The Singkil people live in the southwestern part of Aceh Province, South Aceh Regency, in the areas of Singkil, Simpang Kiri, Simpang Kanan and Pulau Banyak. The Singkil area borders on North Sumatra Province. The Singkil people are thought to be a mixture of the Mandailing, Aceh, Minangkabau and Nias peoples. Singkil oral mythology provides insight into the origins of the Singkil people. Their language is called Pesisir Singkil and is influenced by the Minangkabau and Batak languages. There are actually two different groups who called themselves the Singkil: The Ulu people who speak Kade-Kade and those who speak the Ba'Apo language. The two groups live side by side in Singkil, the Ba'Apo in the center of the port and the Kade-Kade on the outskirts.
The main source of income for the Singkil is farming and fishing. Some work as day laborers and craftsmen. Others make a living by processing nipa palm leaves and fruit that grow along the rivers and in the swamps. Nipa leaves are used to make roof thatch and cigarette wrapping and the fruit can be eaten. The Singkil live in villages on the coast, along the rivers and in the hills. The Singkil River is important in local daily life and is used for drinking water, bathing, dumping trash and river transportation. Singkil houses are built on wooden stilts about three meters off the ground. Togetherness and strong family ties are important in the Singkil people's way of life. Their life is regulated by traditional culture and Islamic laws. Cultural and religious leaders are very influential and respected in the community. The main traditional political institution in the community is called ninik-mamak. This institution functions not only in cultural affairs but also in solving village government problems. Ninik-mamak consists of older people and those chosen as elders, such as the kepala mukim (district head), pemuka adat (cultural leader) and khatib (preacher). The Singkil have a patrilineal kinship system, meaning that they trace descent from the father. The smallest kinship group is the nuclear family. The extended family is called dulsanak. They also have clans, which are made up of several extended families. The largest Singkil clans are the Beramu and Tinambunan clans. One must marry outside one's own clan. In recent years there have been two natural disasters: a tsunami and an earthquake. During the 2004 tsunami that destroyed the west coast beach of Aceh, the Singkil were spared from the greal wall of water, however the earthquake that caused the tsunami did many different kinds of damage to the Singkil. While the people were spared from the tsunami wave, it did, however cause fear in the community. However, the Nias Island earthquake caused significant damage to Singkil town. The elevation of the land sank as much as one meter in places and many houses were destroyed, but no lives were lost. Because of the earthquake, many locals moved from Singkil town to higher areas.
The Singkil people follow Islam, although some of them still trust in the spirits of their ancestors and religious leaders that have died. Places that are considered sacred include the grave of Abdul Rauf, a great religious teacher. The Singkil people also regularly seek the services of a shaman.
The Singkil people are looking for economic advancement as they try to find ways to earn higher income. Many do not understand the complexities of their economic situation. For most Singkil, improvement of agriculture and fishing enterprises would also be very beneficial. Clean water is quite difficult for most Singkil to obtain especially those living in swamp area and or the sea.
Scripture Prayers for the Malay, Singkil in Indonesia.
Profile Source: IPN, 2011 Copyrighted © Used with permission |
People Name General | Malay, Singkil |
People Name in Country | Malay, Singkil |
Natural Name | Singkil Malay |
Alternate Names | Batak Karo; Karo Batak; Pesisir Singkil |
Population this Country | 74,000 |
Population all Countries | 74,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 10720 |
ROP3 Code | 101125 |
ROP25 Code | 307550 |
ROP25 Name | Singkil |
Country | Indonesia | ||
Region | Asia, Southeast | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 33 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | Sumatera Utara Province, Langkat, Deli Serdang, Karo, and Dairi regencies west and northwest of Lake Toba; south, small border area in Tapanuli Tengah regency; also in southern Aceh Province, small enclave in Aceh Tenggara regency; south, parts of Kota Subulussalam, Aceh Selatan, and Aceh Singli regencies. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Country | Indonesia |
Region | Asia, Southeast |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 33 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | Sumatera Utara Province, Langkat, Deli Serdang, Karo, and Dairi regencies west and northwest of Lake Toba; south, small border area in Tapanuli Tengah regency; also in southern Aceh Province, small enclave in Aceh Tenggara regency; south, parts of Kota Subulussalam, Aceh Selatan, and Aceh Singli regencies.. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
10.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
90.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Batak Karo (74,000 speakers) |
Language Code | btx Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Singkil |
Dialect Code | 7858 Global Recordings Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Batak Karo (74,000 speakers) |
Language Code | btx Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Singkil |
Dialect Code | 7858 Global Recordings Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Batak Karo |
Primary Language: Batak Karo
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1910-1951) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1928-1979) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1987-2003) |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Batak Karo | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | LUMO film of Gospels | Bible Media Group/LUMO |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Bible for Children | Bible for Children |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
General | YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | Android Bible app: Batak Karo | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | Download audio Bible app as APK file | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Mobile App | iOS Bible app: Batak Karo | YouVersion Bibles |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 Tony Magdaraog - Shutterstock All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Map Source | Anonymous Copyrighted © Used with permission |
Profile Source | IPN, 2011 Copyrighted © Used with permission |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |