Take a trip into the wild & immerse yourself in ancestral
practices and traditions. Discover heavy spiritual semi-nomadic
hunter-gatherer people who have chose to continue living their
traditional tribal lifestyle.
Culture
The Mentawai lifestyle should be of interest to almost every society
for it contains elements of hunter-gatherer, animal husbandry and
subsistence level settled farming traditions; all of these forms of
existence are at the roots of every contemporary scociety. However
traditional Mentawai communities can not be reduced only to a lens on
the yesterday of our modern technological societies, they are also an
example a sophisticated socialization that balances subsistence with a
unique pattern of family well being, in essence a window on a potential
tomorrow. Dr Philip Cook, University of Victoria, BC. Canada
If you can move beyond the perception of the Mentawai as only
«primitive», then you may be able to appreciate a culture whose
veneration of the child, centrality of healing, and the emphasis placed
on a rich web of connectivity linking the individual to his or her clan
and community, ancestors of the past and future, as well as the spirit
of creation manifest in the natural cycle of daily life in the
rainforest, makes our own lives seem narrow & disconnected. Dr
Philip Cook, University of Victoria, BC. Canada
The Mentawai People have lived for centuries on their unique
Archipelago of Islands, now reduced to a few settlements on the southern
tip of Siberut Island, they still have a strong traditional lifestyle
though their future is threatened by external forces such as logging,
introduced diseases, and large scale settlement of Non Mentawai due to
economic and population pressures in other parts of Indonesia.
Is giving money a mere means of easing our western conscience? Money
is an inevitable part of modern life, even for these tribes. We give
them money for experiencing their life, but our aim is to help them use
this money to preserve their culture. Have some chats with your guide
along that week, as you will be staying in his family & friends’
houses, he will help you to understand the situation more deeply. He is
the son of tribes’ people.
Mentawai,
one of Indonesian islands, with its millions of beauty, inhabited by
one ethnic people, Mentawai, having tattoes all over their bodies. Its
exotism and the existence of endangered primate, called pigtail monkey,
dwarf siamang and beruk that live wildly and freely side to side with
the people in a traditional house inhabited by group of people. Prepare
yourself for for the unlimited experiences. You will definitely enjoy!
1. Mentawai jungle trekking 5 day / 4 night
Day 1 : Padang – siberut – muntei village ( L. D )
The journey will start from padang at 07 ;00 am by local ferry, our journey will take approximately 5 hours ( including transit 1 hour at Sikabaluan nort Siberut ) when arrived in south Siberut ( port ) we will go through to muntei village, take a rest. In that village we will to walk around to the beach and meet local people then stay one night in local house.
Day 2 until day 4 daily activities in the jungle with mentawai clan( B.L.D )
After break fast and preparing some stuff, at 10:00 am we will start our journey by boat (wooden boat) to cross scenic jungle river, after we reached trekk point we’ll trekking to reach mentawai clan house. During these days we will stay in mentawai long house in the jungle for daily activities to knowing their culture, tradition and how they life in the jungle. The activities that we do is mentawai local activities with the shamans and also the family member in the jungle.
Day 5 heading back to siberut – padang ( B. L. D )
We will do short trekk to the river and boat will pick up , then we straight away to muntai village for transit, take a rest and lunch. After lunch we will go to harbor catch the ferry and come back to Padang.
*( B L D : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner )
2. Mentawai jungle trekking 4 day / 3 night
Programs :
Day 1: Padang – Siberut
The journey start at 07:00 pm from bungus bay by slow ferry to Siberut, and overnight in boat sleep in the cabin ( with air con shared room ). when we arrived in mailepet port estimated 07:00 am take the motor canoe to cross scenic jungle river before trekking to mentawai clan house, arrived at mentawai clan house take rest and lunch. Then doing activities with the mentawai shaman in the jungle at 05:00 pm back to the “uma” and dinner.
Day 2 daily activities and mentawai tribe
After breakfast, 10:00 pm preparing do mentawai daily activities in the jungle, kind of that activities In the form of daily life about their culture, traditions in the jungle, like how to processing sago as mentawai primer food, finding some materials in the jungle with shaman then processing become mentawai traditional posion for hunting. At 05:00 pm Back to the “uma” take rest and dinner.
Day 3 move to next another clan
Wake up in the morning, after breakfast and prepare our belongings, at 10:00 we will start do trekking back to river then take the canoe straight up to the river, after we reached trekk point, we will do trekking to next another clan ( uma), take rest lunch and prepare next activities. Go to the jungle with shaman with the family and doing mentawai local activities. Back to the uma, making mentawai traditional bracelet and 07:00 pm prepare for dinner. At the night free programs.
Day 4 go back to Padang
After breakfast and packing 09:00 am we will do short trekking to river and boat will pick up then go back to village. after transit in the village we heading back to Padang by fast ferry, estimated arrived in padang at 07:00 pm.
3. Mentawai jungle life 3 day / 2 night
Day 1 : Padang – Muara siberut – mentawai clan house ( B. L. D)
The journey will start from Padang at 07:00 am to siberut by local ferry, our journey will take approximately 5 hour directly to mailepet port, when we reached we will transit for couple hours in muntei village. After lunch and preparing some stuff we gona cross river and do some trekking to reach the Shaman house.
Day 2 : Daily activities in jungle
In the morning we would do some trekking and doing local activities with mentawai clan in the jungle, then procced to lunch time and come back again to the jungle to do some more activities.
Day 3 : Siberut – Padang
After breakfast, we will hike back to river, and boat will ride back to Muntei village. After we arrived at Muntei village, we take rest and after lunch going back to Padang.
The price includes:
- Picking up in airport and return
- transfort from airport to guest house then guest house to harbour then guest house to airport
- Ticket ferry boat return and travel permit in Mentawai
- Accomodation staying at local people’s house
- Meals in staying at local people’s house
-guide + porter trekking
- transfort from harbour mentawai to local people’s house
- transfort from local people’s house to harbour mentawai
-stay guest house in padang return
The price not includes:
- flight to Padang
- Tipp
- insurance
- Visa
Things needed to be prepared:
- Daypack and backpack
- Shoes and Sandal for tracking
- Personal medicine
- Camera or handycam for documentation
- Flashlight and back up battery
Grade Trip : Medium - Hard
Duration : days nights
Time : Anytime
Note:
speed Boat Padang - Siberut : Tuesday and Saturday, 07.00am
speed Boat Siberut - Padang : Tuesday and Saturday, 06.00pm
The schedule for speed boat can sometimes be changed without prior notice depending on the weather.
contact me:
handraharbi@gmail.com
or +6281374006060
handraharbi@gmail.com
or +6281374006060
