«Indonesia, Siberut Island. An endless labyrinth of streams leads us into the interior of the island. As time passes, the dense vegetation "coils" above us.

"Aloitha! Kipa Sasua" shouted the middle-aged Medawai, emerging from nowhere. We are curious about each other in a very cheerful atmosphere. I with my eyes...he with his hands, concluding that I look like a monkey, because of the hair on my chest. This description became a habit for me as it was the common observation of most Medawai I met.

From the first moment one is impressed by the outward appearance of the Mentawai. Long hair, tattoos all over the body and almost non-existent clothing. Their teeth are sharpened in a triangular shape - for decorative purposes - while they cover their necks with countless colorful necklaces of beads brought by traders from Sumatra. The tattoos decorate almost their entire body, thus "artistically" covering the bare areas.

They have created paths between the villages, in the jungle, methodically cutting the vegetation that insists on disappearing them. Because the ground is almost always wet from the successive tropical rains and the mud very deep, they have placed tree trunks in succession, thus facilitating walking through the jungle. Balancing on them initially seems like a game, but losing it, which happens all the time to an untrained hiker like me, means sinking into the mud up to the knees, and in many parts of the jungle it literally takes the form of a dive

In general, the Mentawai are still not completely accustomed to the presence of white people. They persistently tried to learn all kinds of information about the habits of the "world" I represented. Every time I first appeared in a village, they were shy and reserved. However, their spontaneous character soon made them feel comfortable, especially when they heard me use their own words. Understanding between us quickly became easy. We became friends».

— yannis psilakis