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As a result, the Mentawai people had very little contact with the outside world and remained one of the ‘purest’ indigenous societies in Indonesia until the 19th and 20th centuries.
Siberut is the largest island in the chain Muarasiberut and is home to the majority of the Mentawai population. It is also the most closely studied and protected island in the archipelago. About 60% of Siberut is still covered with tropical rain-forest and shelters a rich biological community that has earned it a designation as a Unesco biosphere reserve.
The western half of the island is protected as the Siberut National Park.
Four s pieces of primate display a variety of primitive characteristics, making them particularly important in the study of the species’ evolution. Of particular interest is Siamang kerdil, a rare species of black-and-yellow monkey usually called simpai Mentawai by the locals.
Change has come in a hurry to Mentawai. Tourism, logging, transmigration (government-sponsored scheme to encourage settlers to move from overcrowded regions to sparsely populated ones) and other govern-
ment-backed attempts to mainstream the culture have separated the people from the jungle and whittled the jungle into profit. It isn’t what it used to be, but it is a long way from being like everywhere else. And that keeps trekkers happily braving mud and bugs to visit the remaining traditional communities. Surfers comprise the other Mentawai-bound pilgrims, many of whom rank Mentawai right alongside Nias as a Sumatran sweet spot. Slowly but surely more and more land resorts are claiming little pieces of beach paradise for lazing under the coconut trees and savoring sunsets.
THE MENTAWAIANS
The untouched, the unbaptized and the unphotographed have long propelled Westerners to distant corners of the globe. And the Mentawaians have seen every sort of self-anointed discoverer: the colonial entrepreneurs hoping to harness the land for profit, missionaries trading medicine for souls, and the modern-day tourists eager to experience life before the machine.
Very little is known about the origins of the Mentawaians, but it is assumed that they emigrated from Sumatra to Nias and made their way to Siberut from there.
In 1864 the Mentawai archipelago was nominally made a Dutch colony, but it was not until 1901, during the Russo-Japanese War, that the Dutch placed a garrison on the islands to prevent another foreign power using them as a naval base. In subsequent years it was the missionaries who had the most influence on the Mentawai people, creating fundamental changes in their culture.
The Indonesian government enforced more changes by relocating Mentawaians to mainstream villages, encouraging transmigration from Java and opening up parts of the chain to logging. Commercial l ogging is a major threat to the longevity of the forest and the traditional culture. While there is only one legally permitted concession (and one pending petition) operating on the island, enforcement of conservation regulations lacks proper funding and oversight. The cessation of logging has also left a hole in the immature economy.
Culture
At the time of contact with missionaries, the Mentawaians had their own language, adat and religion, and were skilled boat builders. They lived a hunter-gatherer existence.
Traditional clothing was a loincloth made from the bark of the breadfruit tree for men and a bark skirt for women. They wore bands of red-colored rattan, beads and imported brass rings. Mentawaians filed their teeth into points and decorated their bodies with tattoos.
After independence, the Indonesian government banned many of the Mentawaians’ customs, such as tattoos, sharpened teeth and long hair. Although the ban has not been enforced, many villagers have adopted modern fashions.
Traditional villages are built along river banks and consist of one or more uma (communal house) surrounded by lalep (single-storey family houses). Several families live in the same building. Bachelors and widows have their own quarters, known as rusuk, identical to the family longhouse except they have no altar. Traditionally, the houses stand on wooden piles and are windowless.
Although essentially patriarchal, society is organized on egalitarian principles. There are no inherited titles or positions and no subordinate roles. It is the uma, not the village itself, that is pivotal to society. It is here that discussions affecting the community take place. Everyone is present at meetings, but the prominent men make most of the major decisions, including choosing a rimata (the person who leads religious affairs and is the community’s spokesperson to the outside world), building an uma, clearing a forest or laying out a banana plantation.
On such occasions, the people of the uma carry out a religious festival known as punen. This usually involves ritual sacrifices of both pigs and chickens and, depending on the importance of the occasion, the festival can last for months, sometimes years. All kinds of everyday jobs and activities become taboo; work in the fields is stopped and strangers are denied access to the uma, its isolation being marked by a cordon of palm leaves and flowers.
Religion
The native Sibulungan religion is a form of animism, involving the worship of nature spirits and a belief in the existence of ghosts, as well as the soul. The chief nature spirits are those of the sky, sea, jungle and earth. The sky spirits are considered the most influential. There are also two river spirits: Ina Oinan (Mother of Rivers) is beneficent, while Kameinan (Father’s Sister) is regarded as evil. In addition, all inanimate objects have a kina (spirit), which gives them life.
The worship of the soul is of utmost importance, being vital to good health and longevity. The soul is believed to depart the body at various times during life before its ultimate escape at death. Sickness, for example, is the result of the temporary absence of the soul; dreams also signify that the soul is ‘on vacation’.
When the soul leaves the body at death it is transformed into a sanitu (ghost). Mentawaians try to avoid these ghosts, whom they suspect of malevolently attempting to rob the living of their souls. To protect themselves, they place fetish sticks at every entrance to the village. This tactic is considered foolproof, provided no-one has committed a ritual sin or broken a taboo.
German missionary August Lett was the first to attempt to convert the local people, but he was not entirely successful: eight years after his arrival Lett was murdered by the locals. Somehow the mission managed to survive and 11 baptisms had been recorded by 1916. There are now more than 80 Protestant churches throughout the islands.
More than 50 years after the Protestants, Catholic missionaries moved in to vie for converts. They opened a mission - a combined church, school and clinic - in south Siberut. Free medicines and clothes were given to any islander who became a Catholic, and by 1969 there were almost 3000 converts.
