All photographs the property of http://www.joeyl.com
Click here (joeyl.com) for a dramatic photo-essay on the Mentawai people of Indonesia, including their modern-day shamans... Your thoughts/observations about some of the social dynamics involved with this community?
9 comments:
Roxanne G
said...
The contrast between an older world and a new world is noted. Western garments are observable in some of the photos, as compared to the general nudity of the older individuals. Are the tattoos indicative of experiences or acquired wisdom? I noticed that some, but not all, of the Mentawai people wore headbands. I greatly enjoyed the photo series. The photographer managed to capture, in my limited opinion, a small breadth of the Mentawai mentality within the expression of nature and person.
I found the contrast between generations interesting teh older people are mostly unclothed and the younger generation seems to be comfortable either clothed or partially nude. The photos were very nice and i enjoyed this photographers variety of images.
I think that Joey did an excellent job of capturing the Mentawai people in their daily life. The pictures remind me of the "Garden of Eden" from the bible. God wanted us to live with nature and be satisfied. Which to me that is what these pictures are showing me about this group of people. They seem to enjoy their life,family and nature and are happy. Lisa
I think these photos are stunning. I really like how the younger Mentawai people and the older Mentawai people seem to stand proudly next to each other in some photos. To me this portrays the social dynamic that all members of the community are valued, regardless of age. I particularly like the photo of the three men standing in ankle-deep water (http://www.joeyl.com/personal-galleries/the-mentawai-2/#!418). They all seem to be different ages, but regardless of this they are in traditional clothing, which contrasts previous photos where younger people are in more modern clothing. I think that even though there is an evolution in the community (younger generation wearing modern clothing, for example), the older generation has passed on what they needed for in order for the younger generation to keep the Mentawai community alive.
These images are brilliant. You can see (and feel) that these people live full lives. Their faces, their bodies, their tattoos, the visible transition from an older time to the present - the reality of all of these make the images very easy to connect with. You can see that the tribe is undergoing a shift - not only strictly technologically or stylistically - but likely spiritually as well. Socially, you can see that there is great respect for the past, but questions still arise. Will shamanism continue in the Mentawai tradition as it has in past? No one can really say. But it is obvious that there is a rich tradition with great respect for the ways of the past.
As a photographer, I really like the photos that were taken for this essay. You can really see how these people lived and how their shamans practice today. It's almost like you are there with them. You can definitely tell the difference between the newer age versus the older age in how each of the people dress and the amount of tattoos. I believe that the tattoos represent the amount of knowledge that is gained from living and experience but it also represents the tribe that you are a part of. You can tell that there is a shift going on and that the children of this village actually have a choice on whether or not they want to practice "the old ways" or not. They may respect the old culture but they chose not to practice.
I noticed that the women and men alike seem to have a similarity in dress as well as in resemblance to each other. When looking at the pictures that where only the top portion of the woman's body was showing, I did not notice it was a woman until I read the caption. Although the tattoos are different they seem to share some type of pattern such as how they come down across the chest, down the middle of the chest. Their arms and legs have similar patterns as well. I like the pictures of the older generation with the younger generation. Although there are very distinguishing characteristics between the two, ancient and modern, there seems to be a sense of pride reflected in both.
I noticed that the youth seem to only wear western clothing in settings in the home or household duties, but wear clothing of their elders (or lack of) in ritualistic settings, like the shamanic initiations and hunts. This indicates that the social dynamic is changing along generational lines. This could suggest that the youth perceive shamanic ritual as something to be preformed for cultural reasons, instead of spiritual. But it appears in these stunning pictures that no matter the generation, a fierce sense of belief in the spiritual side of the practices permeates the social dynamic, regardless of age. I think this difference between the youth and the elders just reflects the changing world. Across the world, this happens, just shows itself by different means.
9 comments:
The contrast between an older world and a new world is noted. Western garments are observable in some of the photos, as compared to the general nudity of the older individuals. Are the tattoos indicative of experiences or acquired wisdom? I noticed that some, but not all, of the Mentawai people wore headbands. I greatly enjoyed the photo series. The photographer managed to capture, in my limited opinion, a small breadth of the Mentawai mentality within the expression of nature and person.
I found the contrast between generations interesting teh older people are mostly unclothed and the younger generation seems to be comfortable either clothed or partially nude. The photos were very nice and i enjoyed this photographers variety of images.
Bob
I think that Joey did an excellent job of capturing the Mentawai people in their daily life. The pictures remind me of the "Garden of Eden" from the bible. God wanted us to live with nature and be satisfied. Which to me that is what these pictures are showing me about this group of people. They seem to enjoy their life,family and nature and are happy.
Lisa
I think these photos are stunning. I really like how the younger Mentawai people and the older Mentawai people seem to stand proudly next to each other in some photos. To me this portrays the social dynamic that all members of the community are valued, regardless of age.
I particularly like the photo of the three men standing in ankle-deep water (http://www.joeyl.com/personal-galleries/the-mentawai-2/#!418). They all seem to be different ages, but regardless of this they are in traditional clothing, which contrasts previous photos where younger people are in more modern clothing. I think that even though there is an evolution in the community (younger generation wearing modern clothing, for example), the older generation has passed on what they needed for in order for the younger generation to keep the Mentawai community alive.
Lauren
These images are brilliant. You can see (and feel) that these people live full lives. Their faces, their bodies, their tattoos, the visible transition from an older time to the present - the reality of all of these make the images very easy to connect with. You can see that the tribe is undergoing a shift - not only strictly technologically or stylistically - but likely spiritually as well. Socially, you can see that there is great respect for the past, but questions still arise. Will shamanism continue in the Mentawai tradition as it has in past? No one can really say. But it is obvious that there is a rich tradition with great respect for the ways of the past.
Sophie
As a photographer, I really like the photos that were taken for this essay. You can really see how these people lived and how their shamans practice today. It's almost like you are there with them. You can definitely tell the difference between the newer age versus the older age in how each of the people dress and the amount of tattoos. I believe that the tattoos represent the amount of knowledge that is gained from living and experience but it also represents the tribe that you are a part of. You can tell that there is a shift going on and that the children of this village actually have a choice on whether or not they want to practice "the old ways" or not. They may respect the old culture but they chose not to practice.
Saryn
I noticed that the women and men alike seem to have a similarity in dress as well as in resemblance to each other. When looking at the pictures that where only the top portion of the woman's body was showing, I did not notice it was a woman until I read the caption. Although the tattoos are different they seem to share some type of pattern such as how they come down across the chest, down the middle of the chest. Their arms and legs have similar patterns as well. I like the pictures of the older generation with the younger generation. Although there are very distinguishing characteristics between the two, ancient and modern, there seems to be a sense of pride reflected in both.
Katrina A.
I noticed that the youth seem to only wear western clothing in settings in the home or household duties, but wear clothing of their elders (or lack of) in ritualistic settings, like the shamanic initiations and hunts. This indicates that the social dynamic is changing along generational lines. This could suggest that the youth perceive shamanic ritual as something to be preformed for cultural reasons, instead of spiritual. But it appears in these stunning pictures that no matter the generation, a fierce sense of belief in the spiritual side of the practices permeates the social dynamic, regardless of age. I think this difference between the youth and the elders just reflects the changing world. Across the world, this happens, just shows itself by different means.
Sydney
Very astute observations and thoughtful comments; thanks for taking the time on behalf of your online participation grade!
pdk
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