Editing Batak (section)

==Profession==
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een Toba Batak prauw met houtsnijwerk op de voorsteven TMnr 60011149.jpg|thumb|left|Traditional boat ({{Circa|1870}}), photograph by [[Kristen Feilberg]].]]
The traditional occupation of the Batak was [[agriculture]], hunting and farming. The great lake of [[Lake Toba|Toba]] provided vast opportunity for freshwater aquaculture since ancient times. Interior rural Batak communities relied heavily on rice farming, horticulture and other plant and commercial crops, and to some extent, acquiring forest products, such as hard wood, plant resin, and wild animals.

The port of [[Barus]] on the western coast of Batak lands has become famous as the source of ''kapur barus'' ([[camphor]]). In ancient times, Batak warriors were often recruited by neighboring Malay courts as mercenaries. In the colonial era, the Dutch introduced commercial cash crops, such as coffee, ''sawit'' [[palm oil]], and [[rubber]], converting some parts of the Batak land into plantations.

[[File:KITLV - 1405915 - Kleingrothe, C.J. - Medan - Lake Toba near Haranggaul. Man guarding a rice field against birds - 1900-1910.tif|thumb|right|250px|Man guarding a rice field against birds in [[Haranggaol]], North Sumatera. Farming and agriculture is one of main source of living around Lake Toba]]
Throughout the history of modern Indonesia, the Batak community has been a significant contributor. Batak people have filled a wide range of occupations, from running modest tire service workshops to serving as state ministers. The modern Batak have gravitated towards professions such as bus and taxi drivers, mechanics, engineers, singers and musicians, writers and journalists, teachers, economists, scientists, military officers, and attorneys. Although the Batak are a minority among the Indonesian population (3.58%; only 8–9 million Batak people out of 236 million according 2010's census), a large number of notable Batak have achieved prominent places and well-represented especially in the field of law,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tjahjono |first=Tenissa |date=31 October 2017 |title=Batak Make Good Lawyers, Is It True? |url=http://www.globalindonesianvoices.com/31491/batak-make-good-lawyers-is-it-true/ |website=Global Indonesian Voices |df=dmy-all}}</ref> such as [[Adnan Buyung Nasution]] who founded the Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Jakarta (LBH Jakarta),<ref name="Lindsey & Crouch 2013">{{Cite journal |last1=Lindsey |first1=Tim |last2=Crouch |first2=Melissa |date=2013 |title=Cause Lawyers in Indonesia: A House Divided |journal=Wisconsin International Law Journal |volume=31 |pages=620–645 |ssrn=2465537}}</ref> [[Todung Mulya Lubis]], [[Ruhut Sitompul]] and [[Hotman Paris Hutapea]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Onishi |first=Norimitsu |date=24 April 2010 |title=A Top Indonesian Lawyer May Be Honest to a Fault |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/world/asia/24hotman.html |url-status=live |access-date=18 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219090357/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/world/asia/24hotman.html |archive-date=19 December 2017}}</ref>  

<!-- Important figures such as local king ([[Sisingamangaraja XII]]), two Indonesian prime ministers ([[Amir Sjarifuddin|Amir Syarifuddin Harahap]], [[Burhanuddin Harahap]]), speakers of the parliament ([[Zainul Arifin|Zainul Arifin Pohan]], [[Akbar Tanjung]]), one vice president ([[Adam Malik|Adam Malik Batubara]]), two governors of the central bank ([[Darmin Nasution]], [[Arifin Siregar]]), one attorney general ([[Marsillam Simanjuntak]]), and many influential cabinet ministers ([[Albert Mangaratua Tambunan]], [[Ferdinand Lumbantobing]], [[Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan]], [[Malam Sambat Kaban|M.S. Kaban]], [[Tifatul Sembiring]]), business magnate and entrepreneurs ([[Chairul Tanjung]]), legendary military figures with five-star general ([[Abdul Harris Nasution]]) and leading-generals ([[T. B. Simatupang]], [[Maraden Panggabean]], [[Feisal Tanjung]]) are well-known as prominent persons that shape Indonesian history. In Malaysia, some Batak descendants held positions as ministers, such as [[Saifuddin Nasution Ismail|Saifudin Nasution bin Ismail]] and [[Senu Abdul Rahman|Senu Abdul Rahman Siregar]]. Note : Many disputes. Some people said that Chairul Tanjung and Akbar Tanjung aren't Batak people, precisely "Minang/Malay Coastal People" (Orang Pesisir) -->