Sasak culture & arriving to Lombok

Sasaks are the Indigenous people of Lombok. They make up about 80% of the island's 3 million people. We sadly didn't get a chance to have a rural homestay, but we did visit a few Sasak areas, witness their traditional weaving techniques and spend time with urban Sasak people. The Sasak people practice a form of Islam called Wetu Telu, which incorporates elements of Hinduism and animism.

When we arrived to Gerupuk, the town was celebrating the circumcisions of a few boys. The boys were maybe between ages 3 and 7. Parading down our street were drummers, a flautist and and dancers carrying the boys and their mothers through the village streets on palanquins carved and painted as wooden horses. The next day would be the ceremony followed by a feast with more music.

We also visited the Sasak villages of Sade and Rambitan. Rambitan is a regular village, featuring an old mosque with a traditional straw roof that must be replaced every 5 years. The mosque is estimated to have been established in the 16th century. Sade is also a village where people live, but we all felt sad being there - their everyday life has turned into a tourist destination where they sell trinkets and knock off weavings.Read more