Mentawai men with the traditional clothes

sirilanggai waterfall

north siberut sub-district was known with the rich of nature in forest and inside forest there are so many waterfalls. For example, sirilanggai waterfall that located in Malacan village. This watterfall is still original and natural. With the condition of siberut that has many rivers, so to reach this location we must use speed boat around 6 hours from center of subdistrict and move by walking into the location of watterfall along 1 hour. Generally, this location was bening camp area for tourists by pitching their tents around watterfall.

Kulu Kubuk

Kulu kubuk was located in Madobak village, was known with nice swimming pool. To reach this location can be found in 4 hours by using speed boat from sub-district and tourist can use resident’s houses for lodging.

Maileppet village

One of interesting of Maileppet village is the beauty of sea nature. This place is compatible for snorkeling and diving that verry known by torurists. To find this maileppet village we can use speed boat around 30 minutes from sub-district or by walking. Similat with Kulu kubuk, service of resident’s houses can be used for lodging.

Awera Island

Awera island was located in front of tuapejat and can be reached with speed boat around 30 minutes from tuapejat. This place is beautiful and clean sea compatible for snorkeling and diving and looking at the beauty of under the sea and watch many kinds of fishes and beautiful reefs.

Rua oinan lake

Lake rua oinan was located in the middle of forest in Saumangayak. This lake is look like an estuary and so many big trees that can be exports commodity in a kind of wood cultivated. Sago plants was cultivated by people around the lake.

Bat soumang watterfallcause

This watterfall is not cultivated yet as a place or object to be visited. Residents in this place don’t want to visit it by walking it was far and dangerous because water is deep and fast enough. This location is very compatible for “Arung jeram” sport. But this location is in the middle of forest with big trees and not developed yet as tourism. Batsoumang waterfall is not far from bulasat village, it often being a swimming pool by people with the clean and cold water.

Simatalu Lubaga Village

Simatalu lubaga village was located in the hinterland of Siberut forest. This village is verry natural and traditional. In this village we can find the life of resident who still use Kabit (Traditional dress of Mentawai).
Living by hunting into the forests and cultivation, this people can keep their daily life. One characterictic of their body. That creation was made based on the stage of culture in Mentawai tradition. They life in group in one Uma and trust animism. Because of the original, often in Simatalu Lubaga village being national culture research that often showed on TV. To reach this place we can use speed boat around 9 hours from center of sub-districk and move by walking around 30 minutes. Usually tourists come to this place use residents houses to lodging or small houses beside their Uma. Tourist also watch traditional Dance of Mentawai “Turuck” and ways to curing sick people by sikerei.

Madobak Village

In this madobak village the verry interesting thing is tourists can see the way of Sikerei curing sick people by calling soul. Resident still use culture and traditional life and use it every day, like hunting, making drugs, doing traditional religion ceremony (PunenPuliajat).
Live in Uma with egatarian social structure and traditional religion system “Arat Sabulungan” that is trust to soult or things. Located in Rokot village can be found by using speed boat around 6 hours trip from sub-district and generally, tourists come to this place can use resident’s houses for lodging.

Taikako Hulu

Taikako hulu was located in taikoku village is once of place in Mentawai Island especially in south north Pagai sub-district, until now still use old tradition. For example, mentawai dance with religion sings. When other culture in Mentawai had acculturation with foreign culture, acculturation with fireign culture, Taikoku kulu still use the original, Tattoo on old man body still we find here.
Generally, local tourists and foreign tourists who want to see original dance, the come to Taikoku Hulu, visitors can visit resident’s houses for lodging.
Kinds of Dances and Traditional Songs of Mentawai
Clapping dance (Turu’Pok-pok)
Eagle dance (Turu’Manyang)
Ruak-ruak dance (turu’turu gou-gou)
Dance of curing sick person (Tari pedukunan)
Butterfly dance (turu’lago-lago)
monkey dance (turu’bilou)
sparrow dance (turu’liddai/pik-pik)
dance of calling soul (urai musairigi)
dance of catching fish (urai sipanangkla)
dance of feel sorry with the deadbody (urai mugen)
uliat ghost bird dance (turu’uliat kemut)
merebut kekasih dance (turu’uliat sipalalau)
anak yang hilang dance (turu’uliat sipuepa)
ritual sekerei song (ulai lajo simagre)
burung camar dance (turu’uliat aro)

