THE FILM IS COMING, SLOWLY
It has been some time now since the previous post here, which – for a person who obsesses upon hastily relieving himself of the displeasureable guilt conduced by knowing that a very achievable task has yet to be tackled – this has proved somewhat burdensome. To entertain you with a reason for this negligence though… basically, over the past few months, →
MENTAWAI TATTOO REVIVAL
The traditional tattoos - which, for various cultures worldwide, where their tribal markings have been nothing short of fundamental in shaping their identity, their culture, and their existence - are now vanishing, rapidly… and in many cases leaving behind no visual evidence for future generations, whatsoever. After thousands of years being passed from generation to generation, these intricate, purposive markings, →
I LIKE YOUR MOTORBIKE… HELMET
If I may, I'd like to digress slightly from the philanthropic austerities of recent posts. Yes the Indigenous Mentawai communities face exploitation of their human rights, and yes, raising awareness to help support and address this issue is an extremely important part of the project, sure. However, it's not that which first captured my imagination and interest in the people →
GLOBALQUEST SUPPORT, MENTAWAI
I'd like to share some exciting news, and extend a special thanks to the generous folk at Coffey International, who, through their charitable organization - GLOBALQUEST, have decided to select the Community Support Program as a project they wish to offer development and financial support to, in 2011. The vision of GLOBALQUEST, a charity initiated and managed voluntarily by Coffey →
ANDI
Where do I begin then, I wondered, after fastidiously critiquing then dismissing several written introductory attempts through discontentment, or better yet, unworthiness. Nervous perhaps? Likely. Gosh, I want to introduce here a person, a friend, who (unknowingly) played a monumental role in that which lead to my being where I am today - mentally, so it is of some importance →
STATUS OF THE FILM
In other news, and after briefly catching up with myself over the weekend, here's what I had to say regarding the films progress: "How is the film coming along, Rob?" "Well, it" "Coming along well?" "Yes it is well, however" "That's wonderful to hear, Rob, but when will the film be finished?" "WELL BASICALLY, I've completed as much of the post-production as independently possible, →
THE MENTAWAI
Whilst anthropologists, missionaries and tourists have been visiting the archipelago for some time now, it's rather interesting to consider that in the 21st century - in a country as accessible as Indonesia, that there still remains a people that have yet to witness the most basic of modern-world items.
2009 EARTHQUAKE, WEST SUMATRA
In light of the previous post, and its mention to the earthquake that struck parts of western Sumatra in 2009, I figured this an appropriate segway to share a few images I’d taken in Padang, a day or so after the tragedy. You see, this also happened to be the exact time my then partner, Fern, had come to visit. A →
POISON ARROWS
Hunting - an integral part of the traditional Mentawai lifestyle sees the hand crafted bow and arrow as the most commonly used method for fatally wounding their prey. So how could a handmade arrow possibly stop a rampaging wild boar? Well, by gathering a selected mixture of flora from the nearby jungle, the huntsmen are able to extract a poisonous →