Islam began to make inroads when government officials were regularly appointed from Padang during the Dutch era, and then to complicate religious matters further, the Baha’í faith was introduced in 1955. Today more than half the population claims to be Protestant, 16% Catholic, 13% Muslim, while the rest have no official religion.
Traditional Economy
Taro and banana are the staple crops of the Pagai islands and Sipora, while on Siberut, sago is also cultivated. Other crops include cassava and sweet potato.
Traditionally, women own the taro fields and are responsible for planting and maintaining them. The banana plantations belong to the men - some are worked by one or two families, others by an entire uma. In most cases the plantations operate on a subsistence level.
On Mentawai, especially Siberut, land is not cleared by fire, which is considered too disruptive to the forest.
Hunting is a major social activity for the men of the islands and is closely related to the traditional religions.
Information
The islands are fairly undeveloped. Be sure to arrive with enough cash and supplies.
Siberut National Park (TNS; Siberut; h8am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noon Sat) You can
arrange local guides at the park office, which is a 10 minutes ojek ride from the Siberut harbour to the village of Maileppet. The park office also runs a simple guesthouse and a small library.
Activities
TREKKING
The main reason people come to Siberut is to visit the traditional villages of the interior.
There is a lot of debate about how to trek responsibly: hiring a local Mentawai guide, rather than an outsider, is one obvious option. But transport costs can be expensive if you’re traveling alone. More affordable, but not as directly beneficial to the local community, is to join an organized tour through a mainland operator. Most backpackers join a guided trip from Bukittinggi, but because fewer and fewer travelers are visiting Sumatra, collecting the minimum number of people (between five and six) means waiting around for a few days or more.
Trekking Essentials
What should you expect on this trip? Well Siberut isn’t Chiang Mai hill tribe country. Treks usually include plenty of slogging through mud, crossing furious ravines on slippery rotting logs and battling with insects. Chloroquine-resistant malaria is a concern and proper precautions should be taken. Sanitation is rudimentary, with the local river serving as the communal faucet and toilet.
May is generally the driest month, while October and November are the wettest - but it can rain on Siberut any time of year. The seas between Siberut and West Sumatra can get very rough in June and July, when it can be too dangerous to sail.
You’ll want to travel light but well prepared. Carry trekking essentials: a mosquito net, rain gear, insect and leech repellent, torch (flashlight), water purification tablets and plastic bags for keeping things dry. You can buy most supplies in Muarasiberut, but they are much cheaper in Padang.
You will also need to bring things for barter and gifts. Cigarettes are the preferred gift, but pens, pencils and paper might sit lighter on the conscious. Talk to your guide about what is customary.
The Mentawai Islands have consistent surf year-round at hundreds of famous and not-so-famous breaks. But the best of the good waves can be found roughly between April and October (give or take a month).
In the past, charter boats were the primary means of reaching the top surfing spots, but beachside camps (many of which are affiliated with charter companies) have set down roots on the islands. Surf resorts also offer cultural tour treks into the interior of Siberut.
Tours & Charters
The following companies can arrange trekking tours and surf charters. Most have offices in Padang and a substantial online presence.
Bevys Sumatra (Hotel Batang Arau, Jl Batang Arau 33, Padang) A tour and ticket agent based in Padang,
Bevys can arrange ferry tickets to Mentawai and organize a variety of mix-and-match tours from cultural trekking to dive trips.
Ina Tours (Jl Diponegoro 13, Padang) Next door to Dipo International Hotel in Padang, this travel agent organises cultural tours to Mentawai Islands.
Mentawai Sanctuary (Villa Puncak, Jl Air Manis No 88
Sumatran Surfariis (Hotel Batang Arau, Jl Batang Arau 33) An affiliated
venture from the folks at Hotel Batang Arau, Sumatran Surfariis operates a variety of surf boat charters.
Sleeping
Mentawai Islands is starting to open up as a resort destination. Many places are focused on the surf scene, but the white sands and natural surroundings are suitable for the average layabout. Lodging for ethno-treks is typically pre-arranged in family homes.
Wavepark Resort (Pulau Siberut) The first land-based resort on Mentawai, Wavepark has a front-
row view of Hideaways and a quick shuttle transfer to Wavepark.
Macaroni’s Resort (Pulau Pagai Utara) Bamboo villas built over the water; quick speedboat transfer to Macaroni’s and Macas Right.
Aloita Resort & Spa (Tua Pejat, Pulau Sipora) Seven bungalows occupy a private beach within shuttle’s reach of Telescopes and Icelands. The resort also offers scuba diving and certification, as well as a spa.
Kandui Resort (Pulau Karamajet) Lodging in traditional Mentawai lodges (uma) and transfer to surf spots.
Getting There & Away
The only airport is on Pulau Sipora, but there are only charter flights.
Boats leave from Padang to Siberut on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The return trip to Padang leaves on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Mentawai Express operates a morning speedboat (4 hours) on Thursday; the return trip leaves Siberut on Friday. Sumber Rezeki Baru runs an overnight ferry (10 hours) from Padang to Siberut on Monday and Wednesday. The return trip leaves Siberut on Tuesday and Thursday. Beriloga, Mentawai Express and Sumber Rezeki Baru operate boats to other islands in the chain, such as Pulau Sipora and Pulua Pagai Utara.
Tickets can be bought from Bevys Sumatra (Jl Batang Arau), a travel agent located at Hotel Batang Arau, which also acts as a ticketing agent.
