Gua Mentawai

The Mentawai Hills are forested hills that have caves which serve as habitats for bats, a land area dominated by trees, usually aged from decades to hundreds of years. This area is considered sacred and is protected by the indigenous community. The Mentawai Cave is considered sacred because it contains a water flow that can prevent the outbreak of swine fever in the Kalam region. It is said that in ancient times there was a cave in the forest, which was once a settlement for the community, but due to a disaster, it is no longer inhabited and is regarded as sacred by the people. There was a story about an orphan who attended a feast in the Mentawai settlement, but upon arriving at the event, the orphan was only given a side dish to take home. The child happily brought the package back to give to his father who was still working in the fields. When his father returned from the fields carrying a red monkey, he felt hungry. After that, the child showed that he had received a package of side dish from the feast. When the father opened it, he found that the side dish was in the form of meat, but it turned out to be resin. He became very angry because he felt insulted by the gift. After that, the father, annoyed, dressed the red monkey in human-like clothing and took it to the feast, where everyone present laughed at the red monkey, in a state of roaring laughter. Then a storm arose that disrupted the feast and caused everyone along with their livestock (chickens) to turn into stone. Because it is no longer inhabited, this cave is now home to bats, which in the local language are called Mentawai. Currently, the Mentawai cave is still used as a place for customary rituals.

The Mentawai cave produces natural resources in the form of Mentawai (Bats). Nowadays, many people hunt these bats freely. In the past, there were rules for taking bats and performing the Nampu Mentawai ritual. Where once a year, the community was allowed to take bats, and the entire community would gather when the rice turned yellow in January and scramble to take Mentawai. This ritual has not been performed for a long time, but there is a desire to revive it so that the collection of bats has regulations. Furthermore, it is also planned to be developed as a tourism area in the future.

By protecting the Mentawai Hills, the community is also protecting the natural resources found in the Mentawai Hills, including the flora and fauna that can be harvested and utilized for daily life. In addition, the Mentawai Hills also have tourism development potential that will eventually impact the livelihood of the community.