Cale Glendening

Enter to view Part 2

We finally left Atabai in route to Madobag before heading to Rorogot. Knowing we had that dreadful hike back over the mountain, we made sure we got to bed early. We were all sad to leave Atabai. Ta Jia Jia had the most beautiful and happy children. You couldn’t look at his kids without your lips stretching from ear to ear. The children’s eyes would light up and they would give a big shy smile back. Silio, Sea Mong and Pet Pet will be greatly missed. Especially little Silio. Most adorable little girl ever. During the trek back, we had two extra porters to carry our bags. Joey and I were given the luxury of not lugging packs, while Will wasn’t so fortunate. I was surprised how quickly we made it back over the mountain. We actually made it to the top in 30 minutes, instead of 2 hours before. At the top, Will was pretty much dead from carrying his pack. I offered my assistance several times before Will finally released his grip. I ended up carrying it the rest of the hike, which we made in 2 hours, instead of 4 hour previously. When we got to the village we stopped at a stream along the way and cooled down. I got the chills and immediately felt sick after I submerged in the cold water. I knew I had heat exhaustion. Lack of sleep, food, and the heat were just the elements to force my body into submission. Carrying that bag the rest of the trek was my bodies final straw. The goosebumps began to rise as quickly as my body temperature. When we got back to Gejeng’s uma, Ricky sent kids to get fresh water. Drinking unboiled water, even though it wasn’t cold, for the first time in over a week was so refreshing. At dinner time I forced myself to eat although it was the last thing my stomach was telling me to do. I was up all night with cold sweats, the chills, severe stomach cramps, and making several trips into the jungle. My body was so tired and weak, I could barely walk out into the forest to use the bathroom. The next day we were all very worn out and instead of making a 3 hour trek to Rorogot we decided to take pong pong boats down river 2 hours and then make a 30 minute trek. The boat ride was much easier on my stomach, however the pain was still there. It didn’t help being baked the entire time by the suns relentless power. When compared to the other options of getting to Rorogot, the obvious choice was clear, and I definitely wasn’t complaining.

22 votesvote as favorite

24 votesvote as favorite

25 votesvote as favorite

26 votesvote as favorite

We arrived in Rorogot to stay with an old Sikere Shaman named Saromut. From looking at him, you would estimate his age somewhere in the 90’s. Brings up another interesting fact of the Mentawai. Their cluelessness of time. Not a single person we met knew their age. One of many things I couldn’t wrap my head around until I started living like they do. I had my phone with a calendar and all my days still got completely mixed together. Coming from California, I go from a completely busy schedule where there seems to be 10 hours in the day. In Siberut we were always busy, but the days never seemed to end. If I didn’t have my phone with me, I would’ve had no idea how long we were there, let alone when we were supposed to leave. Anyways, we were told Saromut’s uma is the biggest in all of Siberut. After seeing his place, it was definitely believable. I guess it would have to be massive, when you are housing around 30 of your family members. I laid down immediately immediately after arriving. The Shaman became worried and asked our guide Ricky what was wrong. He told them I was having stomach problems so Lala went out to the forest and came back with medicine. He mixed all these herbal plants with some liquid and crushed it up. Since Lala and Toikoik are Shaman, they wanted to perform a healing ritual to rid the evil spirit making me sick. By this time my stomach pain was just excruciating . I was feeling all kinds of aches and pains I have never felt before. There was a vigilante parasite driving through my insides on an organ bashing rampage. Not a single place in my stomach was safe from this baseball bat wielding rebel. The Shaman shook bells and leaves all over my body, and then made me take a small drink of the medicine. Toikoik dipped his hand in the medicine bowl and rubbed my face, stomach, legs, and back. It was a very interesting experience for me, but I just wanted to feel better, regardless how it was done. The rest of the day I just laid down while the Shaman continuously checked on me. It was very warming to see them show that compassion.

27 votesvote as favorite

27 votesvote as favorite

27 votesvote as favorite

23 votesvote as favorite

The next morning I woke up to a strong earthquake. I was feeling much better than the day before. I could still feel the bug, but it was running out of gas. After breakfast, I went back to bed for a little while before we headed to their durian trees. While filming an interview with Joey, we experienced an earthquake. A durian tree is the last thing you want to be under when everything is shaking. The tree bears a football sized spiked fruit which when ripe, plummets to the ground. Durian trees are also extremely tall so the fruit can be fatal if it hits you in the head. There have actually been cases, believe it or not, where people have been killed by the falling fruit. We looked up immediately to look for the falling death fruit. We headed to another Durian tree so Joey could photograph Saromut. The Durian tree had the hand print of his dead son. The mentawai carve the hand prints or footprints of deceased loved ones on Durian trees. Whenever they go to get fruit, they pay their respects. They also plant small trees and plants around the base hiding the carvings. They believe if an enemy comes to the tree and takes something from it and then comes to the owner’s uma, then his enemy will die. Pretty interesting taboo I would say. While Joey took photographs, Saromut became very disturbed, claiming he saw a spirit. We were forced to leave immediately.

