Kloss's Gibbon Photograped by Ismael, a day before departure to Yogyakarta |
Biggest meeting of Indonesian Primate enthusiast have been done this week in Yogyakarta,
18-20 September 2019. Nearly 300 people gathered together, participants,
invited guest, and officials, Indonesian primate enthusiast coming with their
recent presentation talk and posters. Here I notice my personal insight towards
Mentawai primates and it’s conservation effort on during the conference.
First, about opening ceremony, it has been long discussion with organizing committee, to perform something
entertain but related to Indonesian primates. Than come up with two option
i.e : hanuman classic dance or Mentawai
Primate traditional dance, than the committee select Mentawai primate dance that will be
perform during opening ceremony.
dance training before the real stage, it was in Uma |
Seprianus perform as an eagle flying, training in Uma |
Honestly it was not easy to make it, fortunately
we have been working with a Mentawaian community since several years ago, with the
Uma Malinggai Traditional Mentawai, so I talk to the team in Uma about this
plan and to do perform traditional dance from Mentawai, introducing mentawai culture and nature to the special guest of Indonesian primate congress and symposium. . So the team
prepare all the things in less than one month, 6 students from southern
siberut was selected by UMA elders to
come and perform in the opening ceremony of the 5th congress of
Indonesian Primatological Association and symposium on Indonesian primates.
Every week I got update
from Siberut, this is will be the first experience of
these mentawaian going out far away from their home. While the dance
team always send me update during practice, and dance have decided will perform
about Mentawai gibbon dance and bird of prey dance.
Long way trip, from Siberut to Yogyakarta, have made some
Uma members are exhausted, 6 hours by ferry, a
night stop at Padang than fly to Jogjakarta, 14 September leaving for
Yogyakarta, and arrived on 16 September. One day arrived in Yogya this Mentawai
team have opportunity to do dance exercise in the venue and prepare all the
things with conference organizer team.
On the day, opening ceremony everybody are nervous, when the
host calling and introduction all dancers are so gorgeous and amazing, they did
so confidence and attract audience. Watch here for their performance :
This dance are perform usually for traditional ceremony in Mentawai, there are 3 gibbons who live happily in the forest and looking for water to drinks.
Mentawai primate
talks, compare to number of Mentawai primates species, there are still lack of research and conservation works in Mentawai, I noticed some talks presentation about Mentawai primates, and meet
people who work and interested on Mentawai Primate conservation fieldwork.
There are 3 presentation talk about Mentawai primates, first is on the
Biomedical and Biomolekular Symposium, Rizka Hasanah from Bogor Agricultural
University, present her research entitled with “ Analisis Keragaman
Genetik berdasarkan marka D-loop mtDNA dan gen TSPY pada Siamang Kerdil (Hylobates klossii) Kepulauan Mentawai”
from her presentation the conclusion is there is four haplotype based on
mtDNA of Kloss gibbon in Mentawai, however need more sample for to get more
information on the genetic.
Second talk is from Damianus Tateburuk, replace his
colleague Ismael Saumanuk for a talk entitle with “ Gibbon Watching : Promosi
Konservasi Primata Mentawai”, a collaborative work between Uma Malinggai and my
team at swaraowa to promote conservation of Mentawai primates. Dami was said that
we have been prepare sites for primate watching and launch a trip for primate
watching in Mentawai,with a wildlife tour based in Yogyakarta (Loontour).
Pocket guide of Mentawai also have been finished and ready to use for
educational purposes among mentawaian and field guide reference. And my talk it
self is about distribution status of kloss gibbon in Mentawai, based on
2011-2012 survey and 2017 fieldwork. I met two other students have been doing study in Mentawai for Siberut langur ( Presbytis poteziani) and Kloss's gibbon ( Hylobates klossii) however they do not give any presentation. Simakobu (Simias concolor) and Mentawai macaques (Macaca siberu and Macaca pagensis) haven't any update from participants.
Pocket Guide of
Mentawai Primates : a field guide reference for primate watching in
Mentawai Island. official introduction conducted at NGOPI (Ngobrol Primata
Indonesia), collaborative authors for this pocket guide book are : Kasih Putri Handayani, Ika Yuni Agustin, who did field work in Northen Siberut in 2011, and three members of Uma , i.e Mateus Sakaliau, Ismael Saumanuk, And Damianus Tateburuk. This book available for sell
and can be purchased at Swaraowa’s booth during the conference, if you want to
buy online please do through this link.
It was a great opportunity to introduce Mentawai primates and it’s cultural value among primatologist, with hope will gain more attention to support conservation fieldwork in Mentawai. The most important is to bring new experience and motivation for the Mentawaian who involved directly in this meeting, I am sure they will back to their native habitat with good memories that their primates and culture value received highest appreciation.
Pocket guide of Mentawai Primates |
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