Sasak's unique traditions live on in Lombok

By Susi Andrini

LOMBOK (JP): Piyang in Lombok is home to a community of the Sasak people, who practice their own traditions distinct from their Balinese neighbors living a short distance across the sea.

The hamlet is part of Sengkol village, which has 115 families totalling 580 members.

The tranquil village is situated in the valley of Mount Tawas and cradled by the green hills of Tansang Angsang.

Lombok's Sasak, many of whom practice their own unorthodox form of Islam, comprise a population of about two million.

Upon arriving at Sengkol, one is welcomed by a tourist guide who speaks fluent English, Dutch, German or Italian.

Local children, with their sweet hellos and smiles, are a pleasant sight. They usually ask for change -- "minta kepeng, minta kepeng" (give me some coins) -- but visitors are advised to ignore them.

A visit earlier this year to the village, reached with a bit of hiking, came at the end of the harvest season. Women sat around their house or slept, while others ate with their families.

Sengkol resident Sarpan said the houses were called balai.

To enter the house, one has to climb a flight of stairs made from clay and buffalo dung. While entering, heads are usually bowed to show respect for the male head of the household. Roofs are thatched from tall, coarse grass.

Houseowner Nurgama said the floor of clay and buffalo dung was watered three or four times a week to maintain a smooth surface.

"The buffalo is a symbol of hard work," Nurgama said.

This animal represents the earnestness of a people who are averse to laziness.

Each home consists of a small set of rooms -- the living room and the bedroom for men, and a kitchen and bedroom for women, linked by a staircase.

Tradition rules that married couples do not sleep in the same bedroom. Exceptions are made for newlyweds or those who have yet to be blessed with a child, or if couples desire more children.

Chores

Infants of both sexes must sleep with their mothers. When a son reaches two years old, he moves to his father's bed.

At 12, he is not allowed to sleep in the balai any longer, but must stay at the mosque or a prayer-house. If his father has died, he returns home to be at his mother's side.

Sasak women must be adept at weaving. When wives are busy with this task, husbands take care of household chores and the children until the weaving has yielded a return. The weaving usually takes as long as three to four months to complete.

Shawls are sold at between Rp 15,000 and Rp 30,000, and sarongs for Rp 40,000 to Rp 80,000.

All families own a rice barn reaching three to four meters high, enough to store 1,000 kilograms of unhulled rice.

A little less than 25 years ago, the Sengkol grew rice in the woods, harvesting every five to six months.

Under the current Gogo Rancah rice-field program, harvesting is once every three months. The field is later used for planting maize or other crops.

Although the Sasak have different dialects, the people use the uniform Sasak language for daily conversation.

For written script, the village elderly only know traditional characters, Jejawan aksara, which is on its way to extinction. Only a handful of people understand and use it today.

The average Sasak owns a short machete known as the kelewang. Some also have the kris (curved double-bladed dagger) as well.

"We use the kelewang for our own protection. It is also used to kill thieves and livestock," said Sarpan.

But the word for thief, maling, holds a double meaning for the Sasak people.

Lonto, 70, describes the mamariq, or elopement tradition: "To marry, Sasak men need to maling their wives-to-be."

Menfolk are required to memaling, literally steal, the women they want to marry in a traditional ritual.

Lonto added that for Sasak men, "the tradition is both a test of manhood and bravery. Those who are not able to uphold the tradition are considered effeminate".

Memaling is usually done at night. The girl pretends to visit the outdoor toilet, where her intended husband waits furtively to take her away. The following day, the family of the groom will visit the bride's parents to offer the proposal of marriage.

However, mamariq is only one of the several traditional steps taken by the people of Sasak leading to marriage.

Others include the perondong (matchmaking), tapedait (arranged marriage), atong diriq (the woman surrendering herself) and serah diriq (the man surrendering himself).

Prayers

The Sasak claim to be adherents of Islam, but many believe in Islam Waktu Telu, which advocates prayers only three times instead of five daily. The tradition is particularly prevalent in Senaru and Sengkol at the foot of Mount Rinjani.

The people of Senaru are farmers and believe they must pray before they go to work in the fields to be blessed with good harvests.

Senalu resident Sukrati, 30, said: "Praying three times means to pray on Wednesdays, Friday nights and Sundays".

But a resident of the nearby village of Sigeroan, Helmi, believed "it could also mean praying three times a day: at dawn, sunset and an hour after that".

Helmi said the unique prayer practice was due to a misunderstanding between locals and the propagator of Islam on the island.

"A holy man named Sunan Prapen had spread Islamic teachings. He taught locals to pray five times, but somehow it was misinterpreted to mean three times."

The people also celebrate Islamic events like the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, annual celebrations of Idul Fitri, the post-fasting holiday, and Idul Adha, the day of sacrifice

During the fasting month of Ramadhan, only a single village representative or a traditional holy man actually fasts.

But not all Sasaks believe in Islam Waktu Telu. In the hamlet of Karang Bayan, the mainstream teachings of Islam are followed.

Helmi, who has been on the haj pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the faithful. He said he embraced mainstream Islam in 1963.

An old and disused village mosque bears testimony to the spread of Islam in Lombok. The building is made of wood, with walls carved from bamboo and shielded by a thatched roof. Inside there is a pulpit and a big drum. The mosque is still well maintained.

The upholding of traditions gives its own unique color to Lombok, even as the younger generation no longer follows the practice of three-time prayers.

The Sasak show that more than just a waterway separates Lombok's inhabitants with the celebrated Balinese. As the author of East of Bali from Lombok to Timor, Kal Muller, once said: "You can see Bali in Lombok but you can't see Lombok in Bali".