The Drunk German

Bahasa Indonesia – Deutsch

I, my mother, my younger brother, my youngest sister, my niece and my nephew were in a mourning meeting of a relative. There was a man among the singers who were singing Church songs. I know that man. He always acts as a conductor in every meetings of our big family. He directs us when we sing the song “Borsak Sirumonggur”. Our family name is Sihombing, therefore, we belong to Sihombing big family, even closer from the forefather Tuan Guru Sinomba.

Borsak Sirumonggur is a different name of Sihombing Lumbantoruan. I guess, that the song “Borsak Sirumonggur” is created in order to strengthen the brotherhood among the descendant of the forefather Sihombing Lumbantoruan.

After the man has sung, I had chance to speak to him. As long as I knew, he has the same generation number like my father’s number. It is 17 (counted from the forefather Lumbantoruan / Borsak Sirumonggur, whom is given number 1). Therefore there are 2 alternatives of address to him: amangtua (= the elder father, in this case because he is on the position as the elder brother of my father) or amanguda (= the younger father, in this case because he is on the position as the younger brother of my father). It depends on his forefather. We are together really the descent of the forefather Tuan Guru Sinomba (just abbreviated TGS), however we should find the detailed family tree, whose descent of TGS we are. In fact the man is a descent of the forefather, who is older than the forefather of my father. His forefather is Op. Parhoris (a son of TGS), while our forefather is Op. Mangadum (also a son of TGS). (Please refer to our family tree Toga Sihombing.) Therefore he is on the position as an elder brother of my father and it means, he is my amangtua (=uncle**). 😊

** Uncle means the brother of father or the brother of mother, no matter elder or younger than the parents. However in our culture Tapanuli there are different kinds of uncle (also aunt). Uncle and also aunt in our culture must not be the blood related brothers and sisters of the parents. The cousins of the parents are also uncles and aunts. Also the cousins from the descents of forefather are aunts and uncles. The kinds of uncle in Batak language are amangtua, amanguda, amangboru and tulang. The kinds of aunt in Batak language are inangtua, inanguda, namboru and nantulang. Age, parent, grandparents, great grandparents and forefather determine the term: which uncle and which aunt is somebody.

As we were back home, we told my father about the meeting with the uncle “amangtua conductor”. Then father said, “Oh, si Jerman na mabuk (= the drunk German)?” It surprised me, why the uncle “amangtua conductor” is called so. Then father explained, if a man is tall, taller than normal Tapanuli men in general, and looks relative good, he is called in Toba Tapanuli language “Jerman na mabuk” (= the drunk German).

My father was right, the uncle “amangtua conductor” looks relative good. 😊 He is tall, taller than normal Tapanuli or Indonesian men in general. Unfortunately my father could not explain further, why it is called “drunk”. “Drunk” has a negative connotation. My father could not also explain, why it is called “German”. Besides the Germans Tapanuli people knew already also the Dutch from colonialisms.

Is it because the German missionary, Reverend Dr. Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen? He had lived a long time due to the gospel in Tapanuli land during the Dutch colonialisms. Hmm 😊

It is not clear, since when the expression “Jerman na mabuk (= the drunk German)” is used. If the expression had been used after the end of the Dutch colonialisms, I think the Tapanuli people should also know the other western people, like the English and American. But, why are the Germans chosen? 😊

Maybe in the future I would research the history, if I had enough time, since when this expression is used by Tapanuli Toba people. 😉