Abstract
To maintain and develop cultural tourism villages in Mentawai, indigenous traditions and English need are importantly explored. Such study is not conducted yet and unexamined. This study examines Mentawai indigenous traditions and tourism English of which the focus is on death tradition, tourists’ interest in the death tradition elements, and tourism English need based on the tradition. The objectives are to find out elements of death tradition, tourists’ interest, and tourism English. The study applies qualitative and quantitative approach. Convenient sampling is used for the sampling method. Primary data are collected from survey. The result is that the death tradition has various unique elements such as information on death (Loibak), burial process (Soksok), ritual of finding the dead person’s belongings magically (ritual Sigabaalaket), Ritual of Takep and Kirekat, ritual of sadness abolishment (Panasai), ritual of forgetting sadness (Susuru), Ritual of self-strengthening (ritual Eeru), Ritual of cleaning Uma magically (Bibit Uma). Tourists have interest in the elements of tradition with various level. The highest interest is on ritual Sigabaalaket. English need for the death tradition-based cultural tourism involves specific English vocabularies related to the ritual practice of the death tradition.