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May 2014 issue
by Andrew Newey
Siberut, the largest of the Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra is home to the vanishing Mentawai people. There are still
a handful of scattered clans of the traditional Mentawai who, by choice, live a semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle
deep in the rainforest, and isolate themselves away from the assimilation of the government villages. The Mentawai are
looked after by their medicine men known as the Sikeri, or Shamans, the healers of the tribe who practice a form of
animism called Jarayak.
Following Indonesian independence in 1950, an aggressive campaign was launched to modernise the Mentawaians of
Siberut. Traditional cultural practices such as tattooing, tooth filing, and the wearing of loincloths were forbidden
because they were considered “pagan” and “savage”. Moreover, every individual was forced to join either the Christian
or Muslim faith.
In the 1990’s, cultural oppression against the Mentawai took on more brutal forms of forced relocation from jungle
villages to resettlement sites in government-created villages. Mentawai religion was for all purposes outlawed and
police stripped practicing Shamans of their medicine bundles, sacred objects, loincloths and their long hair.
Several Mentawai clans living in the remote interior of Siberut succeeded in escaping the disruptions and dislocations
of the government. One such group made a courageous decision to leave their ancestral village of Ugai, where
mosques, Catholic missions and Western clothing were becoming commonplace, and move deeper into the jungle in
an attempt to retain their traditional culture.
In the past great head hunters were easily distinguished by their markings including tattoos of frogs on their torsos or
shoulder. And today in some regions of Siberut, the intricate body tattoos of the Mentawai are said to represent the
“Tree of Life” or sago palm: the stripes on the upper thighs represent the veins and trunk of the sago; the long dotted
lines running down the arms symbolize the prickly fronds of its branches; patterns on the hands and ankles may mirror
the bark or roots; and the curved lines on the chest represent the sago flower.
Upon arrival at the Atabai clan house a young shaman sacrifices a small pig for a welcome feast.
Amatopli making poison darts. The poison is made up of a concoction of several plants that are not poisonous by
themselves, but when mixed can become lethal.
One of the young boys sleeping in a makeshift hammock after a hard days play.
One of the young boys waits patiently for the elders to return from hunting.
The mother cooks Sago on a traditional open fire.
The youngest daughter of the family, who was just 18 months old, plays happily with her fathers’ Machete.
The young girl and the dog eating the Mentawai staple, Sago.
One of the village elders relaxes with a cigarette comprising of tobacco rolled up in a dried Banana leaf.
As well as hunting, fishing also plays a big part in Mentawai daily life.
As the sun sets on another day in the jungle the family prepare for night.
Bajak Sakke takes a rest after hunting in the jungle.
A shaman sharpens his Machete after it becomes blunt after chopping his way thought the dense jungle for hours.
Bajak Sakke & wife, Teururu, take a rest after hunting in the jungle. There are very few animals left to hunt these days,
but they enjoy the exercise.
A shaman feeding a baby monkey which is now the family pet after its mother was killed in a hunt.
Despite the claims by the Indonesian government about the Mentawai being savages, they do have a soft side.
A village elder relaxes by the fire in his traditional wooden hut, known as an ‘Uma’.
The Menatwai are forced to grow up quickly in this environment, so the boys learn how to make poison darts at a very
young age.
Amatopli inspecting the quality of his new batch of poison darts.