Mandailing

The Mandailing are an ethnic group from North Sumatra, Indonesia. They form part of the larger Batak ethnolinguistic group and are concentrated in the Mandailing region, particularly in the Mandailing Natal Regency, with communities in surrounding districts and in urban centers such as Medan. The majority are Muslims, and Islamic practices shape many customs, though adat, or customary law, remains influential in social life.

The Mandailing language, part of the Batak subgroup of the Austronesian language family, is spoken by many members of the community. It has several dialects and is often used alongside Indonesian in daily life and formal settings. Education and media in Indonesian are common, and bilingualism is widespread.

Culture and society among the Mandailing include kinship groups known as marga and ancestral lineages. Traditional arts such as music and dance persist, and wedding and funeral ceremonies blend Islamic rites with local traditions. Traditional housing features wooden, stilted homes, and agriculture has been a common livelihood, including smallholder farming and plantation crops in some areas.

Historically, the Mandailing region had links with the Aceh Sultanate and later the Dutch colonial administration. In modern Indonesia, Mandailing communities are spread across North Sumatra, with significant populations in urban centers due to migration, commerce, and education.