I carefully held a fragment of my grandmother's skull, still covered in soil, and gently brushed it clean.

Moments later, my cousin uncovered my grandfather's gold tooth from the earth, prompting laughter from relatives gathered around the grave.

That unforgettable experience became my entry point into mangongkal holi, a centuries-old Batak Toba tradition of exhuming and reburying ancestors that I had known surprisingly little about despite growing up Batak myself.

Through my family's journey, interviews with cultural experts, historical research, and conversations with Bataks across generations, I explored why the tradition continues to endure despite its immense financial cost, evolving religious interpretations, and growing tension with modern values.

The story examines how migration, identity, gender, faith, and family shape the future of one of Indonesia's oldest living traditions, asking whether cultural heritage can survive without evolving alongside the people expected to preserve it.