Lake Toba as a Piece of Heaven
It needs to be maintained and cared for. [Translation work]
Author: Pdt. Luhut P. Hutajulu Translator: Michael P. Marpaung
Translator’s Notes
For this post, I’m taking a different approach. I was given an interesting essay as reading material for a commission work. I was so impressed that I wanted the readers of Indonesian and American to see it too. Called Danau Toba Bagai Kepingan Sorga in the original Indonesian, my own translation of the title comes out to Lake Toba as a Piece of Heaven. As readers may tell, I had to translate the whole thing from Indonesian to English. And I was happy that the author, Pdt. Luhut P. Hutajulu, had graciously given me the permission to do so.
For the Bible verses cited by the author, I used the New International Version (NIV) and the New Catholic Bible (NCB) to translate over to English. I found both versions to be satisfactory in conveying what the author had intended in citing the verses.
This is my first “official” translation, so I hope I did a good job. I tried to give Mr. Hutajulu’s words justice. Readers should keep in mind that in any project involving translation from one language to another, there will always be things that are “lost in translation”. This is no exception, which is why I had to put in some much needed context through the footnotes of this post.
Of course, if you want to read the untranslated essay, the PDF file can be found at the end of this post. Readers are welcomed to download and read the essay in the original Indonesian.
Finally, I must say that I don’t agree with every single jot and tittle said by Mr. Hutajulu in his essay. Even so, I still found his work to be an insightful piece not just about the nature of God but also of Lake Toba, a place that is far from me yet close to my heart.
-Michael P. Marpaung
Foreword
Who is the Lord God? Who is man? These questions will be followed up as such:
What is the relationship between God and man?
What is the relationship between man and man?
What is the relationship between man and nature - creation of God?
Lord God Portrayed to be “Gardener”
The first pages of the Bible are truly astonishing. Those who first read the Bible from the first page will be astonished when they see how God was portrayed. At first, people may think that in the Bible, the Lord is portrayed as a king who sits on His throne of gold in all His glory. Yet that is not the picture that was given to us about the Lord. Of course, the first book of the Bible does not portray an atmosphere and context of a simple garden. Yet God was not portrayed as a king surrounded by ladies-in-waiting either, but rather as a gardener who walked alone in the garden. The Lord is portrayed as One who is rolling up His sleeves and work with His own hands in a garden and the result of that labor, He saw that it was “good” (Genesis 1:31)
In the Bible, there are stories about creation. The first in Genesis 1:1 to 2:4a and the second in Genesis 2:4b-25. Those two stories, which came from two different groups of authors from different times, contain some similarities and differences. The similarity between the two stories is how they portray God as being busy at work. There, many times the word bara was used, a word uniquely used for God, one that means creating out of nothing (Creatio ex nihilo).
Man as Working Creature
The Bible looks at work as a part of life that God had intended for man. According to the Book of Genesis, the Lord created man with the intention to “work and care for that garden” (Genesis 2:15). The Bible never classified any type of work as lowly or noble. All types of work, so long as they bring benefit to the common good, are noble. The Bible wrote how King Saul was once a farmer who plowed the fields with oxen (1 Samuel 11:5). The Bible also mentioned how King David once tended to cattle (1 Samuel 17:15). The types of work that are rough and dirty are also of God’s design. The theological belief that became the basis for Jewish religious education is the doctrine regarding man. In short, according to the Old Testament, man was created in the image of God in order to care for the environment, obey the commandments of his Creator, and live with loyalty as members of the chosen people/brotherhood1. The point is this: man is a special creature with the ability and obligation to make his decision in every moment of his life. He is called to differentiate between values that are just cultural and those that pivot towards the will of God. In another part of this story, man was tasked to “work” and “care” that Garden of Eden. One that was planted in the heart of man was “wonder”, or the feeling of beauty. The admiration of beauty turned man into composers/musicians who made songs. Beautiful Lake Toba has made many Bataks into composers/musicians. Liberty Manik (composer of Satu nusa satu bangsa), Cornel Simanjuntak, Nahum Situmorang, Ismail Hutajulu and Nortir Simanungkalit, Pdt. Pensil Silitonga, Pdt JAU Dolok Saribu, etc. Even the HKBP Church is said to be a “singing church” because there are so many singing events in every service.
