people_and_culture.htm

Sasak does not have greetings such as "Good Morning". A Sasak approaching a friend might ask, in the local language, " How are you?, How's your family?" simply as a form of greeting. Locals will frequently ask foreigners like this in English (it may be their only English!) as a greeting. Don't get annoyed - they are just trying to be polite. A smile and a "hello", or greeting in Indonesian, is a polite and adequate response.

Castes

Unlike the Muslims in general, the Sasak in Northern and west Lombok have a caste system. There are four caste castes, the highest being Datu for men and Denek Bini for women, the second Raden for men, and Denda for women, the third Buling and the fourth Jajar Karang. In Central and East Lombok, Lalu for men and Lale for women.

Traditional Culture

Traditional law (adat) is still fundamental to the way of life on Lombok today, particularly customs relating to courting and marriage rituals and circumcision ceremonies. In western Lombok you can see Balinese ceremonies and temples with colorful procession and decorative offerings. Sasak ceremonies are often less visible, though you may see colorful procession as well. Ask around and you can probably find when and where festivals and celebrations are being held.

Circumcision

The laws of Islam require that all boys be circumcised (Nyunatang), and in Indonesia this usually done somewhere between ages of 6 to 11 years old. Much pomp and circumstance mark this occasion on Lombok. The boys are carried through the village streets on painted wooden horses or lions with tails of palm fronds. The circumcision is performed without anesthetic as each boy must be prepared to suffer pain for Allah.

Marriage Rituals

Young couple in Lombok have a choice of three rituals; the first is an arranged marriage, the second a union between cousins, and the third elopement. The first two are uncomplicated: the parents of the prospective bridal couple meet to discuss the bride's dowry and sort out any religious differences. Having handled the business arrangements, the ceremony called "sorong serah" is performed. The third method is far more complicated and dramatic.

Theoretically a young girl is forbidden to marry a man of a lower caste, but this rule can be broken through kidnapping and eloping. As a result, eloping is still a widespread practice on Lombok, despite the fact that in most instances the parents of the couple know what's afoot. Originally it was used as a means of eluding other competitors for the girl's hand or in order to avoid family friction, but it also minimized the heavy expenses of a wedding ceremony. The rules of this ritual are laid down and must be followed step by step. After the girl is spirited away by the boy, he required to report to the Kepala Desa (Chief of the Village). The Kepala Desa then notifies the girl's family through the head of their village. A delegation from the boy's family visits the girl's parent, and between them they settle on a price for the bride, a fine (uang adat) which is distributed among members of the bride's family in recompense for losing her.

Traditional dowries are worked out according to the caste differences; the lower his caste and the higher hers, the more he has to pay. Once this has been settled the wedding begins. Generally the bride and the groom dressed in ceremonial clothes, carried through the village's street, accompanied with sounds of traditional music (gamelan) mingle with the shouts and laughter of the guests as the couple are swooped up and down and around on their way to the wedding place. Throughout the whole ceremony, the bride must look downcast and unhappy at the prospect of leaving her family.

Language

Most people on Lombok are bilingual, speaking their own ethnic language, Sasak, as well as the national language, Bahasa Indonesia, which they have learned at school and use as their formal and official mode of communication. English is becoming more widely spoken on Lombok includes Police and other officials. Travellers without a grasp of Bahasa can get by, but some knowledge of it enhances an understanding of the island and could also be valuable an an emmergency. Check out the Learning Bahasa Indonesia page to understand most common used phrases.

Food

In the main Tourist area; Senggigi, Gili Islands and Kuta Beach Lombok, numbers of Tourist's Restaurant available serving Western food, Indonesian and Chinese food. In Mataram and in some remote area on Lombok, Indonesian food, Padang food and Chinese food are dominating. Rumah Makan (eating place) can be found easily in Mataram, Ampenan and in most main street. Sasak Food uses white rice as staple, served with vegetable curries or soup, chicken, beef, fishes, hot chilli and no pork. In Bahasa Indonesia, the word Lombok means Chilli paper and it used liberally in local cooking. The famous sasak food are:

Ayam Taliwang, fried or grilled wild young chicken with chilli sauce is originally from Taliwang Sumbawa, but it has become a Lombok speciality.

