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The Mentawai Get New Fanny Packs | Apr 07th
I traveled to Siberut, Indonesia last August and slept on the front porch of some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met- The Mentawai. During the trip I became good friends with the Shaman’s that guided me through the rainforest- Bajak Lala, Toikot, Tai Jia Jia and Tarason. These medicine men acted as a bridge into their culture, introducing me to their families, friends and complex spiritual beliefs. I had to repay them some how…
To see the Mentawai Series, visit www.joeyL.com and click Personal > The Mentawai
To read the behind the scenes blog, click here
Although the Shaman refuse to join any government villages established near them, one of the few modern conveniences they enjoy are fanny packs. It makes perfect sense- they can keep everything they need in there for their daily lives- medicinal plants gathered from the rainforest to heal clan members, bits of Sago palm to eat while on a monkey hunt, and of course tobacco- a favorite past time. All of this and they do not divert attention away from their traditional tattoos and look good with a loincloth made of red tree bark.
So when it came time for me to leave Siberut last year, I promised the Mentawai I would find a way to get them new fanny packs, it was the least I could do for all they had done for me. Their old packs they traded for had seen better days, and the cheap material didn’t last long in the damp climate. When I got home, I shipped some nice leather ones to my apartment from another kind of rainforest- Amazon.com
The Mentawai do not exactly have mail boxes. They live on a remote island, tucked away safely in the rainforest practicing their ancient traditions away from persecution. So, I put the fanny packs in a box along with some pictures, and mailed them to Ricky. Ricky was one of my guides and translators who lives in Padang, a large city in Sumatra. Ricky and I had also become good friends during the trip, so he was happy to take the arduous journey again to the remote clans, and deliver the goods.
To get to the house of Aman Tai Jia Jia (a shaman of the Atabai Clan) from Padang, you must hop on a 10 hour cargo boat across the ocean. When you reach the island Siberut, you have to take a dug-out river boat all day to the interior of the island and spend the night at Gejeng’s house, our other Mentawai guide. From Gejeng’s, you leave in the morning and trek 4-6 hours uphill and finally reach Aman Tai Jia Jia’s home, where he will most likely be sitting there with his kids telling stories, and greet you with a big smile of sharpened teeth.
Ricky just got back from Siberut, and delivered the goods. He sent me the following pictures from his point and shoot camera, and personal messages from the Mentawai Shamans.
Lala : “Masura Bagata Joey, Mecak Jene anai kahidup…hahaha…”
“Thank you Joey, Come back here again while I’m still alive…hahaha…”
Toikot : “Maeruk lek lopet na? Masura bagata. Ponia oni na..??? Oh Joey!!!” :
“Good Fanny Pack isn’t it? Thanks. How do you say his name..? Oh Joey!!!”
Ta jia Jia:“Joey, Masura bagata siripok ku tapi lopet na maigi ka aku, hahahahahha!”
“Joey, Thank you but this panny pack quite big for me, hahahahahha!”
Tarason: “Bak malupa ekeu Joey lek nu majanji, masura bagata oto toggok jene mecak”
“You didn’t forget your promise Joey, thank you and hope to see you again here.”
I’m sure I will see them again sooner than later.
JL
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Isabella:(Apr 07th - 05:25) it looks very exciting :) I love the two first pictures
zeez:(Apr 07th - 06:08) nice gesture of sending them the waist pouches:)
Bille:(Apr 07th - 06:20) Good on you and a good solution to repay them...
