The Kerei

Foundations of a Shaman’s Life

Kerei

Guardians of Balance — Bridges Between Worlds

The kerei, the Mentawai shamans, stand at the spiritual center of Mentawai society. As healers, ritual experts, and mediators between the human world and the realm of souls, they safeguard balance in every dimension of life — body, forest, community, and spirit.

Their work begins where ordinary understanding ends. They diagnose illnesses that arise not only from physical causes but from wandering souls, broken taboos, or unseen disturbances carried by animals, objects, or events. Through chants, invocations, and ritual dances, they restore harmony between the physical and spiritual realms. With deep knowledge of forest plants, they prepare medicines that heal wounds, calm fevers, ease pain, and soothe troubled hearts.

The kerei are the only Mentawai who possess a distinct domain of work. Their authority is rooted not in wealth but in spiritual accomplishment, personal discipline, and the respect they earn from their community.

Salipak

The Sacred Box — A Vessel of Power and Lineage

The salipak is the heart of a kerei’s ritual life — a sacred wooden box bound with rattan, holding the objects through which he communicates with the spirit world.

Inside lie bells, medicinal ingredients, ritual leaves, and spirit-given items. Among these is the ngalou abak, kept safely within until the novice becomes a full kerei. Each object has its own lineage, its own potency. Together, they form a small yet powerful universe — a portable shrine that allows the kerei to work wherever he is called.

The salipak is not opened casually. Before lifting its lid, the kerei must concentrate, chant, and align himself with the unseen. Opening it without proper preparation could disturb the balance between human and spirit realms.

In the uma, the salipak is placed in a respectful, elevated position, near the post associated with ancestral presence. When a kerei dies, his salipak is passed to a chosen heir — not necessarily a family member, but someone spiritually suited to inherit its responsibility.

Through the salipak, the continuity of shamanic knowledge endures — a quiet, potent link between generations of healers.

The Calling

Why Become a Kerei

Becoming a kerei is a choice — and a lifelong commitment. The path is demanding, marked by strict taboos, long periods of seclusion, and years of training. A shaman must protect his own soul as much as the souls of others; violating taboos can harm both. While the role brings prestige, it offers no economic gain. Payments for healing take the form of larger shares of ceremonial meat, which must be redistributed to the entire household.

Yet the desire for honor — a respected name carried far beyond one’s own valley — motivates many to embrace this path. A father may encourage his son to train as a kerei, for the novice’s success reflects on the entire lineage. Supporting a novice’s training requires dozens of pigs and hundreds of chickens, and the father who provides these sacrifices earns admiration across the island.

Even so, the number of shamans is declining. In many valleys it was once common for a third of adult men to be kerei. Today, fewer young men choose the demanding path.

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