27 votesvote as favorite

The next couple of days I filmed a lot of interviews with the tribesmen. Tarason is the smallest and the best story teller. He also knows several “magic tricks.” There was a very suspenseful moment interviewing him when we experienced a big earthquake. In the video you can see the land ripple as a kid grasps on to a post in fear. You can also see tribe members exit the front of the uma. Toikoik seems to be the most serious of the Shaman. After interviewing him, he came over and put his arm around me. He said in broken English, “You leave, I cry.” It was shocking as well as saddening to hear him say that. Lala is definitely the character of the group. He definitely shows the most passion when he speaks. During his interview, when asked, “If you could say something to the world, what would it be?” His answer in Mentawai was very passionate and strong. You’d think he was saying something deep and meaningful. Then we got the English translation. He said, “The people of the world need to come to Siberut now and see me, Lala, because I won’t be alive forever.” We all bursted into laughter, including Lala. The interviews have really enlightened me on several things. All of the tribes people we interviewed had pretty much similar answers to our questions. Something I found interesting when asked, “Are you going to raise your kids the traditional Mentawai way?” They all would say in similar fashion, “It is up to my children to decide. If they want to wear clothes, thats ok. If they don’t want to sharpen their teeth and get tattoos, that is ok.” etc…. I found this astonishing considering the very disciplined parenting and radical way of living. I thought for sure they would raise the children in their footsteps, to keep their traditional way of life going, but they believe in giving them the choice. I feel this is one of the greatest forms of love. It was eye opening to say the least. Some of the children want to live the traditional lifestyle, but some of the kids have been to the government villages and want the lifestyle they offer, thinking the government is really helping them. Several of the tribesmen said in interviews that they believe this will be the last generation of the Sikere. They said they only knew of a couple kids wanting to be Sikere Shaman. That being said, made me feel more lucky to witness the Ulia Sibau. I didn’t want to believe their tribe was dissolving so fast but one event I witnessed reinforced their predictions. We were in Matobag, the government village Gejeng lives in, and Ta Jia Jia had come with us to get some water. I couldn’t help but notice how much even he stood out there. He looked like he was from a different country, yet the hundreds of people in that village were all MENTAWAI. It was crazy to see how much they differed due to the government stepping in. Ta Jia Jia in his traditional wear in a Mentawai village that dressed like Joey, Will, and I. They play soccer & volleyball, have paved walkways, have some scooters, have access to assorted mainland foods, and soda. It was hard to believe they were the same tribe as Ta Jia Jia and the other Shaman.

