Abstract: Frequent accidental drownings have provoked the indigenous Mentawai on Siberut Island (West Sumatra, Indonesia) to connect the recent reappearance of the ever-elusive salt-water crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) with ongoing ecological and social crises. The animal is a special creature, traditionally seen as the embodiment and the companion of the autochthonous spirit of the water (sikoinan) and the custodian of the underworld, a divine arbiter guarding moral order and manifesting social unity. These drowning incidents have led to a resurgence in the old belief that sikoinan is warning and punishing society due to a lack of sharing and the emergence of social inequality inseparable from ongoing development projects. The Mentawai understand that the rampant development activities have altered their cosmological world, caused the depletion of natural resources, and generated new social insecurity. Yet, they are actively engaged and voluntarily aspire to participate in these activities. I argue that the contemporary anxiety over crocodiles and drowning accidents signals an ongoing (re)consideration of what it means to be a Mentawai person and society in the context of rapid social disruption and environmental transformation.

 

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