Who Are the Sasak?
The Sasak are the indigenous people of Lombok Island, Indonesia, comprising about 85% of the island's population with approximately 3-3.5 million people. They speak Sasak, a Malayo-Polynesian language closely related to Balinese and Sumbawan. Lombok lies between Bali to the west and Sumbawa to the east, positioning the Sasak at a cultural crossroads between Hindu-Buddhist Bali and the Islamic cultures to the east. The Sasak converted to Islam beginning in the 16th century but maintain syncretic traditions blending Islamic, Hindu, and animist elements. They are known for their traditional villages, distinctive music (including the gamelan-like gendang beleq), and the practice of Wetu Telu Islam.
Wetu Telu
Wetu Telu ("three times") is a syncretic form of Islam unique to northern Lombok Sasak. Practitioners observe three daily prayers (rather than the orthodox five), fast for only three days during Ramadan, and maintain pre-Islamic beliefs and practices including ancestor veneration, offerings to spirits, and pilgrimage to sacred sites. Wetu Telu blends Islamic, Hindu, and animist elements in a distinctly Sasak synthesis. Orthodox Muslims (Waktu Lima, "five times") view Wetu Telu practitioners as incomplete Muslims. Government pressure and Islamic reform movements have reduced Wetu Telu adherence, though it persists in traditional villages. This tradition illustrates how Islam adapted to local contexts throughout Indonesia.
Traditional Villages
Several Sasak villages maintain traditional architecture and customs, most famously Sade and Ende villages in southern Lombok. Traditional houses (bale) feature thatched roofs, bamboo walls, and raised floors, often arranged around a communal rice barn (lumbung). The distinctive lumbung, with its elevated storage floor and mushroom-like roof, has become an architectural symbol of Lombok. Traditional villages maintain customary practices including weaving (tenun), ceremonies, and adat law. Tourism has brought both income and challenges to these villages, which balance cultural preservation with economic pressures. The traditional village aesthetic has influenced Lombok's tourism architecture and branding.
Contemporary Sasak
Modern Sasak society shows increasing Islamic orthodoxy, with mosque attendance rising and Wetu Telu declining. The 2018 earthquakes devastated parts of Lombok, destroying villages and displacing thousands. Tourism, centered on beach resorts and the Gili Islands, has transformed Lombok's economy and brought both opportunities and cultural change. Many Sasak work in the tourism industry while others continue rice farming and fishing. Migration to other Indonesian islands provides remittances. Traditional crafts, especially weaving, continue for both local use and tourist markets. Relations with Hindu Balinese neighbors are generally peaceful, though the islands have distinct characters. Sasak navigate modernization while maintaining cultural identity.
References
- Cederroth, S. (1981). The Spell of the Ancestors and the Power of Mekkah
- Telle, K. (2009). "Dharma Power: Searching for Security in Postcolonial Lombok"
- Polak, R. (2012). "Sasak Traditional Music and Islam"