Ketengban's Animism
In the 10th century, Barus was attacked by Srivijaya. The first German missionaries arrived in the valley around Lake Toba in 1861, and a Christian mission was launched in 1881 by Dr. Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen. The translated text was printed in Latin script in Medan in 1893. The Batak people speak Austronesian languages, but it is unknown when their ancestors first settled in Tapanuli and East Sumatra. Because no Neolithic artifacts have been found in the Batak region, it is suspected that their ancestors migrated to North Sumatra during the Metal Age. Batak people are required to know their genealogy, at least their ancestors who inherited their clan and their clanmates. The Ketengban people are a Mek tribe inhabiting the mountainous region of the Bintang Mountains Regency, Papua. According to the Ketengban myth, a creation figure atop the Mandala peak named Doyap assigns totems to Ketengban tribal clans based on their territories. Because initiation ceremonies are traditionally held o...
