Karo people (Indonesia)

Karo people
Kalak Karo
A newly-married Karonese couple dressed in Karo traditional outfit (2010), the wedding ceremony called as Erdemu Bayu in local Karonese language.
Total population
1,232,655 (2013)[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Indonesia (Karo Regency, Medan, Deli Serdang Regency, Langkat Regency)
Languages
Karo language, Indonesian
Religion
Related ethnic groups

The Karo (also known as Karo Batak) people are a people of the Tanah Karo (Karo lands) in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The Karo lands consist of Karo Regency, plus neighboring areas in East Aceh Regency, Langkat Regency, Dairi Regency, Simalungun Regency, and Deli Serdang Regency.[3] In addition, the cities of Binjai and Medan, both bordered by Deli Serdang Regency, contain significant Karo populations, particularly in the Padang Bulan area of Medan. The town of Sibolangit, Deli Serdang Regency in the foothills of the road from Medan to Berastagi is also a significant Karo town.

Karoland contains two major volcanoes, Mount Sinabung, which erupted after 400 years of dormancy on 27 August 2010[4] and Mount Sibayak. Karoland consists of the cooler highlands and the upper and lower lowlands.

The Karolands were conquered by the Dutch in 1904. In 1906, roads to the highlands were constructed, ending the isolation of the highland Karo people. The road linked Medan and the lowlands to Kabanjahe and from there to both Kutacane in Aceh and Pematangsiantar in Simalungun. The first Christian evangelism was conducted among the Karo people in 1890 by the Netherlands Missionary Society. Due to the perceived association with the colonialism of the Dutch East Indies, only a minority of the Karo converted initially and it was not until after Indonesian independence in 1945 that Christianity acquired significant support among the Karo people.[5]

In 1911, an agricultural project began at Berastagi, now the major town in Karoland, to grow European vegetables in the cooler temperatures. Berastagi is today the most prosperous part of Karoland, just one hour from Medan, while towns further in the interior suffer from lower incomes and limited access to healthcare.[3]

The administrative centre of Karo Regency is Kabanjahe.

  1. ^ Yulianti H, Olivia (2014), The Study of 'Batak Toba' Tribe Tradition Wedding Ceremony (PDF), Politeknik Negeri Sriwijaya, p. 1, retrieved 2017-03-24
  2. ^ Voice of Nature, Volumes 85-95. Yayasan Indonesia Hijau. 1990. p. 45.
  3. ^ a b Kushnick, Geoff (2010), Bibliography of Works on the Karo Batak of North Sumatra, Indonesia: Missionary Reports, Anthropological Studies, and Other Writings from 1826 to the Present (PDF) (Version 1.2 ed.), archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-08, retrieved 2010-10-09
  4. ^ Zamira Rahim (10 June 2019). "Mount Sinabung: Volcano Eruption Warnings After Huge Column of Ash Prompts Panic in Indonesia". The Independent. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  5. ^ History of Christianity in Indonesia. pp. 569-584.