by Jamie Schumacher, Peace Coffee Office Manager

Feb 10th-Feb 24th, 2006 

I. The bulls
There is an area on the way to Lake Toba with particularly gorgeous architecture. A traditional Batak style house has eaves that curve and taper out to a point. However, in one specific area, the homes also have effigies of bulls at the end of each taper. I asked one of our traveling companions why the buildings in this area have this feature, and she proceeded to tell me the story. 

In Minang, many years ago, a Queen presided over this community. One day came when her land and people were challenged by King and army from another nation. The Queen, having already seen her share of hardship and war, did not want any more bloodshed to come to her people. She proposed a compromise to the invading King. Rather than fight another war, they could have a bullfight between the two kingdoms. The king and queen would each choose and train their own beast. The people represented by the winner of the bullfight would gain or retain control of the land, and the defeated would leave without conflict. The King agreed to the Queen’s proposal, and they prepared for the fight. When the time for battle arrived, the people gathered in the great arena. The King brought forth his bull, strapping, powerful, burly, and ready for the fight. As the King’s bull paced in the arena, the pen door raised to release the Queen’s bull. The crowd gasped with anticipation, expecting an even more powerful bull to race out to start the fight. Yet out of the darkness came a small young bull, starved of milk and practically blind with hunger. As the young bull stepped into the daylight, he saw the blurry form of the larger bull and, thinking it a mother, rushed towards it to nurse for milk. As the young bull lifted its head to nurse, it gored the larger bull with its young horns, which had been sharpened to horrible deadly points. The terrible wound killed the King’s bull, and won the fight for the Queen. The Queenship was left in tact and the invading King and his army left. The town commemorated the triumph by putting the effigies of bulls at the tapers of their architecture, which is why in this area of Sumatra you see these features amongst the architecture. 

II. The missionary
A majority of the peoples in Sumatra subscribe to the Islamic faith. There are many Mosques and places to worship, from village to village and city to city. I remember while we stayed in Takengon, the call to prayer filled the city with haunting beauty several times a day. The sound of the rain pattering on the roof of our hotel to the compliment of the chanted melody is a beauty that still lingers. 

As we drove towards Lake Toba, the Mosques that dotted the landscape began to be replaced by small handsome Churches and mausoleums accented with large crosses and figures. I again asked our companion for some background to the unique features of this area, and she again obliged. Many years ago, missionaries began to come more frequently to this area of the world. As they entered this part of Sumatra, one by one, they were killed. Until one day, a certain missionary came. Instead of bringing only the gospel, he also brought with him music. Winning the people over with music and song, the missionary preserved his life and remained with them. One can now see the obvious change in the architecture, representing the shift in religion from area to area. The Batak people have since been known for their exquisite voices and wonderful music. 

III. Tragedy and faith
Mr. Bachtiar met us at the Airport in Banda Aceh, and we began our day. We stopped by the Forestrade office first, and then went deeper into Aceh. We drove around slowly and saw some of the devastation from the Tsunami. Even a full year later, the devastation still lingers. Complete areas -- gone. Houses and dwellings were torn from foundations and even many of the concrete foundations were uplifted from the ground. As we drove around the city, our host described to us his personal account of the tragedy -- where he was, what happened to his family, and what happened from area to area. We drove past a large field where the local people would gather to exercise. That catastrophic morning, several thousand people had gathered for their morning exercises, only to be swept away when the wave hit. In that same part of town, barely a house or dwelling was left in tact. Yet, right by the water sat a Mosque…untouched and seemingly unharmed by the passing tsunami that absolutely devastated the area surrounding it. A main tenet of Islam is the complete submission to God. How remarkable is the philosophy of faith, and I am humbled.

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