The Batak People and the Heritage of Lake Toba

Most of the modern day history of the island is largely history of the Batak community. The first ruler of the Batak people, Si Raja Batak, who is supposed to have descended from above onto Mount Pusuk Buhit, is believed to be the single ancestor from whom all clans, or Margas, descend.
Stone seats and benches from 300 years ago are all that remains of the conference room of the rajas, one of the last of which is buried in an elaborate tomb on the island, and the ruins of the judgment place can also be seen.

Resulting from the influence of Dutch and German missionaries during the mid-19th century, most Bataks are now Christians, but the population has retained its own languages.