Transportation
Tanjung Lenggang, the location of the legend of “Dewi Rimba”, we can go there by mini bus which takes about ±20 KM from Medan-Binjai. Then from
Binjai to Tanjung Lenggang, we can take a bus such as Pembangunan Semesta PS or a mini bus L 300 that takes about two hours.
2.2 Religion and beliefs of the society
The original religion in Langkat is Islam. According to the historian, Islam had entered Indonesia especially Aceh and Sumatera in the 13
th
and 14
th
century. Since in Khulafaur Rasyidin time Arab’s trade was through Malaka straits to
Tiongkok, before Portuguese 1511 A.D. Based on a Tiongkok’s calendar, in 674 A.D the sailor and Tiongkok trader could be found in Sumatera and a group of
Arab community in North Sumatera. How and wherever Islam came to Malay Langkat. Masindan 1987:10-11
says, “The religion professed by the Malay population was the religion of Islam which reached heyday during the reign of Sultan Abdul Azis”.
There are some versions according to historian said Malay people is
Muslim, that is: A
E. Godhino de Eredia 1613 M says, “ Malaios are all serracenos or moriscos”.
B Dr. Vivien Wee 1985 says, “Islam seemed to be the only reliable
criterian since all those who declared themselves Melayu were Muslim”. C
R.J Wilkinson 1959 says, “A Malay occationally Moeslem”. D
Aanvullingsnota Van Toelicthing Betreffende Het Rijk V. Langkat T.v. Ind T.L. en Vk, III, afl. 3 en 4, 1909 says, “ De Maleische bevolking
belidjt den Mohammedaanschen godsdienst”. Malay people are Moslem.
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The quotation means that Malay people is Islam. Many opinions of the experts say that Malay is Islam and Islam is the Malay. So the majority of religion
in Tanjung Lenggang is Islam. Besides, Christian is the second religion. We can see the total religion in Tanjung Lenggang, in the following table:
TABEL 1.1 the Total of religions in Tanjung Lenggang NO
Religion The total of followers
1 Islam
98,89 2
Christian 1,11
Source : BPS Kab. Langkat Note : Preliminary figures in 2007 population
Although majority of Malay is Islam, the tradition or animism traces are still found in some of people. There is belief in Malay that we should greet the
inhabitants of jungles, rivers, big trees, and hilly land, and some others are inhabited by spirit.
Corder 1973:68 says, “Describes culture as sets of beliefs and behavior common to the members of a society. They share to a large extent of the way they
see the world around them, interpret events, and consider what is important to them. They agree about the right and wrong ways getting things done, of dressing,
eating, marrying, worshipping, educating their young people, and so on. All of those are their culture. Accordingly, culture includes beliefs, norms, values,
assumptions, expectations, and plans of action”.
And Koentjaraningrat 1981:231 says, “why humans believe in something that is considered a higher power from him, and why humans do things and
diverse ways to make contact with the forces that are believed to neutralize a situation where they have been shown to feel the threat of nature, then they make
a ceremony intended to seek peace with the powers so that in the ceremony can be seen some activity, such as praying, bersaji, sacrifice, and others”.
The quotation means that people still believe with another spirits such as believe in the spirit of the dead body or the spirit of their forefathers which are
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able to communicate with the people who living and among the spirits. There are good spirits and bad spirits. That is way they are who still alive worship the spirits
of their forefathers and they believe that the spirits will give them livelihood and blessing. Besides, they believe that the spirits also can disturb them.
There are still many definitions of tradition in Indonesia. Tradition is a story or a custom that is memorized and passed down from generation to
generation, originally without the need for a writing system Mark: 1980. Every tradition is practiced at certain time and based on legal procedure of course. Those
tradition also have a different meaning based on the community believe. They will give them prosperity, healthy, far from disaster, safety, etc. Therefore, if they do
not hold this tradition which had been their custom or habit, they will be afraid and worry something will happen to them.
But, nowadays, some of Malay communities do not want to follow it because this tradition is against Islam teachings. Windstedt, “The Saman’s
Possession” JRASMB Vol. V, Pt. II, 1927 says, “The pious Moslem Malays dismissed the trance of the modern Shaman as make believe”.
2.3 Languages used by the society