Kinds of Traditional tools of mentawai
Oorek : big basket to go to the land, made from cane
Ugat : small basket and made from cane
Bulugbug : basket for catching tools, generally made from dried sago and wood frond.
Karakjak : basket for a place to bring cultivated things
Puaggau : place to catches fishm especially crabs in Mentawai
Siruijuk : usually used to catches fish in rivers and made from cane
hunting tools : (rou-rou, silogui), catching fish tools in river (subba, panu, leggeu)
canoe (abak)
Oar (Luga)
beliung (baliok/ranggan)
big knife (teggle)
hat to go to garden (turok for men and women, made from dried sago fronds)
hat to go garden for women (taban leleu)
turok (topi terbuat dari kulit pelepah sagu)
taklu (Bag sikerei)

Looking At the People’s Life of Original Tribe in Mentawai


Original people of Mentawai that life in traditional culture only in Siberut Island those are Madobak Village, Ugai and Matotonan. To reach that three villages in the ways usually crossing river and footpath with the route Muara Siberut Madobak Ugai Matotonan with the distance less than 5-6 hours. Tourist can stay in Uma and looking at the life residents. In daily life of original people still use special dress is called “Kabit” that made from wood skin, body had created with “Titi” or Tattoo has deep meaning and high points of art.


Explore forest
The best place in Mentawai is Siberut Island with original nature. Some footpaths crossing Taman Nasional Siberut with natures phenomenon is very good. Along the trip we can seen many kinds of birds include owls, snakes, salamanders, turtles. Frogs, jelutung and other insects. Anggrek bulan and anggrek gunung, kayu gaharu, rotan and bunga bangkai.

BEAUTY OF NATURE, BEACH AND SEA WILL BE OUR TREAT THAT CAN’T BE FINISH.

Mentawai was identifically with white sand beach, small islands and also wave roll that verry interesting for tourists who visit this place. Along eas beach, south and southeast of siberut and other small island would find reefs with white sand beach that very compatible for sunning, swimming. Snorkeling, diving with clear water. Masilok beach in south was dominated by nyiur tress is a very good place. Sea garden also find in Pokay Bay and Katurey Bay. In south of Siberut will find sagulubbek beach and some island in front that used for surfing.

In north of Sikalabuan beach, Labuan Bajo beach and islands around it are beaches that compatible for relax and watching mangrove forest’s animals.

Other kinds of sea tourism are surfing. Wave until 4 meters with the break of wave theree times get the confession from international surfers like Australia, Japan, America, Hawaii, France, New Zealand, and local surfers like Bali and Sumatera.

The life original tribe of Mentawai since is sago cultivation, talas, cathcing fish, licestock and hunting. It was done to fulfill the daily needs. The residents of Uma give their foods each toher and no push to find more finance. Cultivation system is very simple, only needs forest around 0,25-0,50 ha to be cleaned and not burn forest. This condition of life is keeping the condition with forest. Fruits are an important part from food list, especially bananas, or cook and then being cultivated to make “subbet bagok” the special food of Mentawai, and also durians. Durian is consists of three kinds of variety are basic durian, kinoso and toktuk. In their traditional economy, forest was used to collect fruits, vegetables, drucs plants and building materials. Big trees are rarely cut by them, except for house needs or ship. It was used by people as transportation in every river.

Hunting is an activity of Mentawai men. It was related with traditional trust. All of wild animals were hunted in order to get, proteins, except snakes., armadillo, hongkong birds, punai birds, Gin was hung catch foxes and deer.