Man’s Relationship with Nature
Back in the day, the Batak people are “sipele begu”2, but the arrival of the missionaries converted the Batak who live around Lake Toba to be “Christians”. One such missonary was I.L. Nommensen who is known as the “Apostle to the Batak”3. The arrival of Nommensen had changed the thinking of the Batak people with “the necessity of education”4. Nommensen in his experience held to the principle5 known as “never backward” (nunquam retrorsum)6. There are many challenges to the seed of the Kingdom of God, but the harvest is already successful for certain. Nommensen’s name is often cited as an apostle who “always moves forward”, according to the sound of BBInjil7 to the land of Simalungun. The term used in that particular message was “Tole, den Timor-landen das Evangelium”. Tole (in the Toba Batak language) means “always move forward”; in German, this becomes Vorwaerts! Keep moving forward, spread the Gospel to Simalungun; Nommensen, the Apostle to the Batak who kept moving vortwaert8, who never backed down, was thus blessed by Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church. This fact was clear from the fact that millions of people have accepted the Kingdom of God in North Sumatra - that being the churches of HKBP, HKI, GMB, GKPS, GKPA, GKPPD, GKLI, GPP, and all the others9. These churches have their ministries around Lake Toba.
What is the Responsibility of the Church in Collaborating with the Government to Work and Care for Lake Toba?
Who does not known of Lake Toba? Almost everyone in Indonesia know of the largest lake here in Southeast Asia. Lake Toba has length of about 100 Km, and a width of 30 Km; it is said to be “Raja ni sude na tao” (King of all the Lakes). Lake Toba is located in North Sumatra. The Lake is encompassed within seven regencies10: Samosir, Simalungun, Toba Samosir, North Tapanuli, Humbang Hasundutan, Dairi, and Karo11. Lake Toba is the homeland of the Batak people. In the middle of Lake Toba is a fairly large island called Samosir. Almost everyone in Samosir is a Batak by ethnicity. Around Lake Toba there are tourist destinations other than the lake, such as the Holbung Hill and the Gibeon Hill. At the moment, Lake Toba is becoming one of the favorite destinations of tourists from overseas as well as from within Indonesia. This is a positive development for the local people because it will increase the regional income which will increase the prosperity of the local people. The distance from the City of Medan to Lake Toba is 180 km, about four hours of bus ride, and this can be even faster with the new toll road to Tebing Tinggi which will soon also reach Parapat. And crossing from Parapat to Samosir Island takes about 30 minutes. In that ship, we are able to enjoy the peanuts which are a speciality of Samosir Island, and one with a reasonable price. We are able to enjoy the view of Lake Toba from a lookout spot at Parapat, or Sibaganding to be more specific. But it will be even more beautiful if we come at night because you are able to see the view of the Parapat city at night. The beauty of the lights are truly what makes our eyes indispensable. Around the lookout spot, we can also encounter a pack of monkeys who often ask the tourists for food. Now let’s go back to the past, it was said that Lake Toba was formed by the eruption of the ancient Toba supervolcano. In fact, it was even said that the Earth returned to the ice age at the time. Almost the entire world was affected by the eruption of the Toba supervolcano. Almost all the species in the world went extinct. This was truly a terrible explosion.
At this moment in time, the government - particularly the Central Government - is working on increasing Lake Toba’s reputation as an international tourist destination. This was shown early in September12 when the Silangit Airport, the closest airport to Lake Toba, was promoted to the status of an International Airport. The plan is for a train railway to be built from Medan to Parapat through the City of Pematangsiantar. The government is also planning to increase water-based transportation with the use of the ferry which will help the locals reach Samosir quicker, particularly those who wants to use private transportation like cars. Truly, there are often long lines to deal with if one wants to cross over to Samosir Island especially during the holidays. This meant traffic jam if you want to go to that place. This truly has a negative effect on these tourist destinations. The government hopes to put these plans into motion in order to further improve tourism around Lake Toba. In order to cross to Samosir, Lake Toba also has other water transportation, such as motorboats. Despite the government’s undivided attention on Lake Toba, there are still many people who are destroying the lake’s environment. Many tourists littered on Lake Toba itself or at the coasts of the lake. In addition, many of the locals have yet to realize the consequences of environmental damage. Still many locals around Lake Toba are doing fish farming in the lake which actually damages the environment. Illegal logging around Lake Toba is also a common occurrence, as black market businessmen made use of the rich resources for selfish gains without thinking of the effects on Lake Toba.
