Mentawai Shamans and Healing Ceremonies..Teurepa, the elder Sikeirei, holds the intestines of the sacrificed chicken up to the light for careful inspection. After studying the arteries and veins of the translucent membrane connecting the bowels, both medicine men agree: the omens are good, the second healing ritual can continue and the boy, Jiguei, will live...The Mentawai people live in the densest remote rainforest of Siberut Island, off the coast of Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia....
more »

Mentawai Shamans and Healing Ceremonies..Teurepa, the elder Sikeirei, holds the intestines of the sacrificed chicken up to the light for careful inspection. After studying the arteries and veins of the translucent membrane connecting the bowels, both medicine men agree: the omens are good, the second healing ritual can continue and the boy, Jiguei, will live...The Mentawai people live in the densest remote rainforest of Siberut Island, off the coast of Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Traditional clans on this remote tropical island have long resisted cultural assimilation; their lifestyle has been unchanged for generations. The tattoo-covered sikeireis, or traditional shamans, are knowledgeable herbalists and lead the tribe in the practice of Jarayak, a form of animism: medicine men, rituals, ceremonies and taboos still define the Mentawai lifestyle...The endangered indigenous lifestyle of these Mentawai is one of the best preserved and most fascinating, yet one of the least known and protected. ..For more information on the Mentawai, visit Native Planet (www.nativeplanet.org), an NGO that we support.
« less