Mentawai people in the context of "North Pagai"

Indonesian names and naming customs reflect the multicultural and multilingual nature of the over 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago. The world's fourth most populous country, Indonesia is home to numerous ethnic groups, each with their own culture, custom, and language.

The naming customs by no means are consistent, and may differ by ethnic group. For example, most western Indonesians do not have surnames (exceptions: Bataks, Nias, Mentawai, Enggano, and some Dayaks), while eastern Indonesians generally do (exceptions: Balinese, West Nusa Tenggara people, and some ethnic groups in Sulawesi).

West Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau to the northeast, Jambi to the southeast, and Bengkulu to the south. The province has an area of 42,119.54 km (16,262.45 sq mi), or about the same size as Switzerland or Penza Oblast, with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 census. The official estimate at mid 2024 was 5,836,160 (comprising 2,940,270 males and 2,895,880 females). The province is subdivided into twelve regencies and seven cities. It has relatively more cities than other provinces outside Java, although several of them are relatively low in population compared with cities elsewhere in Indonesia. Padang is the province's capital and largest city.

West Sumatra is home to the Minangkabau people, although the traditional Minangkabau region is actually wider than the province's boundaries, covering up to the western coast of North Sumatra, the southwestern coast of Aceh, the western region of Riau, the western region of Jambi, the northern region of Bengkulu, and Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia. Another native ethnic group is the Mentawai people, who inhabit the western islands of the same name. Islam is a predominant religion in the province, with about 97.4% of the total population.

The Mentawai Islands Regency is a regency of West Sumatra Province which consists of a chain of about a hundred islands and islets approximately 150 km (93 mi) off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. They cover a land area of 6,033.76 km (2,329.65 sq mi) and had a population of 76,173 at the 2010 Census and 87,623 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 97,837.

Siberut at 3,877.9 km (1,497 sq mi) is the largest of the islands, occupying 64.27% of the land area of the regency. The other major islands are Sipura (or Sipora), North Pagai (Pagai Utara), and South Pagai (Pagai Selatan). The islands lie off the Sumatran coast, across the Mentawai Strait. The indigenous inhabitants of the islands are known as the Mentawai people. The Mentawai Islands have become a noted destination for surfing, with over 40 boats offering surf charters to international guests.