In what was known as the octopus center in Mentawai, the waters off Sinakak have much less to offer today as fishers struggle to find the eight-limbed mollusc.
The issuance of the Regional Regulation on the Recognition of the Mentawai Indigenous Peoples provides legal protection for Indigenous rights at the district level. However, new laws and inaction by the central government have paved the way for timber companies to exploit their land, natural resources and culture.
A training is providing young indigenous women in Mentawai Islands, off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, a chance to learn journalistic video making that will help them voice their concerns on their local environment.