Hutaraja, is a World Heritage site you must visit, especially when you visit Samosir Island. Geopark Lake Toba was placed on the World Heritage List.
One of the reasons UNESCO listed Geopark Lake Toba is that we can still see cultural richness.
Kampung Ulos Hutaraja Pardamean is one of the famous villages on Samosir Island. Kampung in Bahasa Indonesia means village. Ulos is Batak traditional cloth.
This village is well known the centre of making Ulos Batak Toba and Karo.
This village is located in Lumban Suhi-Suhi Toruan, Pangururan sub-district, Samosir Regency, North Sumatra. You can find Kampung Ulos Hutaraja on Google Maps here.
Attraction
In this village, you can see women making Ulos in front of the yard. You can see the process of making Ulos.
You may ask permission from the people whether they allow you to ask some of the questions.
Quite often, the weavers do not mind if you ask them questions, take pictures, or even if you want to try out how to make Ulos.
But it will be polite if you ask permission and you pay for the weavers for their time and skill. Otherwise, you can buy their Ulos.
Here you can find many of Batak’s traditional houses. One that can make you surprise, most of the houses here are already around 300 years old.
Especially Rumah Ganjang, Rumah Gorga, Rumah Bolon, Rumah Genteng. You can ask the local people there which the house mentioned here. They will show you.
The people that live in that house now are mostly the fourth, fifth, or even the sixth generation.
We can see which one is already 300 years old from the appearance of the house especially the wood. But you might see all the roofs are the same.
It’s because the government renovated most of the roof the Batak house here.
In the past, some Batak houses had ornate building roofs—made of wood, bamboo, and sugar palm fiber.
Underneath the elevated floor of the houses are the domestic animals—cattle, chickens, dogs, pigs, and buffalo.
But now, no more pigs and buffalo since this village is branded as Kampung Ulos. Long time ago, most of the people here earned a living from farming.
Right now, 50 percent make living from Ulos.
Beautiful Spot
There are many beautiful spots for you to take pictures. One is in the middle of Hutaraja, one in the Cofee Shop of Hutaraja, and another you can take the picture with Lake Toba and the surrounding mountains as its backdrop.
You may see many great spots by walking around this village.
To enter this Kampung Ulos Hutaraja, you have to pay IDR 5.000/person, IDR 5.000 for motorcycle parking, IDR 10.000 car parking. If you need a local guide to help you, ask the people there.
Dutch Colonized
In the 19th century, the Dutch colonial government came and colonized Samosir Island. Before Indonesia was established, the Dutch colonial government took control of this island.
In each village or “Huta”, there is a Tunggane Huta. The term of Tunggane Huta refers to the person appointed by the Dutch East Indies Government to receive Bisoloit.
Bisoloit is a letter issued by the Dutch East Indies Government appointing the leader of a “Huta”.
Until now, most of the village has its own Tunggane Huta inherited from generation to generation.
Not only colonized, but some of the European people who came to Batak Land taught Christianity.
A publication said, before becoming Christian, most of Batak were animists and embraced a number of gods and spirits.
They also practiced sacrificial rituals, séances, divination, and sorcery.
Occult spells, divination tables, and healing formulas were recorded on bark strips up to 50 feet long and folded accordion-style, resulting in a book of sorts.
And ornate sacred cloths were woven to ward off evil and to divine the future.
Records indicate that the first Western missionaries to the Batak were Baptists R. Burton and N. Ward, who arrived in 1824.
Ten years later, while the Dutch military was trying to occupy parts of the land, two other missionaries, Americans H. Lyman and S. Munson, ventured into Batak territory but were soon killed.
Two Catholic missionaries, who disregarded warnings to stay away from potentially dangerous areas, may have met the same fate.
However, German missionary Ludwig Nommensen, who began working among the Batak in 1862, survived and enjoyed considerable success.
In fact, he is still held in honor by many of the local people.
Today most Batak especially in Hutaraja are professed Christians and Catholic. The remainder being Muslims or animists.
Nevertheless, many still cling to aspects of their traditional beliefs.
Well, this long story may attract you to visit Samosir Island. You should visit Kampung Ulos Hutaraja if you visit Samosir.
Each of us has to participate in the protection of the cultural and natural heritage of outstanding universal value. One simple thing you can do to participate is by visiting this village.
Writer: Damayanti Sinaga that also work as Lake Toba Tour Guide
