by Imam Taufiqurrahman
group photos with Participants and organizer team
The 3rd Mentawai Cultural School Teacher and Facilitator Training has been carried out according to the agenda. Taking place on March 28-30 2023, this primate and bird introduction event was held in Toloulaggo Hamlet, Katurai Village, Southwest Siberut District, as was held in the previous year.
A total of 16 participants took part in this activity organized by Malinggai Uma and Siripok Bilou. The participants were representatives of Mentawai (Bumen) Biology and Culture teachers, at elementary, middle and high school levels, in South Siberut and Southwest Siberut.
Apart from teachers, the training was also attended by facilitator Malinggai Uma. There are also representatives of two institutions in South Siberut, namely the Mentawai Cultural Education Foundation and the Tourism Information Center.
Mentawai traditional dance, performed gibbons ( bilou) stories, at the opening ceremony
The Head of Katurai Village, Karlo Saumanuk, was present and officially opened the event. In his speech, Karlo thanked him for organizing the activities in his village. He also advised, “Hopefully this training can be a momentum to increase the capacity and knowledge of teachers,” he said, “to later be conveyed to students at school.”
To the organizers, Karlo advised that the activities could have more impact on society. “Maybe in the future the focus will not only be on teachers, but perhaps on parents or parties who are active in the forest,” he asked. “So, there needs to be a balance.”
The opening which took place at the village hall invited representatives from local government elements and related agencies. Some of those present, for example the Head of Toloulaggo Hamlet, the Education Office, the Village Consultative Body (BPD), and the Tourism Office. The invitees also gave welcoming speeches.
The opening ceremony was enlivened by turuk laggai. This typical Mentawai traditional dance depicts the behavior of animals in the forest. The stomping of the dancers’ feet accompanied by the accompaniment of the beat of musical instruments sounded so harmonious. The dances performed in two sessions were able to attract the attention of many children and the local community.
After the opening, the activity continued with a room material session. There are three lectures, with the first two relating to animals. Both materials were delivered by representatives of the SwaraOwa Foundation.
The first material, namely the conservation and cultural value of birds in the Mentawai Islands, was explained by Imam Taufiqurrahman. Next, Kurnia Ahmadin gave an introduction to primate observation techniques. The final material was in the form of the ins and outs of citizen journalism delivered by Tempo journalist Febriyanti.
Classroom session by Febrianti, local journalist, presenting citizen journalism for conservation and education
The discussions and questions and answers were interesting. Most participants admitted that they did not know much about the biodiversity in the Mentawai Islands. The existence of animals, especially primates and birds, is not specifically mentioned in the Mentawai Culture subject. Moreover, there is a close relationship and philosophical values between animals and Mentawai culture.
Benediktus Satoleuru, Mentawai Culture teacher at SDN 19 Katurai, Southwest Siberut, mentioned some of the material presented in the Mentawai Culture subject. There is an introduction to the local food gete sago, the traditional uma house, titi or tato, as well as musical instruments.
These materials make it possible to include an introduction to animals. In material about uma, for example. Kailaba wooden dolls as omat simagre or toys for spirits, actually have a living form, namely the white-bellied hornbill. The only type of hornbill in the Mentawai Islands has a special place in the beliefs of the Mentawai tribe.
Likewise, skulls of primates or other hunted animals are displayed at Uma. Its existence can be an introduction to introducing the diversity of primates in Mentawai, all of which are endemic.
In the ins and outs of citizen journalism, participants were introduced to journalistic work. Participants are encouraged to express their observations in writing and package them as news or interesting information. Writing can later be shared without having to send it to a newspaper, but simply via a personal social media account.
This writing certainly requires elements of news, as well as information and knowledge. The aim is primarily to promote the cultural richness and biodiversity of the Mentawai Islands. Apart from that, the writings of the training participants as part of the Mentawai community can also function as a voice, both for Mentawai culture and animals, whose existence is increasingly marginalized.
In this training we distributed education posters to all participants and for their schools about birds, primates, butterfly, dragonfly, amphibian and reptile of Mentawai. All these posters using photos that collected during previous fieldwork by Malinggai Uma Team and SwaraOwa team.