Primates and birds of "sabulungan"; Roles of animals in sculptures, shamanic songs and dances, and the belief system of traditional Mentawaians

Arat Sabulungan as A Sacred Ecology: Sustainable Consumption and Climate Change Adaptation Among the Mentawai Tribe

“…Simagere in humans, animals, and plants is absorbed from nature through food and other nourishment consumed by humans, animals, and plants for sustenance. In other words, simagere ensures the dynamic preservation of human, animal, and plant life (Tulius & Burman-Hall, 2022). Another cosmological concept of the Mentawai tribe is the belief in the existence of spirits (ketcat).…”

“…This process involves how the community adapts and passes down knowledge through learning (Berkes, 2000). Since the Mentawai people do not have a written system, accumulating and transmitting knowledge to preserve their cultural history relies on oral traditions, such as folklore and folk songs (Tulius & Burman-Hall, 2022). One example is the folk song or leleiyo titled "Teteu Amusiat Loga" (The Grandfather, the Screaming Squirrel).…”

“…The social and cultural structure of the Mentawai people revolves around the Uma, a communal house that serves as the home for clans descended from the same ancestors. Typically, clans build their Uma on ancestral land to preserve communal land and the surrounding natural resources (Tulius & Burman-Hall, 2022). The normative system within the Uma can be described as egalitarian, as the Mentawai people do not recognize caste or hierarchical divisions, and there is no authoritarian leadership because all community members have equal status or egalitarianism (Coronese, 1986).…”

“…Meanwhile, the spiritual world refers to the unseen side of nature known as ulaumanua (Tulius & Burman-Hall, 2022). The domain of ulaumanua is uncertain and unknown but can encompass the universe, including the domains of humans and spirits.…”

The Impacts of Commercial Logging on Social-Economy of Communities in Mentawai Islands

“…Mentawaians traditionally perceive the forest as 'a world beyond,' the habitat of ancestral spirits, an ambiguous realm where maintaining a cosmological balance is most important (Schefold 1988;Tulius & Burman-Hall 2022). Therefore, a large set of regulations, rituals, and taboos accompanied human activity in the forest, such as hunting and collecting forest products, such as timber, fruits, and medicinal plants (Schefold 1988;Ave & Sunito 1990;Tulius & Burman-Hall 2022). Despite the abundance of forest resources and the perception that surplus production was undesirable, traditional Mentawaians extracted only the products and amounts needed for daily personal consumption.…”