The Mandailing in the Homeland

Mythology

The Mandailing have their own script called urup tulak-tulak, and ancient texts called pustaha are written in this script. The subject-matter of the pustaha is confined to traditional medication, spells and charms, almanacs and dream interpretations.

However, with the exception of the tarombo (geneologies) or account on the origins of the clans, there are hardly any historical accounts about the Mandailing in their own language, or written records about their origins, before the 19th century.

Mandailing as a place name was mentioned in Nagarakretagama, an account of Majapahit expansionism outside Java, dated 1365. Whether Mandailing was a "kingdom" or a territory when Majapahit expanded into Sumatra in the last quarter of the 14th century, is uncertain. It is possible that that the land of Mandailing already existed well before then.

The term Batak, which later included the Mandailing homeland, only came into vogue in the 16th century with the coming of foreign travellers to this part of the world. Thus the Mandailing people reject this label which was later imposed by outsiders.

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