Partuturan & kinship
Each people has its own kinship system and terms of address. The same person may be addressed quite differently: a child calls their father's grandfather one thing among the Toba and another among the Karo. So we explain each people in its own terms.
ertutur.karo-online.com/?suku=tobaMarga Simanjuntak adalah hula-hula-mu.
Dalihan Na Tolu
Three hearth stones hold up the cooking pot together — just as these three sides hold up every adat ceremony. The saying goes: somba marhula-hula, manat mardongan tubu, elek marboru.
The wife-giving side: the marga of one's mother (tulang) and of one's wife. Honoured as the source of blessing — somba marhula-hula.
Members of the same marga, descendants of the same male ancestor. Treated with care and mutual support — manat mardongan tubu.
The wife-receiving side: the families of our sisters' and daughters' husbands. They are treated with affection — elek marboru — and they do the serving at adat ceremonies.
Family terms of address
Rakut Sitelu
Rakut sitelu, “the three bonds”, also called daliken sitelu: kalimbubu, senina and anak beru.
The wife-giving side. Honoured and regarded as the source of blessing.
Members of the same merga who stand by one another.
The wife-receiving side. They organise and serve at adat ceremonies.
Karo terms of address can be looked up directly in the Ertutur app, which is already complete for Karo.
Tolu Sahundulan
Tolu Sahundulan (tondong, sanina, boru), extended in adat to Lima Saodoran: suhut, tondong, paboru, tondong ni tondong and anak boru jabu (mintori).
The wife-giving side, i.e. the relatives of the wife (called tulang in one source).
Relatives of the same descent or the same marga on the father's side.
The wife-receiving side, i.e. the family of a sister's husband.
The details of this people's partuturan are being collected with native speakers.
Sulang Silima
Sulang Silima, the five elements of Pakpak kinship: perisang-isang, pertulan tengah, perekur-ekur, berru and puang or kula-kula. Same-clan kin are called dengan sibeltek.
Eldest sinina, i.e. the eldest line or generation within a kin group.
Middle sinina, i.e. the middle line or generation.
Youngest sinina, i.e. the youngest line or generation.
Bride-receiving relatives, i.e. the family of a daughter's husband.
Bride-giving relatives, i.e. the wife's family; Wikipedia uses 'puang', while the Pakpak Bharat coat of arms uses 'kula-kula'.
The details of this people's partuturan are being collected with native speakers.
Dalihan Na Tolu
Mora, kahanggi and anak boru. The principle: hormat marmora, manat markahanggi, elek maranak boru.
Mora is the family that gives the boru (the wife's family) and holds the most honoured position in adat.
Kahanggi are relatives of the same marga (the husband's family) who, together with the suhut, host a horja or adat celebration.
Anak boru is the family that receives the boru, i.e. the family of a sister or of a sister's husband.
The details of this people's partuturan are being collected with native speakers.
Dalian Na Tolu
Mora, kahanggi and anak boru. Written Dalian Na Tolu, also Dalihan Na Tolu. The principle: hormat marmora, manat markahanggi, elek maranak boru.
Mora is the wife-giving side (descendants of the mother's brother, the wife's family), honoured for giving a daughter (the principle of hormat tu mora).
Kahanggi are relatives linked through the same male line of descent (same marga), with the principle of manat markahanggi (looking out for one another).
Anak boru is the wife-receiving side, i.e. the line of those who married our sister or our father's sister, with the principle of elek maranak boru (wise persuasion).
The details of this people's partuturan are being collected with native speakers.
Ertutur: how it works
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Create an account with your email, or join as a guest through a family invitation.
Add your family
Amang, inang, siblings, children — one by one up to the ompung. You only do it once.
Find the tutur
From your family tree, Ertutur shows the right form of address for everyone.
What you can do
Family tree
List, chart and full tree of your family, with marriages and photos.
Together with family
Invite relatives to view or help fill in the family tree.
On your phone like an app
Ertutur runs in the browser and can be added to your home screen, no app store needed.
Three languages
Indonesian, German and English. Adat terms stay in the Batak language.
FAQ
Which peoples does Ertutur already work for?
Anyone can use the family tree. Tutur is calculated for Karo and Toba — from the family tree or just from marga and mother's marga. The Toba terms are still being checked by native speakers; the other peoples will follow.
Does Ertutur cost anything?
No. Ertutur is free to use and has no ads.
Who can see my family tree?
Only you and the people you invite. The family tree is only visible after logging in and does not appear in search engines.
What if the terms differ in my village?
Partuturan varies between regions and between Toba, Angkola, Mandailing, Simalungun, Pakpak and Karo. Send suggestions so the rules can be checked and improved.
Why is Ertutur at karo-online.com?
Ertutur was first built for the Karo. One app serves all Batak groups, so your account and family tree stay the same — with its own login and privacy policy, separate from this site.