25 votesvote as favorite

25 votesvote as favorite

28 votesvote as favorite

25 votesvote as favorite

It is interesting that, while there were so many women in the villages, we rarely hung out it with them. The women would mostly hang in the back of the uma, while the men would stay in the front. We asked why, assuming the women were less respected like in some cultures. Their answer was much simpler than that. “Women talk about women things, and us men talk about men things.” So basically it’s just like we do here in the states. Girls hang with their girlfriends, and guys with their buddies! We all had a good laugh. The women are very strong as well and start working at a very young age. I saw little girls with big machetes chopping wood and cooking food. The women fish, make sago, keep the uma’s very clean, help feed livestock, and upkeep whatever crops they have growing. The women and men share most of the same responsibilities. The only main difference is the men would hunt, and the women would fish. The Shaman men would perform all the rituals, while the women never took part in a single ritual. Will, who has become just a Rambo killing SOB, killed a dog for us to eat. I’ve lost count of the animals killed at his unmerciful hand to feed us. (Quick side not, Will tricked me into playing a game he knew I would lose. Now I owe him a completely separate blog post, just for him. Sneaky guy that Will.) My stomach was still thrown for a loop so I didn’t want to eat anything else foreign to my stomach. I couldn’t resist at least trying dog for the first time! It’s freaking DOG! Come on! I can honestly say it was the best food I had on the island. It tasted most similar to a seasoned steak. It was incredibly and surprisingly more delicious than chicken and pork. Since I have been home, every dog I see is a potential meal ; ) Sorry PETA. I was trying to become friends with my stomach again, so I refused eating more dog. The food here has just gotten to on last nerve. I am very grateful to be fed daily, but rapidly changing my diet and eating the same breakfast (some form of pancake with condensed milk for syrup), lunch (rice and noodles), and dinner (rice, noodles, and occasionally chicken, pig, and a dog.) Once I went with Pet Pet into the jungle and she cut down some sugarcane for us to eat. It was so delicious. We snacked on Sago all day, which is their main source of food. They cut down these big Sago trees, ground them into a flowery substance, sprinkle them into banana leaves, wrap them up, and roast them over a fire. The result is a “shelled breadstick.” You peel the cover, and eat the middle. It is exactly like a breadstick but harder to chew and less tasteful. Sometimes they mix them with coconut, or dip them in sugar. We brought sugar from Padang, and the Sikere LOVE sugar. I couldn’t even imagine eating Sago 3 times a day, which makes up about 90% of their meals. The only reason we had any food other than sago is because we brought it from Padang. We had basically no vegetables and no fruit. Hard to get feeling better when you aren’t getting the right protein and substance to sustain a healthy body and strong immune system. By the time we left, I could barely eat a small bowl of rice or finish half of a pancake. I was so tired of the same foods, but its not like I had another choice. I either put up with the food or don’t eat and make myself worse. I should take time to thank Joey for forcing me to eat a couple times. My stomach begged me not to eat, but I know it was much better to get something in me. By the way did I mention that EVERYONE there smokes non stop? All the men, women, and even the little kids were smoking. I carefully tried telling them that cigarettes are bad for their health. They laughed and said, “If we don’t smoke, we get sick. We have to smoke.” We laughed so hard. They wrap tobacco in banana leaves and smoke from the second they awake, til they fall asleep. I even found myself smoking for the first time in ages. When in Rome? I tried smoking their tobacco and I got so lightheaded I couldn’t stand. It was very very strong.

28 votesvote as favorite

24 votesvote as favorite

24 votesvote as favorite

27 votesvote as favorite

23 votesvote as favorite

26 votesvote as favorite

28 votesvote as favorite

22 votesvote as favorite

28 votesvote as favorite

27 votesvote as favorite

25 votesvote as favorite

Our earthquake alarm clock has woken us to another sunrise. This happened at least 4 or 5 times. I started getting chest pains that night, which really scared me. Having a breathing problem on top of severe stomach problems put me on edge. Due to all the earthquakes, the one doctor on Siberut was forced to stay grounded in Padang. To get any help we would have to take the hell sent ferry back to Padang. We decided we would leave a day early if the problem persisted. Later we filmed the 3 Shaman in a nearby river. Will taught them the stanky leg, and at one time Lala got on my back. I don’t know why, but it was hilarious. The next day I was feeling a little better, but the stomach and chest pains were still there. That day Will popped a couple of ribs out of place while Joey was shooting 3 of the Shaman. He was in a lot pain. He had actually popped them out a couple times in his life before, so he knew immediately he just needed to go to a chiropractor so they could pop them back in place. Being in Siberut, there was nothing we could do until we got to Padang.

