Explore the Sasak Culture

The Sasak People were the original inhabitants of Lombok, and to this day they remain a strong independant community, living the traditional village way of life. About the Sasak People Sasak life is governed by adherence to a set of rules which govern daily life, such as the way in which a building may be constructed, worship (the Sasak’s converted to Islam around the end of the 16th century, though there are some locations to the north of Lombok where their religious beliefs are a cross between Island and animanistic beliefs such as Hindu and Budhism), and even the way in which marriage engagements are conducted. Some of these traditions and customs may seem strange to outsiders, but to the Sasak people they are simply how life is to be lived. If a girl is to be married, she must be kidnapped by the man who loves her, so to prevent this, the fathers sleep outside of the building to prevent the kidnapping.  Often this is for show only, with the parents fully aware of the intentions of the young male. The Sasak build their homes from all natural materials with the floors being constructed of soil and cow dung.  No concrete is used in any part of the construction.  The roofs are constructed by laying many layers of palm leaves over the top of each other until water-tight, and their buildings are easily distinguished by the peaked rooves. Walls are constructed using a combination of local clay and cow dung.  Cow dung actually plays a large part in the life of the Sasaks as it is used in many areas such as for cleaning the floor of the dwelling, washing, and also for bathing. The Sasak’s are traditionally agricultural people, with men and women sharing the work in the fields. Women also weave incredible textiles, faithfully replicating the pattern which has been passed down from mother to daughter entirely by memory.  There is no ‘pattern’ to follow, it is learned over many years. These textiles have become very popular with international visitor and are highly sought after around the world. Which village to visit There are two well known Sasak villages, ‘Sade’ and ‘Sukarara’, both of which welcome visitors, but unfortunately the focus has of late turned to commercial profit rather than providing visitors with an authentic experience. Lombok has numerous Sasak villages, and we recommend that you discuss with us which you would like to visit. Some of these traditional villages are occupied by as few as 50 people, and some are quite remote. We are only too happy to make recommendations based on what other locations you would like to visit during your tour so that you may get the most out of your time, and to have the most authentic Sasak experience.