Simalungun people
A portrait of a boy and girl dressed in Simalungun traditional outfit. | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Indonesia: | |
| North Sumatra | 441,382 (2013) |
| Languages | |
| Simalungun language, Toba Batak language, Indonesian language | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity 60%, Sunni Islam 39.3%, Animism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Toba Batak people, Karo people | |
The Simalungun (also known as Simalungun Batak) people are an ethnic group in North Sumatra, considered one of the Batak peoples. Simalungun people live mostly in Simalungun Regency and the surrounding areas, including the city of Pematang Siantar, an autonomous city, but previously part of Simalungun Regency.
The Simalungun live in the 'Eastern Batak' lands, bordering the lands of the Batak Toba to the south and west, and the Karo Batak to the north. Simalungun is linguistically closely related to Toba Batak, but culturally closest to Karo Batak. Both Batak groups migrated from Toba and Pakpak to participate in trade.
The Simalungun language is still spoken by many Simalungun people, in addition to Toba Batak and Indonesian.