MENTAWAI ISLANDS

The Mentawai Islands 


By Delvinus Sabolak
PT. Jokayya Mentawai Paradise

Mentawai island are a chain of about seventy islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Siberut (4,030 km²) is the largest of the islands. The other major islands are Sipura, North Pagai (Pagai Utara) and South Pagai (Pagai Selatan). The islands lie approximately 150 km off the Sumatran coast, across the Mentawai Strait. The indigenous inhabitants of the islands are known as the Mentawai people. The Mentawai Islands have become a noted destination for tourism. 

Mentawai's History 

Following the Pleistocene glaciation, the Mentawai Islands were separated once more from the Sumatran mainland by rising sea levels. The Mentawai people are estimated to have arrived on the islands somewhere between 2000 and 500 BCE, migrating from the north through Siberut and then moving south to Sipora and the Pagai islands. Their Austronesian language, their customs and habits of life indicated as early as Crisp's report an origin that was distinct from the nearby coast of Sumatra. 

The Portuguese were aware of the islands early in the 17th century: a map dated 1606 shows Siberut as "Mintaon". In August 1792 John Crisp, an employee of the British East India Company, visited the Pagai ("Poggy") islands at his own expense to study the Mentawai people. His account was published in 1799,[1] providing the first details of the Mentawai people in western literature. The Mentawai Islands officially became part of the Dutch East Indies on 10 July 1864, not having been subject to the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. In 1901 the German Royal Missionary Society established a presence on the south coast of North Pagai island at the invitation of the Dutch colonial authorities. The first missionary was murdered, and it wasn't until 1915 that the first person was converted, with the program then being extended to other islands. 

After Indonesian independence, Catholic Italian missionaries established a presence in the islands. Post-independence government policies relocated the indigenous population into villages, in contrast to their traditional dispersed house groups (uma), with the aim of promoting "development". Cultural tourism started to develop in the late 1980s. 

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The island of Siberut was extensively logged from the 1970s after the government granted logging permits for most of the island. In 1993, the logging concessions were revoked and about half the island was declared a national park. In 2001 logging recommenced after a new logging permit was granted for an area of 500 km² 

Cultural Tourism

In today's consumer-driven world, travel and tourism frequently become easily-accessible luxuries taken for granted. Too few people appreciate the unique ethnic diversity available in world indigenous communities, which can benefit from responsible cultural tourism. Sustainable tourism respects local cultures; confers tangible, appropriate benefits upon host communities; protects environmental quality; is educational and, of course, a source of unique and memorable pleasure for the visitor. 

Discover Mentawai Culture

Positive, productive cultural visits with the Mentawai people require interest in cultural diversity and willingness to learn. Visitors who choose to participate in the Mentawai’s everyday tribal life will discover an indigenous people proud to share their ancient culture, despite the threat of cultural assimilation posed by encroaching modernity. 

This jungle visit will help you understand the strong ties within the community of this animist rainforest tribe and those between the clan, the spirits of their ancestors and the forest. It is a unique opportunity to learn how the Mentawai live in harmony with the natural world and to understand how and why this balance is threatened. We believe that after your immersion in the daily tribal life of the Mentawai, you, too, will want to help them. 


Ecotourism Activities

The islands have been separated from Sumatra since the mid-Pleistocene period, which has allowed at least twenty endemic species to develop amongst its flora and fauna. This includes five endemic primates: the Mentawai or Kloss Gibbon (Hylobates klossii), Mentawai Macaque (Macaca pagensis), Siberut Macaque ("Macaca siberu"), Mentawai leaf-monkey (Presbytis potenziani), and snub-nosed monkey (Simias concolor). Some areas of the Mentawai Islands rain forest ecoregion are protected, such as the Siberut National Park. Red Junglefowl and the Crab-eating macaque are also native. 


Mentawai Surf Travel http://www.mentawaisurftravel.com/


Dragonicum https://www.dragonicum.com/page=DragonicumTourism_PtJokayyaMentawaiParadise