AS WORLDS DIVIDE – COMMUNITY IMPACT
For all those who have seen the As Worlds Divide film, given support or followed the progress of this Mentawai, social impact project over the past ten years, check out this short video update from the community: We greatly appreciate your ongoing support and donations. For further details about this cultural education program, including monthly progress reports, visit our Indigenous Education →
INDIGENOUS CELEBRATION FESTIVAL, BALI 2018
Last week we attended the Indigenous Celebration Festival in Ubud, on Bali Island. It was incredible - a testament to the united strength of Indigenous peoples and the unique and everlasting value of their cultures. We travelled with 8 Mentawai students and teachers from the YPSM cultural education program, and two ‘sipatitik’ tattoo artists - all from Siberut Island. Whilst celebrating →
SUKU MENTAWAI LAUNCH ECOTOURISM
It has been a busy few months for As Worlds Divide, Indigenous Education Foundation (IEF) and the Suku Mentawai team. The implementation of their Cultural & Environmental Education Program (CEEP) is now underway and the Mentawai committee driven to ensuring its success. One important factor and indicator of their program's success is sustainability – how the Mentawai team will operate →
SUKU MENTAWAI UPDATE
I’m really enjoying being back in Mentawai. In particular, trekking about the forest with my good friend Aman Masit Dere. He hasn’t been this energetic in years. The medicines are working and his health slowly recovering. It’s so pleasing. Sadly this outcome is not common here for people suffering from tuberculosis. Most others that I've met while passing through the remote →
MENTAWAI TELEPHONE, TUDDUKAT
The prospect of functioning without a telephone would be considered near impossible by a large and growing portion of today’s modern society who now depends upon this device to sustain a means of living. For better or worse, this change in behavior and perception over the past century does heighten the intrigue as to how people actually got about sharing their →
STORY: HOW TO BUILD A MENTAWAI UMA
Storytelling is a fundamental component of all indigenous cultures and heavily intertwined within their native educational systems. For Mentawai, according to Sikerei, "Our stories teach us about our history and how to survive here. They carry the wealth of Mentawai through the generations. This is our fortune." Over the years I've documented a variety of these cultural tales and edifying conversations →
WIN THIS LIMITED EDITION MENTAWAI PHOTO!
We plan to commence work on the Suku Mentawai program before the end of the year. However, to do so, we need to raise initial funding through IEF. If you’d like to win this certified limited edition (artist proof #1) photo of native Mentawai - framed, be in the running by purchasing a raffle ticket for $2 each or $5 →
BIGGEST ANNOUNCEMENT THUS FAR!
What might you wonder if you found a species of plant now struggling to survive in the exact same location it had flourished in for thousands of years – even after being provided a variety of enhancements to help it grow? …‘What is it that has suddenly caused this change?’ perhaps. Over the past six years I’ve been researching and documenting →
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, →
THE MENTAWAI DOCTOR, SIKEREI
Possessing an incomparable knowledge of the plant and animal life surrounding, the Mentawai Shaman, the Sikerei, preserve a great understanding of how almost every species found there can, or can't, be utilized in support of their existence; which, when residing on the island of Siberut, one of the world's richest biodiversity hotspots, this is, for lack of a better term, →
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, →
COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM
Alongside the film, I am working on the development of an Indigenous community support program, which will focus on the Siberut region. Having had very little experience in the not-for-profit organizational sector personally, and knowing that outside support will play a critical role in realizing this, I was extremely grateful to Matthew and Anastacia from SURFAID INTERNATIONAL who generously →
OVERWHELMED
Editing is underway… slowly. I’m finding it very difficult to sit in front of the computer for extended periods and, for whatever reason, I’ve taken to running in the bush. If my head becomes sore it suggests that I run - so I do. I’ve been running further and further everyday, and I quite enjoy it. I might even invest →
