The Absence of Women’s Role as Parsinabung

Abstract

This study examines the absence of women as Parsinabung in Batak Toba customary practice in Garoga. Parsinabung, also known as raja parhata, functions as a customary spokesperson who regulates ritual speech, represents lineage groups, and mediates communication between families in adat ceremonies. Using a qualitative field research design, this study draws on in-depth interviews with three male customary figures, field observation, and a review of relevant literature on Batak Toba culture, feminist theory, and feminist theology. The findings show that local customary actors do not interpret the absence of women as Parsinabung as direct degradation of women, but as a division of roles inherited through patrilineal adat. Women remain honored through symbolic roles, including receiving tudu-tudu ni sipanganon and giving moral advice in certain contexts. Nevertheless, feminist theology reveals that symbolic honor does not automatically produce equal authority. Women remain largely outside the formal space of adat leadership and decision-making. The study argues for a contextual reinterpretation of Batak Toba adat so that cultural continuity can be preserved while opening fairer participation for women as bearers of the image of God.