Sakuddei
Encyclopedia
The Sakuddei are an ethnic group
, one of at least eleven, on the island of Siberut
, Indonesia
. Siberut is the northernmost of the Mentawai Islands
which are located 130 km (80.8 mi) to the west off the coast of Sumatra
. TheSakuddei live in south central Siberut in an egalitarian society, cut off from the outside world. They speak a dialect of the Malayo-Polynesian
Mentawai language
.
Their society has been described as classless, egalitarian, without leadership and warfare and with equality among men and women. They are described as living in peaceful harmony with their environment and with other groups. According to Bakker (2007), the Sakuddei have commonly avoided modernization campaigns by retreating into Siberut's interior.
, the ethnographic profile of the people of Siberut has been closely observed by many anthropologists. The earliest record of the island people is by Sir Thomas Raffles, who after visiting the island in 1821, commented “I made further discoveries in these Islands, where I found a population more likable still and, if possible, still more ingenuous. If I continue in this direction, I may expect somewhere to find the "Garden of Eden", and descendants of our first parents." The first conversion of the indigenous people was started by the Italian
Missionaries in 1912, though earlier efforts made from 1911 had resulted in the murder of the missionary named Reverend Mr. Lett in 1916. This is the first reported effort at elimination of the local ethnic culture of shamanism. Some Catholic priests understood the nuances of ethnic culture and adopted many of the ethnic customs such as wearing beads while offering sermons during mass. However, in 1917, J.F.K. Hansen, the Dutch Army Captain, was critical of the pagan customs of the local people and wondered how this custom could be discouraged.
In the early 1990s, plans were afoot to develop the rain forests of the Mentawai Islands where the indigenous people of Siberut, the Sakuddei, one of the few Siberut clans live, into a palm oil
plantation, as a commercial proposition. The Government of Indonesia has also not been averse to this conversion since palm oil, an imported item, could be produced on a large scale locally, which would save foreign exchange and supplement the local economy of the country. The district administration at one stage, in the 1980s, had even ordered discontinuing the shamanistic rites and forcible possession of the ethnic paraphernalia of shamanism
, which was later stopped. However, in recent years, with international publicity to the local ethnic people, through various media channels, the area where the Sakuddei live has attracted tourist influx, which is now identified as an economic benefit.
In spite of efforts by various international agencies to influence decision making on encroaching civilization of local ethnic groups, a Philippines
timber company has been granted a logging concession in their area, which is threatening their distinctive way of life. All this is happening in spite of the area having been declared as a "Biosphere Reserve
" by UNESCO
, in 1981. World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) is persisting with its conservative efforts in association with Andalas University
of West Sumatra
"to study and monitor socioeconomic and biotic conditions in Siberut and the rest of Mentawai".
anthropologist, Reimar Schefold
, spent several years living on Siberut amongst the Sakuddei. According to Schefold, "Everything from people to pigs, rocks to weather, has its own spirit
which is quite separate from its 'host' and is free to wander as it wishes. That's why you see that everybody has a different pattern of tattoos -- they want to make sure that their spirit can recognize the right body when it comes back from its nightly travels." However, winds of change is affecting the younger generation of Sakuddeis' clan as observed by one of their elderly leader, known as rimata, who said:
Housing
Their traditional house, an "uma longhouse
", is built on stilts. This traditional house, located along the river banks, is where formal ceremonies known as punen are held, when the entire clan assemble here. However, under normal circumstances the rimata and his immediate family reside in the uma, which are distinct from the habitats developed by the Dutch as thickly populated ghettos during their colonial rule.
Generally, the lay out plan of Uma, the building traditionally common to the people living in Siberut, has been elaborated by Reimar Schefold, as a three part structure with multiple floors. The gable
s slant outwards with a number of filial
s. It has outward sloping walls. The roof appears in the shape of a saddle and the structure is built with timber with a degree of difference between the roof and the tip. Practical and social reasons, aesthetic values, symbolic representations are the main attributes of these structures. It is also said that many a times the symbolism pervades the design of the building.
In 1980, Jowa I. Kis-Jovak noted that during adolescence, some Sakuddei boys build themselves a special house.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
, one of at least eleven, on the island of Siberut
Siberut
Siberut is the largest and northernmost of the Mentawai Islands, lying 150 kilometres west of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. A part of Indonesia, the island is the most important home for the Mentawai people. The western half of the island was set aside as the Siberut National Park in 1993...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Siberut is the northernmost of the Mentawai Islands
Mentawai Islands
The Mentawai Islands are a chain of about seventy islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Siberut is the largest of the islands. The other major islands are Sipura, North Pagai and South Pagai . The islands lie approximately 150 km off the Sumatran coast, across the...
which are located 130 km (80.8 mi) to the west off the coast of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. TheSakuddei live in south central Siberut in an egalitarian society, cut off from the outside world. They speak a dialect of the Malayo-Polynesian
Malayo-Polynesian languages
The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia...