26 votesvote as favorite

26 votesvote as favorite

Two days before we were to head back to Padang, Shaman Bajak Jerajak(tattoo artist) showed up. I sat their debating what I should do. I knew it would be amazing to get a tattoo there, but at the same time I knew it was going to worsen my health. The process is so painful it makes you sick! Since I was already sick, I had to accept potentially intensifying my condition. Honestly I backed out last minute. The last thing you want when you are ill is to feel more pain? Then I thought…..With the tribe numbers dwindling, how many chances would I have to get a tradition Mentawai tattoo? I’m in Siberut, Indonesia, in an uma in the rain forest, with the chance to get a tattoo by an actual Sikere Shaman. Sorry body, but you’re just going to have to toughen up and take the pain, because I am definitely getting one. I knew I wanted to get something that represented the Mentawai culture and I loved the series of lines the Sikere had on their legs. The lines represent the roots of the Sago tree. I decided I would get 6 lines on my left thigh, a line for 6 people who mean the world to me. As I sat down, and the Sikere wrapped a fresh safety pin around a piece of fish bone. A few things made me nervous before we started. For one, the tattoo artist is deaf. Two, I was sitting on rickety boards at the front of the uma so I would shake every time someone walked by. Three, he started making the outline of the tattoo on the bottom of my leg instead of the top, like I had asked. I couldn’t help but think, what am I getting myself into? Once we got him on the right path, he took no time in starting. The first couple of lines were ok, but then it quickly turned into the most painful tattoo I have ever received. The pounding of the needle into my leg over and over proved too much for my body. Several times the needle got stuck in my leg from hitting it so hard. My head started throbbing simultaneously to each individual thrust into my leg. I felt my body slowly go into shock, as I started getting goosebumps and mean case of the chills. Sickness was definitely a factor in making him stop, but I won’t try and make that an excuse for the pain. The pain was definitely the main reason I stopped. I let him go over the tattoo twice before I had enough. They usually go over the tattoo as many times as it takes for the ink to set, and from looking at my leg I needed a good 6 or 7 more layers. Physically I just couldn’t take it anymore. I tried to steady my shaking body as I washed off my swollen leg, and took meds. My fever had come back and the pain had made my stomach hurt even more. I ask myself now, would I do it again? Of course I would. It was an honor getting tattooed by the Mentawai. Soon there will be no more Sikere tattoo artists inking the traditional way. I knew before hand that the Mentawai were one of the oldest to tattoo, but when I got back to Padang, I found out that Mentawai tattooing IS the oldest tattooing in the world. This made the whole tattoo process and experience mean even more.

27 votesvote as favorite

28 votesvote as favorite

26 votesvote as favorite

27 votesvote as favorite

25 votesvote as favorite

The next day I woke up and washed off my swollen leg. I buried the pain like I had been doing daily and tried to grasp our final hours on the island. I had very mixed emotions. One side I was so excited to get back to civilization, but on the other hand, I didn’t want to leave our new friends. That morning seemed to progress so slowly. We packed our things, did some trading and buying with the Shaman, then we started our 30 minute trek to the pong pong boats. When we got back to the boats we said our goodbyes to everyone. We hugged and shook hands for a long time before we made ourselves leave. Then we waved until we were out of site. We started our 2 hour pong pong ride to the boat we would be taking back to Padang. Joey decided to rent a speedboat with two motors, which we were all extremely pleased about. The boat would make the passage 4 hours, instead of the 10 hour puke rally ferry we took to get to Siberut. When we got to the seaport, we went to some little shops to get food and I had my first cold drink in weeks. I can still remember how stimulating it was having that cold drink. On the boat ride we all passed out at some point. I am glad I didn’t sleep through the whole boat ride because I woke up to the most breathtaking ocean I’ve ever seen. We were in between Siberut and Padang, far enough out where there was no land in site. The water was smoother than glass. This was shocking to me, as I have never witnessed the ocean even remotely smooth. The water moved up and down so gracefully that the only thing creating ripples was the boat. The sky and ocean fused together encircling us with an endless seam of blue. I felt like we were in a giant bathtub, and we were the little toy boat. Ricky, Joey, and I sat at the front of the boat and simply stared. When we made it back to the dock, we noticed one of the ferry boats that take people to Siberut had been wrecked and washed onto the shore. That freaked us out just a little bit. We went straight to a doctor when we got to Padang. The doctor’s office was a single dim lit room that looked as if it was in a house. The doctor checked me quickly and gave me meds for my liver. She persisted that is where the parasite had made camp. Two “chiropractor’s” attempts to help Will had failed. One just rubbed oil on him and asked if he was better! That night Joey had been craving KFC more than anything, so Ricky took us to one. We happened to be in there during Ramadan and and got to KFC just as the fasting for the day ceased so KFC was packed to the brim. Will got an entire bucket of chicken, and Joey ate a couple of chicken sandwiches. I was still feeling like crap so I only ate one sandwich. That night we went to one of the nicest hotels in Padang, which only cost $50. It would be a decent hotel in the states, but after living in the conditions we were in, it was like a 5 star hotel to us. The first thing I did was take a warm shower. The shower floor was stained with mud from Will, Joey, and I. After the shower, I laid down on my mattress and all I remember was waking up to Joey puking. I can’t remember ever falling asleep so fast. Joey was throwing up, Will and I had diarrhea. Apparently the KFC had not settled with any of us. Luckily we all felt better the next day. I decided to stay in the hotel and sleep while they went and ran some errands around town. I wanted to make sure I got my rest and gained power over my illness. Time came for Ricky to drop us off at the Padang Airport. Ricky is an amazing guide and a great friend. I will never forget him. When we flew into Jakarta I had gained my appetite back for the first time. I ate 2 chicken sandwiches, 3 chicken strips, 2 sides of curly fries, a chocolate sunday, and a root beer for a single meal. I felt I was eating off a kids meal, and I was still hungry. Will and Joey had a flight to Australia and I had a different flight the next day. I rented a room at the Jakarta Airport Hotel and then said said goodbye to Joey and Will. It really bummed me out seeing them go. We had spent every second together for the entire trip and now I was by myself. The next morning I left Jakarta, flew to Singapore, flew to Manilla, then to LAX. Making it all the way with 3 bows, 3 sets of poison tipped arrows, a machete sized knife, and Toikoik’s knife he made from a deer. I didn’t get checked once in 4 countries and 5 airports. I was finally home.

