Some time ago, on May 11-15, the Mentawai Cultural Education Foundation (YPBM) team attended the Indigenous Celebration Festival in Ubud, Bali.
In this event, YPBM brought a team of members from the Mentawai Pumaijat cultural arts centre, in Saibi Samukop – Siberut subdistrict, to attend the festival. Of the 6 members from the Pumaijat Studio community, we brought 4 YPBM cultural education students and 2 studio teachers.
This event was extraordinary, with a variety of cross-cultural interaction across the Asia-Pacific region proudly displaying their culture and skills at the event.
In this event the YPBM team displayed elements of our culture such as traditional dance performances (turuk laggai), which are very unique and interesting.
In addition, the YPBM team also brought a senior Mentawai traditional tattoo artist (sipatiti) and his young apprentice to host workshop seminars whereby they could explain to the contingents of the Indigenous Celebration Festival the materials and processes for making traditional Mentawai tattoos (titi). The workshop attendees were very interested in the uniqueness of the traditional Mentawai tattoos and many of them requested that the tattoo artists (Sipatiti) perform the tattoo tradition at the event.
Not only that, the YPBM team also hosted a cross-cultural workshop, whereby the YPBM chairman introduced and explained about the YPBM cultural education program, our goals, objectives and impacts on the younger generation of Mentawai.
There were many other unique attractions about Mentawai culture displayed at the Indigenous Celebration Festival, Bali.
The entire Yayasan Pendidikan Budaya Mentawai (YPBM) family would like to thank our partner Indigenous Education Foundation (IEF) for supporting and taking us to this event.
Our gratitude also goes to Mr. David Metcalf, Immanuella Shinta, Suku Suku Tatau and all others who gave their support. Once again, thank you.
Below is a short highlight video of cultural performances at the Ubud Indigenous Celebration Festival, Bali.
If you are interested in learning and knowing about our community program, please visit www.sukumentawai.org/en or www.iefprograms.org. We would appreciate if you could assist by donating to support our initiative and contribute to preventing the loss of Mentawai culture.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our website, you have become our friend and family.
Masurak bagatta,
Martison (YPBM)