Mentawai language
Mentawai language
The Mentawai language is an Austronesian language, spoken by the Mentawai-people of the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra. The dialects of the language include: – Silabu, Sipura – Simalegi, Sakalagan, Saumanganja – North Siberut, South Siberut – Taikaku – Pagai....
.
Their society has been described as classless, egalitarian, without leadership and warfare and with equality among men and women. They are described as living in peaceful harmony with their environment and with other groups. According to Bakker (2007), the Sakuddei have commonly avoided modernization campaigns by retreating into Siberut's interior.
History
Through known history, since the missionaries started conversion of indigenous people into ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, the ethnographic profile of the people of Siberut has been closely observed by many anthropologists. The earliest record of the island people is by Sir Thomas Raffles, who after visiting the island in 1821, commented “I made further discoveries in these Islands, where I found a population more likable still and, if possible, still more ingenuous. If I continue in this direction, I may expect somewhere to find the "Garden of Eden", and descendants of our first parents." The first conversion of the indigenous people was started by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Missionaries in 1912, though earlier efforts made from 1911 had resulted in the murder of the missionary named Reverend Mr. Lett in 1916. This is the first reported effort at elimination of the local ethnic culture of shamanism. Some Catholic priests understood the nuances of ethnic culture and adopted many of the ethnic customs such as wearing beads while offering sermons during mass. However, in 1917, J.F.K. Hansen, the Dutch Army Captain, was critical of the pagan customs of the local people and wondered how this custom could be discouraged.
In the early 1990s, plans were afoot to develop the rain forests of the Mentawai Islands where the indigenous people of Siberut, the Sakuddei, one of the few Siberut clans live, into a palm oil
Palm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
plantation, as a commercial proposition. The Government of Indonesia has also not been averse to this conversion since palm oil, an imported item, could be produced on a large scale locally, which would save foreign exchange and supplement the local economy of the country. The district administration at one stage, in the 1980s, had even ordered discontinuing the shamanistic rites and forcible possession of the ethnic paraphernalia of shamanism
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
, which was later stopped. However, in recent years, with international publicity to the local ethnic people, through various media channels, the area where the Sakuddei live has attracted tourist influx, which is now identified as an economic benefit.
In spite of efforts by various international agencies to influence decision making on encroaching civilization of local ethnic groups, a Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
timber company has been granted a logging concession in their area, which is threatening their distinctive way of life. All this is happening in spite of the area having been declared as a "Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
" by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, in 1981. World Wide Fund for Nature
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
(WWF) is persisting with its conservative efforts in association with Andalas University
Andalas University
Andalas University is the oldest university in Indonesia outside of Java. The university consists of eleven faculties, with most located at the main campus Limau Manis, 12 km from the center of Padang, West Sumatra. This campus occupies 5 km², at an elevation of about 100 m. The Faculty...
of West Sumatra
West Sumatra
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
"to study and monitor socioeconomic and biotic conditions in Siberut and the rest of Mentawai".
Culture
Bisht and Bankoti (2004) state that there are at least 11 culturally different communities on Siberut Island. The Leiden UniversityLeiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
anthropologist, Reimar Schefold
Reimar Schefold
Reimar Schefold , is professor emeritus of cultural anthropology and sociology of Indonesia at Leiden University. His special interests are thematic symbolic anthropology, cultural materialism, vernacular architecture, and social change among ethnic minorities...
, spent several years living on Siberut amongst the Sakuddei. According to Schefold, "Everything from people to pigs, rocks to weather, has its own spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
which is quite separate from its 'host' and is free to wander as it wishes. That's why you see that everybody has a different pattern of tattoos -- they want to make sure that their spirit can recognize the right body when it comes back from its nightly travels." However, winds of change is affecting the younger generation of Sakuddeis' clan as observed by one of their elderly leader, known as rimata, who said:
Housing
Their traditional house, an "uma longhouse
Uma longhouse
Uma are traditional vernacular houses found on the western part of the island of Siberut in Indonesia. The island is part of the Mentawai islands off the west coast of Sumatra....
", is built on stilts. This traditional house, located along the river banks, is where formal ceremonies known as punen are held, when the entire clan assemble here. However, under normal circumstances the rimata and his immediate family reside in the uma, which are distinct from the habitats developed by the Dutch as thickly populated ghettos during their colonial rule.
Generally, the lay out plan of Uma, the building traditionally common to the people living in Siberut, has been elaborated by Reimar Schefold, as a three part structure with multiple floors. The gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s slant outwards with a number of filial
Filial
Filial may refer to:* Filial church, a Roman Catholic church to which is annexed the cure of souls, but which remains dependent on another church* Filial piety, one of the virtues in Confucian thought...
s. It has outward sloping walls. The roof appears in the shape of a saddle and the structure is built with timber with a degree of difference between the roof and the tip. Practical and social reasons, aesthetic values, symbolic representations are the main attributes of these structures. It is also said that many a times the symbolism pervades the design of the building.
In 1980, Jowa I. Kis-Jovak noted that during adolescence, some Sakuddei boys build themselves a special house.