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 →
WAFSAC SPREADING ACROSS THE GLOBE
Thank you to everyone who has given support to our WAFSAC drive and the Mentawai’s cultural education program. With less than 1 week remaining to purchase your copy of the As Worlds Divide film, we thought we’d share with you how far and wide the voice of Mentawai is being heard. Last week we launched a creative Billboard concept together with →
IS THERE EVEN A DAMN FILM?
In 2008, before this journey began, I had lost track of where I was headed. I wanted to feel as though I belonged to a purpose but wasn’t sure where to turn. By the end of 2009 I had been living with the native Mentawai people for almost a year. Here I had found inspiration to make a documentary film, →
NEW TRAILER FOR THE FILM!
I'm rather excited to share with you a new trailer for the As Worlds Divide documentary film. The previous (teaser) was created in 2012 and of course the project, film and story have evolved quite substantially since then. Big thanks to the wonderfully talented and creative team who've helped with the production of this trailer. In particular Amy Browne, Sara Edwards, →
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 →
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
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.
