17 research outputs found
The pig story (tiboi sakkoko) Storytelling of kinship, memories of the past, and rights to plots of ancestral land in Mentawai
Full text linkThis paper examines some significant elements of the pig story (tiboi sakkoko). This tale contains crucial information about the collective identity, ancestors and historical events affecting particular Mentawai kin-groups. As families do not preserve their culture and traditions in written form, storytellers of kin-groups have narrated the pig story from generation to generation so as to preserve it carefully. In the course of time, storytellers establish particular ways of telling their stories so as to remember the content and plot of the stories easily. Through the pig story, members of kin groups also recollect their ancestral place of origin and plots of ancestral lands. The role of human memory is indispensable to recalling all these important elements. Therefore, this paper analyses memories of the past of different family generations. To achieve its aims, this paper also evaluates the roles of family stories in the culture and traditions of Mentawai society
Kathryn Anderson Wellen, The open door; Early modern Wajorese statecraft and diaspora
Full text linkBook review for "The open door: early modern Wajorese statecraft and diaspora", written by Kathryn Anderson Wellen.Published versio
Family stories; Oral tradition, memories of the past, and contemporary conflicts over land in Mentawai – Indonesia
Full text linkThis is a study of oral tradition on Mentawai family stories. The family stories relate to historical events and contemporary social issues occurred in the Mentawai Islands and affecting the Mentawai kin groups. The Mentawai family stories comprise significant elements defining different kin groups living on the Mentawai Islands. They are also an important source of information with regard to claims to ancestral land. The Mentawai family stories can furthermore be regarded as the kin groups’ verbal form of identities. Therefore, to maintain the family stories is indispensable to Mentawai communities and the power of human memory plays an important part in maintaining and transmitting the significance of these verbal identities of the communities
Toys for the souls: life and art on the Mentawai islands by Reimar Schefold
No full textBook review for "Toys for the souls: life and art on the Mentawai islands", written by Reimar Schefold.Published versio
Titi mentawai: Refutation of the oldest mentawai tattoos in the world
No full textMentawai traditional tattoos are often claimed to be the oldest in the world, sparking debates among academics and controversies within the Mentawai community. This study aims to evaluate such claims by analyzing their theoretical and empirical foundations. A qualitative descriptive method was used, incorporating literature reviews from various sources, including Ady Rosa's thesis and prior research reports. The findings reveal that, while Mentawai tattoos are among the oldest traditions characterized by simple motifs and unique techniques, no historical evidence supports the claim that they are the oldest globally. This conclusion underscores the need for critical examination of cultural claims to prevent misinterpretation or misuse in public policy. The study emphasizes that while Mentawai tattoos hold significant historical and aesthetic value, the assertion of their primacy as the oldest tattoos lacks scientific support
Stranded people; Mythical narratives about the first inhabitants of Mentawai Islands
Full text linkIn this paper, I examine the stories about the origins of the first inhabitants of the Mentawai Islands. My aim is to understand the perspective of the local community in seeing themselves in the particular place and space where they live in the Mentawai Islands. In my opinion, a set of narrative as a story about the origin of a group of people has a significant value for the development of local communities and their culture. A collection of narratives is an important source of information to understand the ideas of local communities in perceiving their past, especially people who do not have a written tradition. Many of these stories have not been studied thoroughly and on this occasion, I explore it in more depth
Lesson from the past, knowledge for the future: roles of human memories in earthquake and tsunami narratives in Mentawai, Indonesia
Full text linkOral traditions are an important part of the culture of most Indonesian communities. Mentawai, an ethnic group residing in Mentawai Islands of Indonesia, has various genres of oral tradition. Traditional knowledge and local wisdom pertaining to natural disasters are also part of their oral tradition. Mentawai Islands are located along active tectonic plates, where earthquakes commonly occur at various magnitudes. Records show that great earthquakes and tsunamis hit Mentawai Islands several times in 1797, 1833, 2007, and 2010. Surprisingly, earthquakes occurring some hundred years ago do not seem to appear in Mentawai oral tradition. This is slightly different from communities in Simeulue, Solomon, and Andaman Islands whose natives still remember some devastating catastrophes that occurred in the past. People’s collective memories play an important role in upholding significant messages from past natural disasters. Some of those messages contain important lessons on how to cope with natural disasters if they should occur again. As a result, the majority of inhabitants of those islands survived future catastrophes because they remembered the lessons contained in their oral tradition. This is totally different in Mentawai where more than 500 people died during the 2010 earthquake and tsunami. Because of this, the Mentawai case becomes an interesting topic of study. This paper aims, therefore, to find out the reasons behind this apparent lack of oral tradition pertaining to the earthquakes and tsunamis that occurred several hundred years ago.Published versio
A Borneo healing romance: ritual storytelling and the Sugi Sakit, a Saribas Iban rite of healing, by Clifford Sather
No full textBook review for "A Borneo Healing Romance: Ritual Storytelling and the Sugi Sakit, A
Saribas Iban Rite of Healing", written by Clifford Sather.Published versio
Stranded people; Mythical narratives about the first inhabitants of Mentawai Islands
Full text linkIn this paper, I examine the stories about the origins of the first inhabitants of the Mentawai Islands. My aim is to understand the perspective of the local community in seeing themselves in the particular place and space where they live in the Mentawai Islands. In my opinion, a set of narrative as a story about the origin of a group of people has a significant value for the development of local communities and their culture. A collection of narratives is an important source of information to understand the ideas of local communities in perceiving their past, especially people who do not have a written tradition. Many of these stories have not been studied thoroughly and on this occasion, I explore it in more depth
