Batak civilization in Northern Sumatra extends outward from the ancestral center point of Danau Toba, a vast lake formed in the caldera of a supervolcano. 'Batak' is the name employed to refer collectively to the Toba, Simalungun, Pakpak, Karo, Angkola, and Mandailing peoples of Sumatra who are loosely related to each other by customs and language. Presently numbering more than 8 million souls, the Bataks are a large and influential group in contemporary Indonesia, well represented in…