Definition: The Sikerei
The Sikerei (sometimes spelled Sikerai) are the shamans of the Mentawai people — indigenous inhabitants of the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia. The word Sikerei is both singular and plural; it refers to any individual who has undergone the full apprenticeship to become a practicing Mentawai shaman.
The role of the Sikerei extends far beyond spiritual leadership in the conventional sense. They are simultaneously: healer (diagnosing and treating illness through ceremony and plant medicine), mediator (negotiating with spirits on behalf of the community), forest guide (knowledgeable about medicinal, poisonous, and food plants), oral historian (keeper of community genealogy and tradition), and decision-maker (consulted on major community choices including fishing routes, hunting timing, and ceremonies).
There is no inheritance of Sikerei status. A person becomes Sikerei through a voluntary apprenticeship with a practicing master — typically lasting several years. The apprentice learns through direct observation, participation in ceremonies, and gradual transfer of esoteric knowledge about spirits, plants, and ritual.
Sikerei in Daily Life
Within a Mentawai UMA (communal longhouse), the Sikerei is both an ordinary community member and a specialized spiritual functionary. During non-ceremonial periods, a Sikerei participates in everyday activities — fishing, sago processing, hunting — like any other household member.
Their specialized role activates when illness, misfortune, or community decision-making calls for spiritual intervention. At these moments, the Sikerei enters a ritual state — wearing full ceremonial dress (flowers in hair, face paint, special garments), and performing songs and dances to communicate with the spirits responsible for the situation.
Healing ceremonies (lia) can last from a single evening to several days, depending on the severity of the spiritual imbalance being addressed. The Sikerei identifies which spirit is causing the disruption, negotiates with it through song, and prescribes both physical remedies (specific plants, dietary changes) and ongoing spiritual practices to maintain the restored balance.
Spiritual Knowledge and Forest Medicine
The Sikerei's knowledge of the forest is encyclopedic. They know hundreds of plant species by both common Mentawai name and spiritual significance. Some plants heal specific conditions; some summon specific spirits; some repel dangers; some are essential components of arrow poison preparation.
This knowledge is entirely oral — there are no written Mentawai texts. The Sikerei knowledge system represents thousands of years of empirical observation of the forest ecosystem, accumulated and refined through direct experience and transmitted verbally across generations.
Modern ethnobotanical researchers have documented significant overlap between Sikerei plant knowledge and the pharmacological properties confirmed by laboratory analysis — validating the empirical basis of this traditional medical system.
Tattoos and Sikerei Identity
The titi tattoo is a fundamental element of Mentawai identity, and Sikerei typically have the most extensive tattoo work within the community. Tattoos are applied using a traditional method: thorns attached to a bamboo or wooden handle, dipped in a pigment made from charcoal and natural binders.
Each tattoo design has spiritual and social meaning — documenting the wearer's spiritual milestones, family lineage, and relationship with specific spirits. Critically, tattoo designs are skill and status based: only specific individuals may wear specific designs. For example, the arrow (panah) tattoo design is exclusively worn by hunters — a non-hunter cannot use this design. For a Sikerei, their tattoo record is a visible autobiography of their spiritual journey and community role.
Guests on Pulau Asli Tour can receive a traditional Mentawai tattoo as an optional paid add-on. This is a permanent tattoo using real traditional methods — not a tourist recreation. It must be requested at the time of booking and is subject to community and Sikerei availability.
Sikerei Today: Between Tradition and Modernity
The Sikerei tradition faces significant pressures from modern Indonesian state religion policies, Christian missionary activity, and the economic incentives of urban migration. In many Mentawai villages, young people no longer seek Sikerei apprenticeships at the same rate as previous generations.
However, on Siberut Island — particularly in the interior community forests — practicing Sikerei continue to play central roles in community life. Several families have maintained unbroken Sikerei traditions across multiple generations.
Pulau Asli Tour guests are accommodated with host families that include practicing Sikerei. Andrian Salis, who understands Mentawai language, bridges the language and cultural gap to enable genuine conversation and authentic observation — not performance. Experience this on a tribe tour →
Common Questions About the Sikerei
Experience Mentawai Culture
Small group. No middleman. Led by a 4th-generation Siberut native.