04/12/2020
https://www.facebook.com/222896714556275/posts/1697085253804073/?extid=0&d=n
The Mentawai Cultural Education Foundation: Yayasan Pendidikan Budaya Mentawai (YPBM), a First Nations-led organisation supported by IEF, designs and manages its own Indigenous education programs for young Mentawai students. The Maillepet learning hub, Bubuakat Simalainge’, is one of these hub programs.
In October, students were taught about the cultural significance of the Mentawai Jaraik, an openwork carving including monkey skulls that is hung above the clan house, or ‘Uma’, to ward off evil spirits. In the below photo, we can see the Bubuakat Simalainge’ hub students learning about the elaborate collective ritual of the Jaraik, which ensures its magical efficacy. The manufacture of the Mentawai Jaraik is considered especially difficult and very rarely seen practiced today.
To find out more about YPBM’s education initiatives advancing education equity for Indigenous communities in Indonesia, click here:http://bit.ly/2l4bZBq