Toping-toping and Huda-Huda from Simalungun

By Jannerson Girsang


Entering 21th century, the Simalungun ethnic still performs ancient culture, called Toping-toping and Huda-Huda. It can be seen in few remote villages of Simalungun District, North Sumatra, Indonesia.  It is one of hundreds of different funeral rituals founded in the country.


An ancient cultural heritage contains a legend—related to a queen who had beloved son died and did not want him to be buried.  The unique culture and its legend have almost been neglected by most of the Simalungun people, only few young generations know about it. Even some have never seen it along their life.

Simalungun is one ethnic groups in Indonesia with a total population of approximately less than 500 thousand from more than 230 million of Indonesian inhabitants. Most Simalungun people live in North Sumatra (Simalungun, Deli Serdang, Serdang Bedagai Districts)  and some have spread in cities (Medan, Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya etc) and other areas in most 33 provinves of Indonesia.  

Toping-toping and Huda-huda story was collected when I visited a village, named Hampung, located about 100 kilometers from Medan, the Capital city of North Sumatra, Indonesia, On June 7, 2009. Hampung and several villages  around are few villages  in Simalungun that still keep performing  the unique ancient funeral. 
In addition to my observation, the information is combined with a village leader little description in the field.

For those who know more in detail, please be input.

The village is inhabited by a majority of Simalungun ethnic, and the rest are Tapanuli, Javanese, Karo and others. Unfortunately, at the day, the road was full of mud hole. You can imagine! It took 4 hours to reach the place. Driving in toll road in Indonesian capital city of Jakarta—around 1500 miles from the place, such a distance can be reached in an hour.

At the day, the village—most cultivated with farm and wetland, performed  a funeral ceremony for a former leader who died four days before. The mourn situation could be seen in the faces of people of the village population of less than 100 household. Dozen of flowers on boards--modern types of condolence expressions, could be seen along the road in front of the mourning house.

Combining with modern style of grief, an ancient was still performed to a dead man. But not for all man. A man  who are allowed to receive Toping-toping and Huda-hura is  a dead man, called  "sayur matua”. Most prominent leader of the village told that Toping-toping and Huda-huda was awarded to those who died in old age, have children, men and women and still have the grandchildren of their own (Sayur Matua). In addition, the leadership and the popularity of a man are also other consideration.

On the funeral ceremony in addition to Toping-toping and Huda-huda,  a series of traditional ceremonies, religious funeral ceremony were also performed. It took four days until  the dead body buried—waiting for the family member who live outside village and ceremony. Longer will be found in other area such as several villages in Batak Toba

From a series of events performed, Toping-toping and Huda-Huda was so unique.  In general, Toping-Toping and Huda-Huda consists of three actors, namely those who played the hornbills and the two masks. Accompanying mask dancers, the team of dancer performed a set of traditional musical instruments of Simalungun, such small gong (panganak) and others.

The sounds of drum and gong attracted the already prepared three dancers began dancing in front of the mourn house. They spin and occasionally faced the audience as if they greeted. Observing closer, two of the three dancers covered their faces with human shape masks. Their bodies and heads were covered by blue and red clothes. An other dancer covered his body (his eyes could only see through small hole) and his head was stringed with hornbill beak. The three dancere moved around for several minutes.

Later, they entered mourning house. The hornbill beak was the first and followed by the two other dances--human shape mask. They danced and greeted one by one of the family members in sorrow. This ceremony is a form of ritual dance combined with to welcome the mourners and entertain the deceased.

The ritual only lasted in a few minutes. The three dancers went out of the house. They simply disappeared. No one knew who they were, even the villagers. There is an unwritten regulation, “no one should disclosed their identity”.

According to a local village, several years ago the pathe ritual was contained “magic”. However, after the religion (Christian and Moslem) was introduced in the area in beginning of 20th century, the ritual gradually leaves the magic. It can be witnessed the mourned family and the mourners were mixed between Moslem and Christian. They live in harmony.

No magic anymore appears on Toping-toping and Huda-huda. It is now only a cultural event that does not exhibit more magical elements. At least, no spirit of dance was performed on at the day.

Not different with other ancient culture, Toping-toping will be left as memory of the past. Fortunately, few people keep Toping Toping and Huda-huda equipments. In special event like this, they rent the equipments—including the players. The family in sorrow wil pay  some money.

The Legend of Toping-toping and Huda-Huda

Once upon a time, a wife of a king (na si puang), then called "queen" in this story, found her beloved son died. Sadly, she was not willing her son be buried for days. She continued to hold her dead son. Decomposition process took place and the smell sprayed over the palace and surroundings. The villagers felt unpleasant of the smell.

The people in the palace and villagers were not comfortable and wanted to do something to persuade queen that she wanted to release her son dead body. Various ways have been done, but queen did not change her minds.

Not far from the palace there was a Talun, located in the middle of forest. Talun is hut for place to keep palm wine and to cook the palm water (tuak)  as well. From the palm water people made brown sugar or palm sugar. In spare time, group of men hold "martambul"--cooking their hanted animal and othe foods to eat together.   
The queen resistance  to release her son, came into the group of men disscussion.  They also cencerned the situation. After they had already eaten their hunted animal, some ideas disclosed.
The main idea was how to free the decomposed dead body from the queen that it could be buried.

Consequently, one of them proposed unpredictable idea. They should perform funny show in front of the queen. It would make queen happy and irrespectively she would unconsciously free the dead body. So they could steal it and took away.

One of them considered the remnants of food and equipment to create a funny game. The remaining meat of hornbills (beak and neck bones) was stringed in the head one of them. Looked funny! So the other idea appeared. Steam of Palm (Pelepah pinang) that they used for hand wash, carved into a sculpture of male and female. Looked funny too. The idea to create the funny game was completed.

The problem later was who would play the game in front of the queen. No one dare to do so. The reason was, some one who did so will be surely punished. Finally, they decided three people to play the game.

Now, the last  problem should be resolved. How they could hide the three players of the game that no none would recognize them. It seemed not big problem. Then they had new ideas. The three players shoud be covered. But how?.
The three players were covered with clothes. Hornbill player, was covered with cloth, and his head was stringed with head of the hornbills. The two mask players were covered by clothes, and their faces were covered with human shape masks.

All had been ready. The group of men were confident that their funny game could attract the attention of the queen. The three players went into the king's palace. In short, when queen saw them with a strange game, she was so surprised. She unconsciously freed the dead body from her hold. The dancers grabbed the dead body and took away. In short, the three run away with the dead son to the forest and buried it.

The problem of queen resistance to release her beloved dead son resolved, and no body knew who stole and buried it. That is the end of the story.