On writing the not-to-be-read; Literature and literacy in a pre-colonial ‘tribal’ society

Abstract

The high literacy figures for Lampung in 1920 (32.09% for males and 23.4% for females), however, indicate that at least here the census takers registered not only those who were literate in the Roman script, but also those who were able to write and read the indigenous ka ga nga script. [...]it is surprising that for the Batak the 1920 census listed only 10.25% literacy among the male and 1.19% among the female population, despite the fact that the Batak had a similar literary tradition. [...]the figures strongly suggest that, prior to the introduction of the modern school system, Batak women were excluded from mastering the Batak script. According to Manik's catalogue, about 43% of all manuscripts are bark books or pustaha and another 43% are written on bamboo, the remainder Bamboo Pustaha Bone Paper Total Table 4. Today, many of the remaining non-Christian, non-Muslim Batak conduct a range of minor rituals themselves without consulting a specialist. [...]many datu are only On Writing the Not-To-Be-Read 53 part-time magician-healers and are also involved in agricultural activities, while many commoners have a certain amount of knowledge and expertise in the field of magie and religion.