Morgan:(Apr 07th - 06:37) Fantastic story, how banal it may seem. Owning up to a promise must be hugely important for them, and this will have created bonds i\'m sure. Always a great read. Morgan
Troy Freund:(Apr 07th - 07:02) Good job, Joey; that\'s the follow-up that\'s so important. Thanks for being a good example for all of us out here. Keep up the great work; be well.Sincerely,Troy
chi:(Apr 07th - 10:23) the smell of leather fanny packs will give away their location when hunting. You\'ve doomed them all! hahha
Jenna Julianne:(Apr 07th - 11:33) AWE! You rock Joey L! AWESOMEEEEEE :)
Axel:(Apr 07th - 14:21) Hey Joey,Love your photos from the Mentawai series - amazing people, and I would love to go and visit them myself one day! Hope you get to see them soon again - feel free to send an invite my way (c\',Keep on blogging - and doing what you do best!Cheers, Axel
Richardg:(Apr 07th - 14:28) Hey that was a very nice gesture to give them I am sure they really appreciated them. It looks like to are a simple people not requiring many material things like here in the west. So for them I am sure they are very happy.Nice going Joe..
alfred:(Apr 07th - 16:47) these look like amazing ppl,joey they will never forget you
Michael Bandy:(Apr 07th - 21:58) Great stuff man! I am sure they will find them quite useful.
Sher:(Apr 07th - 23:30) Joey, you are a very kind and thoughtful man. I\'m so proud to know you. Hugs to you!...Sher
Agnesa:(Apr 07th - 23:32) Hey Joey! that\'s amazing...you\'re making friends all over : ) .
Jill:(Apr 09th - 01:20) I\'m a long-time reader of your blog, Joey- and this post made me want to comment because it\'s a little different from your others. There are no fancy, processed images- only real snapshots of genuine friends. I really admire that you treat your subjects with so much humanity and respect, not as though they\'re just another assignment... and you can really see how happy they are to know that, too! This took a lot of coordination!Also, I think I\'m in love with you. haha :) Keep up the great work!
TAKKI:(Apr 10th - 07:54) This is a great story, thanks for sharing
arnanda:(Apr 14th - 05:25) ohohohooo, such a perfect gift for them! anyway, big thank you for your great pictures in my country. glad to know that The Mentawai had already been captured by one damn cool Joey L! :)
Dee:(Apr 14th - 07:32) Wow... great story Joey and such a lovely gift for them...
renata :(Apr 14th - 21:49) more important than talent, is having a good heart. and you have both!:)
Mark:(Apr 18th - 10:21) Ah, nice work and nice gesture. You have some amazing travels.
abdu:(Apr 21st - 16:04) very nice your gallery photo
Adam Svensson:(Apr 26th - 09:30) Love the stuff dude!.. When are u gonna update ur blog man? checking it daily, need more photos from ya :P btw.. coming to NY soon. 15th of may. take care
Firdaus Ginting:(Apr 27th - 03:12) great stuff men.. im indonesian and a big fan of your work, and i myself never been to mentawai even though im near. hopefully in the near future i\'ll be there, and hopefully with you joe.. i wish...thanks for sharing this...
Ade:(Apr 27th - 22:20) hi joey.. i\'m originally come from west sumatera, the province where mentawai island located.. love to see the sessions of mentawai people you\'va made.. i hope i can accompany you the next time you visit mentawai again,..cheers,,
Geoff:(Apr 29th - 18:04) You\'re very talented and I\'m pleased to see you\'re making the most of it and taking the opportunities afforded to you to experience the vastness life has to offer and grow in your field.
Lawrence Oluyede:(May 04th - 07:37) Great post Joey and great work.
Jared Rey:(May 05th - 00:26) That is stinkin\' awesome that you shared those fanny packs and how crazy it was just to get it to them. Thanks for sharing those details. Cool stuff man.
Francois:(May 07th - 06:56) Amazing, they must have been so happy. I remember they were eagerly waiting for that when I visited them in December!
Kosmo:(May 10th - 11:52) Undeniabley, you have some great talent, but even if this guy went to see the same people, and shot with the same \"style\", I don\'t call it a copy. I can understand why you feel that way, but when you look at his website, this style apply to all other travels he has done...I found another photographer (Laurent Auxietre) who as the same style as well, and even some exactly same pictures than you - (he told me you did the same trip.)If he made the travel to do it so far, he must be as passionate..
niharika:(May 17th - 19:01) hey..really very nice..this is the first time i have visited your page n couldn\'t resist leaving a comment.I will be comin around more now :)