The Life of the Mentawai Tribe

The Mentawai people, native to the Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra province, Indonesia, follow a semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle within the coastal and rainforest environments of the islands.

I always try to get off the beaten track when I am traveling so when I was in Indonesia I chose to go visit the Mentawai Islands off the Sumatra coast. As usual, I was not disappointed. A 10 hour night crossing by boat will get you to Siberut which is the largest island of the 4 groups of Mentawai Islands.
As I didn’t have any time commitments, I decided to go to the main village and organize my trip from there. It took 2 days to get in contact with the tribe and the family that would host me. I then shopped for supplies and gifts for the family.

The boat ride up river to reach the tribe took around 6 hours. I will always remember my arrival to the community as the Mentawai people appeared from the forest wearing only loincloth and ink. That was really quite the scene. They helped me carry my things and the supplies I brought to their Uma – a hut built with bamboo, wood and grass – where I would live with them for the next 5 days. Each Uma is decorated with skulls of the various animals they hunted.

For the Mentawai, or ‘Flower People’, every part of their environment has a spirit. They never take the life of an animal or harvest a plant without asking for forgiveness from its spirit first and explaining their reasons for doing so. Falling a tree is preceded by prayers and small offerings.

An entire family resides within one Uma, each member having specific chores to do and duties to fill. The men hunt while the women and children gather. Wild pigs, deer and primates are the main animals hunted; yams, various fruit and sago worm are regularly gathered. Sago, a type of flour resulting from ground palm medulla, dominates the Mentawai diet as it is the base of many traditional foods.

I was fortunate enough to get invited to go monkey hunting with the men one day. The hunt began with the Shaman asking the forest spirit for a successful hunt. Dogs are used to spot the monkeys which are then shot with bows and poisonous arrows. The poison comes from a local leaf which has been mashed and mixed with water. We did not shoot anything on that particular hunt but I did enjoy the adventure in the deep forest, learning about their hunting techniques.

The Mentawai tribes maintain a unique and stunning look. They adorn themselves with necklaces, wear flowers in their hair, sharpen their teeth with a chisel for aesthetic reasons, and are well known for their decorative tattoos. The Shaman, or Sikerei, does the tattooing with a needle and a piece of wood which is used as a hammer. Tattooing on the islands is used for identity purposes but also reflects a personal or communal relationship with nature.

Despite changing times, the Mentawai continue to live a traditional lifestyle. Globalization has impacted their way of life bringing shops, technology, and travelers to the tribes but so far they have managed to balance change with tradition. The Mentawai still depend on nature for their overall well being and the passing of traditions on to future generations has not been disrupted. As tourism grows it provides greater livelihood opportunities. My hope is that it doesn’t influence their way of life too greatly so that other visitors may continue to experience an authentic Mentawai culture, as I did.

A lone individual paddling a canoe near a tropical shore, with a leaning palm tree in the foreground and a line of lush vegetation in the distance.

Interior of a traditional hut with a thatched roof, showcasing an assortment of dried herbs and plants hung from the rafters for preservation or possibly for ceremonial purposes.

Three young children playing outdoors near a water well surrounded by lush greenery.

A man with a mustache and traditional necklaces sits while smiling slightly, posing against a dimly lit background with a hint of greenery visible through an opening.

A person with traditional body markings and a loin cloth is walking through a dense forest.

A man stands in shallow water near a moored boat, holding a cloth in his hand, with an overcast sky above and Mentawai Islands in the background.

Two individuals traversing through a dense jungle, the leading person armed with a machete for clearing the path.

A man is sitting outdoors husking coconuts with a tool, surrounded by lush green tropical vegetation.

A child sits on a rock by a clear stream, engaging in an activity with items placed on a paddleboard beside them.

A tropical beach with a leaning palm tree, white sand, and clear blue water under a partly cloudy sky, captured in a photo gallery.

A coconut rests on a sandy tropical beach with palm trees and a clear blue sky.

A man with traditional body paint and adornments is standing in a dense forest, gesturing with his hand near his face.

Two individuals sitting on the forest floor, surrounded by dense foliage, with a dog beside them, appearing to be in a moment of rest or contemplation.

A person with traditional necklaces smokes a handmade cigarette in a forested setting.

An individual with facial tattoos and traditional accessories is smoking a cigarette.

An interior view of a traditional dwelling showing a fire pit lit on the wooden floor, with strings of dried plants and possibly herbs hanging from the ceiling, and a person seated near the fire pit.

A riverside village with stilt houses and moored boats under a clear sky.

A young child with a dirty face peeks out from behind a tree, with a serious expression on their face.

A young child in a blue shirt carefully examines a small bird perched on their finger.

Two young boys sitting on a wooden structure with a birdcage hanging next to them.

A traditional thatched-roof hut on stilts surrounded by lush greenery with a simple wooden walkway leading to it.

A young child with a bright smile, messy face, and a yellow garment looking directly at the camera.

A person with tribal paint on their face holding a bow amidst lush green foliage.

A man stands in shallow water using a paddle, with a row of cattle walking along the water's edge in the background.

An elderly person with weathered skin and a headscarf sits while wearing a brightly colored beaded necklace, with foliage in the blurred background.

A person operating a small motorboat on a river with lush greenery on the banks.