Famous tourist destinations in Lake Toba include Parapat, Tomok, Tuktuk, Tigaras, Silalahi, Balige, and more. Around Lake Toba we can also see waterfalls, hot springs, and also the beaches of the lake. The most popular tourist destination at the moment is Holbung Hill. Holbung Hill is located near the village of Janji Martahan in Samosir Regency. Many young people would come there to camp. Other than Holbung Hill, popular tourist destinations right now include Bukit Indah Simarunjung (BIS)13 which became a favorite dating spot for young people, Gibeon Hill, Paropo, Gajah Bobok Hill, and Lumban Bulbul Beach in Balige, “Sibea-bea”, “Sipinsur”, “Kaldera”; in Laguboti, there are also “Lumban Binanga Beach” as well as the mythological “Batu na bontar”. There are more; these tourist destinations are in need of tidying up, such as the “Sampuran Waterfall” in Sirambe, the conservation area of “Ihan Batak”14. There’s also “Liang Sipege”, a cave which stories say go all the way to Tarutung. Finally there’s the hotel facilities of “SERE NA ULI” in Laguboti. Etc.
The government is already engaging in the development of the Lake Toba area. So what is the responsibility of the churches around Lake Toba? The church is called to be a community that cares, not just within but also towards society at large. The fruits of this caring attitude is how His life15 became our lives and we became His life. All of us each are involved in one another. Perhaps this was what Christ meant when He told us, “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). We are called to work and care (Genesis 2:15). With the awareness of tourism, of cleanliness, our hands become the hand of Christ while we are cleaning our environment. Our smiles become the smile of Christ when we see and welcome our tourist guests who came to enjoy the panoramic beauty of Lake Toba. With this in mind, we welcome F1H20 that were held in Lake Toba on 24-25 February 2023. Now what is the F1H20? It is an international powerboat racing competition organized by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). The competition is promoted by H20 Racing, known commonly as F1H20. In short, F1H20 is the World Championship for powerboat racing.
How can the F1H20 race continue to be an annual event here in Lake Toba? By invigorating the public with local wisdom, such as the “SOLU BOLON”16 race, alongside the F1H20 events.
How can we grow the “solu bolon” in Lake Toba? By equipping it with advanced technology such as electric power combined with solar cell (solar power) and battery assisted with wind power. Thus, the solu boats will have greater capacity for speed while remaining environmentally friendly and producing no pollution. In short, we equip the solu bolon with electric power or we give them battery and wind. This is high tech fusion; advanced science/technology and environmentally friendly. We can build the solu bolon, our ancestral patrimony, in Lake Toba to accompany the F1 Powerboat. The F1 Powerboat has brought in many outsiders and this is the chance to promote tourism in Lake Toba by demonstrating local wisdom. It is hoped that as the solu bolon is becoming an important local-based activity, ecotourism will draw many visitors from overseas.
Please enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.
HKBP Taman Mini Jakarta, 19 March 2024
Pdt. Luhut P. Hutajulu
The original Indonesian uses the phrase kawan sekerja perjanjian which to my knowledge is used to refer to coworkers in an office setting. I used the English word “brotherhood” in its place.
A phrase used to describe a Batak who follow the old religion, known as Parmalim.
In the original Indonesian, it’s Rasul Batak which can also mean “Apostle of the Batak”, but the official term according to my research is “to the” rather than “of the”.
In the original Indonesian, it’s perlunya sekolah which literally translates to “the need for school”. I decided to go with the “necessity of education” which works better in English.
The phrase used in the original Indonesian is prisip PI. I’m certain it’s related to the English word “principle”, hence my choice of that word. That said, I’m not entirely sure what the “PI” is referring to.
The original Indonesian is pantang mundur which refers to someone who is very persistent and does not take no for answer so he keeps moving forward. I used “never backward” as that is the literal meaning of the Latin term nunquam retrorsum.
To be honest, I have no idea what this means. I looked up Google and the first match is this very article in Indonesian. I believe Mr. Hutajulu was referring to the Gospel and this was a typo of some sort.
Vorwaert, meaning “forward” in German, was used untranslated in the original Indonesian.
The various Christian denominations found amongst the Batak. Here’s a quick primer courtesy of Wikipedia:
Kabupaten in Indonesian.
A map to help the readers visualize these regencies (also courtesy of Wikipedia):
Of 2018
Bukit Indah is Indonesian for “beautiful hill”.
A species of fish native to Lake Toba. They are very important to traditional Batak culture.
In other words, the life of Christ Jesus.
Traditional Batak boats.
Just as an FYI, this is Michael's alt account. I'll be using this name for my translation-based stuff because I don't want to sign off my name on someone else's work. At the very least, I don't want to take their top-billing.
Danau Toba definitely inspires one to look to the heavens! I like his affirmation of the theology of work (of course I do - I'm a WASP... Hah). Also, what a joy to know the Batak believers now share their faith in the Lord to others. Giving back what was once brought to them.
I can't comment on your translation. My Bahasa was never THAT good. LOL! Excellent way for you to polish your language skills though. Well done!