Men, women and children who live separately from modern society as part of an indigenous Indonesian tribe have been revealed in a fascinating series of pictures and portraits.
The heavily tattooed tribesmen of Mentawai live a semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the coastal and rainforest environments of the islands.
The Mentawai people, characterised by their heavy spirituality, body art and their tendency to sharpen their teeth, have a population of around 64,000 and live 90 miles from the coast of West Sumatra.
A young male member of the indigenous Mentawai tribe has tattoos across his arms and wears a flowery headband and dozens of colourful wristbands. Tattoos are synonymous with the tribe and children sport body ink from a young age
One of the adult male members shows off his sharpened teeth – a tradition that involves using a chisel to grind them down to a point. The heavily tattooed tribesmen of Mentawai live a semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the coastal and rainforest environments of the islands
The 64,000-strong indigenous group still hunt fish and animals with poisoned arrows (pictured) and use the skulls of their prey to decorate their homes
Mentawai use bark and leaves as clothes, adorning themselves with necklaces and flowers in their hair and ears (shown). Right, a male tribe member sets off on a hunt – typically seen as the man’s role – while women are usually tasked with fishing
Their homes are made by weaving bamboo strips together to make walls and thatching the roofs with grass.
The floor is raised on stilts and is made of wood planks, and they decorate the interior with the skulls of their prey.
Mentawai use bark and leaves as clothes, adorning themselves with necklaces and flowers in their hair and ears, with women typically wearing a cloth wound around the waist and small sleeveless vests.
A woman with a flamboyant feathered headpiece stands in front of her home, which is made by weaving bamboo strips together to make walls and thatching the roofs with grass. The floor is raised on stilts and is made of wood planks
Two boys who’ve adorned themselves in colourful flowery headbands and beaded necklaces wrap their arms around one another in the communal long house
Women wear colourful headdresses, jewelry and accessories made up of feathers, leaves, bark and pearls. The indigenous people live in clans of up to 80 members
A heavily tattooed man and his partner relax outside of their home. Tattooing is done with a needle and wood which is hammered on the needle by a shaman called sikerei
Body ink on the island is an identity and a personal or communal reflection of the people’s relationship to nature, called arat subulungan. Here, two tattooed males have similar designs on their body which include stars, leaves and patterns down their arms
Tattooing is done with a needle and wood which is hammered on the needle by a shaman called sikerei, while they sharpen their teeth with a chisel for aesthetic reasons .
Body ink on the island was an identity and a personal or communal reflection of the people’s relationship to nature, called arat subulungan.
The semi-nomadic people still hunt fish and animals with poisoned arrows.
The tribe believe every living object has a spirit and worship nature, particularly the river. They think damaging or polluting the water source is a sin.
Their days are spent hunting and fishing and these tasks are divided by gender. While hunting is for men, fishing is predominately a woman’s chore.
The Mentawaian’s social life revolves around their clans, and at the centre is the communal long house.
The tribe has a custom of throwing a feast for everyone before the first hunting to avoid any bad omen. A man and woman appear from the communal long house, where they spend large chunks of time socialising as a clan
An older male member, sporting a pendant made out of a leaf, lights up a cigar (left) while a younger female peaks her head around the corner of her home
A young hunter-gatherer hovers his hands over a fire. The tribe has a tradition of sending a young boy on the first hunt to avoid any bad omens
The clans vary in size between 30 to 80 members and every person has a job to do.
The tribe has a custom of throwing a feast for everyone before the first hunting by a boy to avoid any bad omen.
The women use Panu, a rod made of two three centimetre long blades, to catch fish in an act they call Manino.
Four tribesmen huddle in close and appear to deliberate in the communal log house. Men, women and children in the tribe all love to dance, depicting their love for nature through a set of movements called Laggai Turuk
The Mentawai people, both old (left) and young, use the night to indulge in spirited recreation, losing themselves in a trance-like state as they dance together
The tribe has managed to live separately from the hustle and bustle of modern society in their clans on the Siberut island in Mentawai Islands, Indonesia
A crafty young woman managed to create a backpack using bamboo (left) while a woman gazes into the distance wearing an intricate headpiece
The only specialist in the Mentawai community is its medicine man who is responsible for communicating with the spirits and the souls. Here, a man and woman pose for portraits in their traditional clothes and jewelry
Since they are not familiar with weaving techniques, they still use bark and leaves to cover their privates while they allow their upper body to remain uncovered.
After a hard day hunting and fishing, the Mentawai people use the night to indulge in spirited recreation, losing themselves in a trance-like state as they dance together.
Mentawai men, women and children all love to dance, depicting their love for nature through a set of movements called Laggai Turuk.
They wear colourful headdresses, pearls, feathers and leaves.
The only specialist in the Mentawai community is its medicine man who is responsible for communicating with the spirits and the souls. In cases of misfortune or illness, he is called in to restore harmony within the group.