Long before Native Planet cultural ecotours were thought of, the Mentawai
were already victims of insensitive journalists. These filmmakers were welcomed by the
Mentawai and assisted in capturing the essence of indigenous daily life. In
return for their hospitality and openness, the Mentawai were promised meager financial compensation and instead
only received a lot of negative,
culturally biased publicity. Several of these unscrupulous crews also made a
significant profit from their misrepresentation of Mentawai traditions. As a
result, the Mentawai are now suspicious of any kind of professional
documentation and only allow people to make these kinds of records through previous
arrangements that provide fair compensation for the value of their pristine
culture to the western world.
Native Planet, however, is in a unique position to offer the professional
media tours required for successful still and motion picture documentary
production. Jean-Philippe’s personal relationship with some of the most
traditional clans and his proven commitment to Mentawai welfare has made
him a trusted advisor and friend to the elders. He has tremendous flexibility in
arranging for selected conscious documentary crews to make
one-of-a-kind records
unattainable by any other means.
In addition to the priceless access available only through Native Planet, we
also arrange Mentawai compensation in a culturally sensitive context that protects and preserves their traditions, while giving the clans fair compensation. If you’d like to help us save and share the lives and wisdom of these fascinating people, please be part of the solution to their problems—contact us first!
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