Sate Ikan Tanjung, one of the tastiest food on Lombok, originally coming from a village called Tanjung - Northern Lombok. Pieces of fresh snapper or tuna mixed with coconut milk, lemongrass, garlic, chilli paper, spices, wrapped onto sate stick and grilled. Try them on your way back from a day tour from waterfall or gili Islands.

Ares, a dish made from the pith of banana tree stem, with coconut juice, garlic and spices.

Pelecing Kangkung, very popular on Lombok as a daily dishes to eat together with plain rice. Cooked water convolvulus (kangkung), mixed with a sauce made with chilli, fish paste (terasi), tomato salt and lime.

Kampong at Mataram

UNIQUE AND CHARACTERISTIC LOMBOK TRADITION

The southern beach of Lombok, like Kute, Seger, Mawun, Tanjung, Grupuk, and Kaliantan Beach, with the waves that often hithe cliffs, appeared different on that morning. Crowds of people visited the beach to conduct the traditional Bau Nyale ceremony.

The Sasak tribe on Lombok Island mainly lives from farming, and rigidly hold onto their customs, in particular those that relate to the forces of nature that act upon life and farming. Unfortunately however, sometimes nature is not too friendly. Long draughts often upset the eco-system on Lombok Island, in particular South Lombok. With the result that rice fields dry out and harvests fail.

Since long before, agricultural fields on Lombok Island largely depend on the rainfall. To capitalize on this, much labour and time is needed. This tiring work certainly requires intermezzos and entertainment, among others by conducting the Bau Nyale ceremony (catching Nyale).

Nyale itself being a sea worm that lives only in rock bestowed beaches, like along the southern beach of Lombok. The purpose of the Nyale catching tradition being to implant a solidarity amongst the people in realizing unison and unity.

The locations that are much visited are the Pemongkong Village at Kalianten Beach, in the Regency of East Lombok, and Kute Village at Seger Beach, in the Regency of Central Lombok. The ceremonies are held between the 19-20th of the tenth month on the Sasak calendar, usually coinciding with the month of February, and is marked by the emergence of the star Rowat.

The Legend of the Nyale Princess

The tradition of catching Nyale cannot be separated from the legend that has developed throughout almost the whole community of the Sasak tribe. This legend is very interesting, because it is interwoven into a romantic story of the beautiful princess Mandalika.

As the story goes, long time ago there was a King who ruled in the Eberu Kingdom. The king had a beautiful daughter by the name of Princess Mandalika. Apart from being beautiful, Princess Mandalika also was well mannered, an expert spinner and weaver, and had a lovely voice. All these specialties certainly made the Princess Mandalika widely known and sought by the Princes, who aspired to marry her.

This situation certainly worried the King, because the rejection of any of the marriage proposals would lead to a bloody war, which would further cause disasters. For Princess Mandalika this would also be difficult to answer.

After days of tobbing, the princess finally arrived at the decision to announce, on the 20th of the tenth month of the Sasak calendar, along the seaside, who would have the right to own her.

On the predetermined day, the people and the princes patiently awaited the Princess' decision. The noisily situation suddenly became quiet and even the wind blowed softly, while the sea turned calm, only once a while allowing the waves to slam onto the cliffs of rocks. For a while the Princes bowed their heads before the Almighty, praying that they would be the chosen.

Then the moment came for the princess to announce her decision and loudly she shouted :"Dear Father, and Mother, Princes and people of the Eberu Kingdom. Today I decide that I am for all of you. I cannot choose anyone of the princes, and because of the fate has decided for me to become a Nyale, which you can all enjoy on the day of the month when I become a Nyale.

Farming at Lombok