Transformation of Culture: Modernization and the Existence of Sikerei in Mentawai West Sumatera Indonesia

Sikerei or also known as dukun (a shaman) is a man who have the highest knowledge in the social system in a patriarchal society level of Mentawai, Sumatera Barat. The knowledge is the accumulation of behavior patterns, historical, and beliefs that are oral and sacred, also passed down mystically to the next generation. Only Sikerei can orally convey the secret or knowledge about community or the truth of community beliefs, wihich is only mentioned to him, to his followers in community. Moreover, as in many mystic traditions, such as specialknowledgeisnotandcannotbeopenedto the disciples before certain mystical and ritual processed are fulfilled. Sikerei is a special person, he is naturally the central figure or authority in the traditional culture, the important figure of the ethnic, transmission and continuity of tradition, and the charisma and authority the position of Sikerei holds in the traditional world.Sikerei are believed as representative or liaison media between humans and ancestors of Mentawai peoples. The ancestors then transfer their knowledge to Sikerei through a communication system which is only understood by the Sikerei and occurs in possessed or surup. However, acculturation, modernization, and the spread of religion the existence, function and meaning of Sikerei in society to shift. In this context, the study aims to elucidate that the traditional Sikerei hasbeentransformed during modernization and the spread of religion the existence during the Orde Baru’s Rezim in Indonesia, especially with dovelopment process in 1970s, and thus the Sikerei identity has taken the form of fctive construction.