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The Sakuddei or Sabiroet people are an ethnic group, one of at least eleven, on the island of Siberut, Indonesia. Siberut is the northernmost of the Mentawai Islands which are located to the west off the coast of Sumatra. TheSakuddei live in south central Siberut in an egalitarian society, cut off from the outside world. They speak a dialect of the Malayo-Polynesian Mentawai language. Their society has been described as classless, egalitarian, without leadership and warfare and with equality among men and women. They are described as living in peaceful harmony with their environment and with other groups. According to Bakker (2007), the Sakuddei have commonly avoided modernization campaigns by retreating into Siberut's interior. ==History== Through known history, since the missionaries started conversion of indigenous people into Christianity, the ethnographic profile of the people of Siberut has been closely observed by many anthropologists. The earliest record of the island people is by Sir Thomas Raffles, who after visiting the island in 1821, commented “I made further discoveries in these Islands, where I found a population more likable still and, if possible, still more ingenuous. If I continue in this direction, I may expect somewhere to find the "Garden of Eden", and descendants of our first parents."〔 The first conversion of the indigenous people was started by the Italian Missionaries in 1912, though earlier efforts made from 1911 had resulted in the murder of the missionary named Reverend Mr. Lett in 1916. This is the first reported effort at elimination of the local ethnic culture of shamanism.〔 Some Catholic priests understood the nuances of ethnic culture and adopted many of the ethnic customs such as wearing beads while offering sermons during mass.〔 However, in 1917, J.F.K. Hansen, the Dutch Army Captain, was critical of the pagan customs of the local people and wondered how this custom could be discouraged.〔 In the early 1990s, plans were afoot to develop the rain forests of the Mentawai Islands where the indigenous people of Siberut, the Sakuddei, one of the few Siberut clans live, into a palm oil plantation, as a commercial proposition. The Government of Indonesia has also not been averse to this conversion since palm oil, an imported item, could be produced on a large scale locally, which would save foreign exchange and supplement the local economy of the country. The district administration at one stage, in the 1980s, had even ordered discontinuing the shamanistic rites and forcible possession of the ethnic paraphernalia of shamanism, which was later stopped. However, in recent years, with international publicity to the local ethnic people, through various media channels, the area where the Sakuddei live has attracted tourist influx, which is now identified as an economic benefit.〔 In spite of efforts by various international agencies to influence decision making on encroaching civilization of local ethnic groups, a Philippines timber company has been granted a logging concession in their area,〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Sakuddei )〕 which is threatening their distinctive way of life. All this is happening in spite of the area having been declared as a "Biosphere Reserve" by UNESCO, in 1981. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is persisting with its conservative efforts in association with Andalas University of West Sumatra "to study and monitor socioeconomic and biotic conditions in Siberut and the rest of Mentawai".〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sakuddei」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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