26 votesvote as favorite

26 votesvote as favorite

27 votesvote as favorite

26 votesvote as favorite

The journey was simply a trip of exceeding enlightenment. I learned immensely of their culture as well as my own limits and abilities. It is incredible to see people so visibly different from you and I, living completely opposite from you and I, have personalities that shadow ours almost wholly. They value their families and friends most, they hang with their friends constantly, they wrestle around, they help when others are in need, they are kind and open to strangers, they weren’t shy or embarrassed to try things (like dancing to rap and country), they are optimistic, and they joke constantly. Lala even pulled out his junk in front of us and immediately started laughing. They are guys being immature guys. At times it was so hard getting photos because they would joke and laugh and do ridiculous things! Acting the same and doing things most of my guy friends have or would do back home. That aspect made me feel so much more comfortable while there.  I still have to remind myself we were with a tribe! People who don’t know their age, how they look, what a cell phone or the internet is, and that cigarettes are bad for you. I sincerely hope their tribe lives on for generations and the government ceases the consumption of their land and resources. The tribe is believed to have started between 2000-500 BC! It’s ludicrous to think their traditional way of living could evaporate this generation. They live the most simplistic lifestyle you or I can imagine, yet they are more happy than a lot of people I know. They have their family, uma’s, food, their buddies, and of course their tobacco. They say that makes them happy and content. They don’t even have money. Their only currency is durian trees, pigs, land, and chicken for trade. That’s it. I spent the snap of a finger without my everyday “necessities” and it made me very uncomfortable. I will never forget leaving the island and experiencing that first cold drink, hot shower, mattress, and air conditioning. Every drink and meal I’ve had since I’ve been back has tasted better than ever before. It could be because I missed it so much, or maybe because I appreciate it more. It’s funny that everything I would’ve complained about before the trip I was now so very thankful for. All I can say after the trip is how self absorbed I am. Even having limitless options and countless luxuries it still isn’t good enough. While talking with Joey on the way back, we both talked about how America has the best EVERYTHING. We laughed in confirmation that there’s no arguing that statement at all. Still everyone has something to complain about. We need something or want something. The next time I complain or think about complaining I’ll just remember the trip, the people, and how they live. That’s all it’ll take to retract my thoughts and shut my mouth. We are seriously blessed beyond comprehension and I thank God for showing me this. We have everything we need(+a million) to live a happy and fulfilled lifestyle every single day. I am thankful for being shown this first hand.

Bajak Tarason was making fun of how I lean over to get smooth shots. 1st day and he’s already making fun of me.

25 votesvote as favorite

27 votesvote as favorite

26 votesvote as favorite

25 votesvote as favorite

26 votesvote as favorite

25 votesvote as favorite

24 votesvote as favorite

25 votesvote as favorite

24 votesvote as favorite

This is pretty much my final and most important thought I wrote down after this experience.  It means the most to me.

The gift of vision instantly suggests we as people couldn’t be more different from one another.  It’s not until we infiltrate the hearts of our terrestrial neighbors, that we humbly sense our core’s unification as brothers and sisters.  This I feel emphatically comes from divine power.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my personal experiences living with the Mentawai.

Cale Glendening

PS – Keep checking in with Joey’s site.  He will be posting a blog with some photos from his set ups! You will want to see them, I promise!  There will be more post with content from Indonesia so please keep checking back. I will be posting a hundred or so pics from the entire trip, in a folder on my facebook and my flickr. There just wasn’t enough room on my blog for everything. I will also be posting some I feel suitable for my portfolio(some in my blog post, some not) up soon.  I will let you all know through my facebook and twitter accounts.