Mentawai Islands: Path to Restoring Forests and Traditional Wisdom

In the Mentawai Islands of West Sumatra, Indonesia, Walter Samalelet, a 65-year-old traditional healer known as a 'sikerei', begins his day by entering the forest adjacent to his home. This land, spanning approximately 323 hectares, is not only a source of sustenance but also the foundation for his traditional healing practices, which involve medicinal plants and rituals. Samalelet's cultivated land features staples like taro and sago, alongside fruit trees such as rambutan, jengkol, and durian. Importantly, it also hosts trees like agarwood and baiko, crucial for sikerei. The bark of the baiko tree is used to make 'kabit', the traditional loincloth worn by sikerei. Beneath the dense canopy, a variety of medicinal plants thrive, which Samalelet expertly utilizes. He identifies plants like 'lemu-lemu' for stomach ailments and 'bakgli-bakgli' for headaches, demonstrating deep knowledge passed down through generations. Sikerei in Siberut possess knowledge of hundreds of medicinal plant species, many of which grow in the forests behind their homes. However, Samalelet highlights the threats to this traditional way of life and the inseparable forest environment. In the Mentawai Islands, external development and resource exploitation are eroding traditional land use and leading to deforestation. The sikerei are calling for the return of their forests, the bedrock of their culture and livelihoods, to the indigenous communities, along with the preservation of their traditional wisdom.