Batak Museum — Attraction in North Sumatra

Wandered into the Batak Museum in Tomok expecting the usual museum vibe… but nope, it was completely unmanned when we arrived—zero staff, zero lights. It felt like we had unlocked a bonus level of Night at the Museum: Batak Edition. Cue us creeping around with a mini torch, hunting for light switches like modern-day explorers. (found them, and yes, we felt like heroes.)

Once lit, the place came alive. Housed in a beautifully preserved Rumah Bolon (traditional Batak longhouse), the museum showcases a fascinating collection of Batak artifacts—from ulos cloths and weapons to carvings with rich symbolic meaning. Every corner whispers stories of Batak life, rituals, and royal legacy but was short of descriptions and had to be dugged up from the www.

Bonus history hit: Tomok is home to the Sidabutar royal tombs, so you’re literally walking through centuries of cultural richness.

Note: • Don’t be surprised by the many vendors who would spring at the entrance, surrounding the village are mostly descendants of the Sidabutar family • Bring a flashlight or phone torch just in case you end up like us on a cloudy gloomy day that adds to the spook • Pair it with a visit to the King Sidabutar Tomb and Sigale-gale performance. • Look up the meaning of Batak carvings before you go—it makes everything...

Batak Museum Tomok is where history stares at you with carved wooden eyes and centuries of side-eye. Housed in a small traditional Batak house that looks like it could either shelter ancestors or star in a gothic fairytale, this museum packs a lot of cultural soul into one sharp-roofed structure.

Inside, you’ll find ancient artifacts, traditional textiles, and enough statues to make you wonder if one of them might blink. It’s educational, sure, but also the kind of place where the silence feels just a little too respectful.

The best part? You’ll walk out knowing more about Batak customs, architecture, and funerary practices, plus, you’ll finally understand why the buffalo horns on the roof are absolutely not for decoration.

Come for the culture, stay for the ancestral energy, and leave with a healthy respect for anyone carved...

Review written date: 27 March 2022 I visited the museum when I visited Samosir in 2019. The museum is less than 100m from Tomb of King Sidabutar.

The museum is small with a decent collection of artifacts, ornaments, crafts etc., all housed under a traditional house with Batak architecture.

Don't expect a lot as it is a small collection but it was a short time well-spent knowing about the...