Tiele! Turis!.

The social and ethnic impact of tourism in Siberut
(Mentawai).

Laurens Bakker

“What do you mean, he is not a tourist? Of course he is a tourist!
Look at him, he is white, has a big nose and a camera. He certainly is a tourist.”

(reply of a Mentawaian kerei to one of Yulianus’ attempts to explain that I was not in the island as a tourist)

Master of Arts Thesis in Cultural Anthropology

June 1999

Leiden University, The Netherlands

Promotor: Prof. Dr. Reimar Schefold
And Dr. Gerard Persoon

FORWORD

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Introduction and research problem

The traditional situation

Indonesian policies on Siberut

Masyarakat terasing

Location of the research

Research methods used

Division of the thesis

CHAPTER TWO: TOURISM: WHERE OPINIONS DIFFER

CHAPTER THREE: CONTACTS IN THE PAST; A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Colonial history of the islands

Early tourists

The Japanese periods and the war for independence

The return of Western visitors

Conclusion

CHAPTER FOUR: CHANGING SOCIETY AND CHANGING WORLDVIEW

Some individual impressions

Salomo of the uma Sakaliou about his house

Hieronymus from Salappa about foreigners

Saruorok from Puro and the sharing of tourists

The blessings of tourism

The disadvantages of tourism

Tourists, relationships and sexuality

Mentawaian perceptions of ‘other’ groups

Tourism as a concept and images of foreign countries

Tourism and how to survive it: the case of Rereiket

Mentawaian identity: differing visions

Conclusion

CHAPTER FIVE: TOURISTS AND THEIR TRIP

‘Savage others’ and tempting offers

Expectancies beforehand

Maaike about Mentawaian villages, travelling in the

jungle and guides

Fishing in the rain and the fabrication of loincloths

Caught in a flood

Healing a sick tourist

A speedboat full of tourists

Impressions afterwards

Tourists: an overview

Conclusion

CHAPTER SIX: GUIDES ABOUT TOURISTS AND MENTAWAIANS

Awang about his career

Lala hopes to marry a Western girl

A Mentawaian guide

The popularity of guiding: guides in Indonesia and the

origin of Bukittinggi’s Siberut guides

Dual social identities and free sexual relations

The Bukittinggi group and other guides

The working situation

Minangkabau and Siberut

Conclusion

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE: SIBERUT WITHIN INDONESIAN TOURISM

Tourism policy in a national perspective

Tourism plans for Siberut and the Indonesian image

of the island

Ratified ethnicity as a means of maintaining identity?

Mentawaian identity and integration

An uncertain future: surfers or oilpalms?

7.6. Conclusion

CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION

APPENDICES

1: The origin of people

2: Prices asked for services and objects

3: Mentawaian perceptions of other groups

4: Demonstration price according to Amakerei

5: Differences between a real puliaijat and a demonstration

6: Break-down of average tour expenditures

REFERENCES