Mentawai islands is closed by tropic rain forest, begin from primary forest dipterocarpacece, mixture primary forest, bogs, beach forest until mangrove forest. Every island has each flora and suggested around 15% from plants are endemic. Beside that, around 65% from mammalian in Mentawai, especially in Siberut is endemic animal like step primate species ;

1.Bilou Kloss Gibbon is kind of gibbon that primitive, nice sound and being the base of sound from other gibbon simple color of skin from other gibbon.
2.Joja (Ata leilei) is in of monkey that live in couple from complex harem group.
3.Simaobu (Simasepsen) this monkey has special characteristic : short nose, fat, short tail like pig tail there are two kinds of skin color, white and black also growth faster.
4.Bokoi (Siteut) closer with monkey that lives in highland, is monkey which comes to Indonesia for the first time.

There is no direction when the first person attended in Mentawai Islands, but from their language, stage of culture, and their physic, may be the tribe of Mentawai based from Homo Sapien who come for the first time in Indonesia. Many anthropologists make their in group. “Pro Malay”, Neolitchic culture, little bronze era but no Buddishm, Hinduism or Islam. It shows that they come to Mentawai thousand years ago. In many aspects, the people of Mentawai are old tribe with cultures that common in Indonesia.

The social life that contered on UMA, one long house, there are some people from same ancestors. Each family 5-15 person has personal part and other houses in forest near their farms.

Each uma located in teribe territorial region, arround big rivers. The region of one tribe consist from river lines and after a long time the tribe regions was developed to be new regions with region languages and personal speaks. Between these groups had increase the charateristic of region and hard competition.

Mentawai people in general have “Sabulungan” that believe in human until monkeys, stone until season, the soul eliminated from body and free with wishes. The principle of this trust is the good condition of creation, with some religious behind the things that known as “Kina Ulau” or our of reach. Like the old trust, they focus in manifestation of soul creation, souls in contant relation each other, but the activity of people can break this condition.

To get this condition back, people can do many religion ceremonies, “Pulaijat”. The head of this pulaijat is called king “Rimata”. Before this religion ceremony, they create many kinds of flowes, enau leafs. This ceremony is done along a week. People in the one village being together in Uma.

When ice age, around one million until ten thousand years ago, the surface of sea in Shouteast Asian 200 meter lower from now. Sumatera can be with Java, Kalimantan, and Asian Continent. It couses the free change between animals, and also the similar between flora-fauna from the three islands. But Mentawai Islands still eliminated from Sumatera by sea around 1500 M since Middle Pleistocene era (data of bathymetric).

One possible of Pleistocene beside the north. But if this relationship is there, this condition will be gone since before.

Mentawai Islands is original islands since five thousands years ago, flora and fauna was safe from the dynamic evolution changing like in other small Sunda.

• GEOGRAPHY
These four island that build Mentawai Island ; Siberut, Sipora, North Pagai and South Pagai which stand a 85-135 KM from west Beach of West Sumatera, between 00 55 3 20 LS and 98 31 100 40 BT and width of land 7.000 LM2 (Siberut : 4.480 KM2, Sipora : 845 KM2 and Pagai Island 1.675 KM2). The center of this island is Tuapejat that stand in Sipora Island.


• TOPOGRAPHY

Mentawai is a sedimentary island that fulls of mud, clay with chalk that still young relatively. The highest of rainfall is on April (290 mm) and October (390 mm) but lowdry rainfall is on February (220 mm), June (220 mm).

Other geology process that still happen is precipitation along the Easth Beach that similar with the ocean arround Mentawai, this precipitation process pointed wioth beach line that not same each other, has bay, foreland, small island and reef beaches. But west beach is more diametrical, wide sand, big wave and few reefs.

Privacy Policy

Personally Identifiable Information
Mentawai Islands define Personally Identifiable Information as any information that relates to the identity of the website user. This includes, but is not limited to, names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses or any information that could be used to contact a website user.

Viewer Monitoring
At no stage in visiting our blog is a user’s Personally Identifiable Information requested or stored. Mentawai Islands Photos may store IP addresses or browser capability information during the process of generating and clicking upon articles. This information is collected anonymously and solely for the purpose of auditing and optimizing the website.

Mentawai Islands Use of Cookies
This blog use cookies to recognize repeat visitors to the site and do not store any Personally Identifiable Information.

Came straight to this page? Visit the homepage of Mentawai Islands for all the latest article!