Nusa Tenggara is the driest area in Indonesia and especially East Sumba is dry and rocky. In contradistinction to the North of Indonesia, Sumba is not made by volcanoes but made of coral. The coral reefs around south NTT (Nusa Tenggara Timor) belong to the most beautiful underwater scenes in the world. Sumba is situated in the Sabu sea and the shores of Sumba are very suitable for surfing and diving. In some areas it is possible to make some money out of tourism.
Sumba’s calcareous ground is not very fertile and in most areas, wet cultivation of rice is impossible. The greatest part of East Sumba looks like a savannah with grasslands. Therefore the East Sumbanese live from stock breeding (buffaloes, pigs and horses) and fishing at the coast areas. The West Sumbanese have more agriculture and they cultivate rice, corn, tobacco, coffee and cocos. The work on the land is still done in a traditional way, with the help of horses and buffalos.
Sumba Religion
Christianity merges with Marapu.
In Sumba, two religions are mixed in an interesting way.
Inside the impressive Marapu roofs, there is a spiritual world for the spirits of the ancestors, but inside the house you can find an image of Jesus hanging on the wall. 65 per cent of the Sumbanese population is officially registered as Christian and 35 per cent accedes only the Marapu religion. This does not mean there are more Christians than Marapu. Since 1965, Indonesians are obliged to be registered as Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Hindu or Buddhist. Marapu is not being acceded by the government. Everyone who wanted to work for the government had to register himself as a Christian, for that was the only other religion known in Sumba. Nearly all the Christians are just as much Marapu as they are Christian.
The Sumbanese
The Sumbanese can easily be recognised by their clothing. The men wear an ikat sarong, a “hinggi” around their hips and they wear a belt with a sword in it. They have a bandeau made of ikat around their head. The ikat is printed with animal and human motives. In East Sumba the ikat is black with colourful motives and in West Sumba the ikat is usually blue.
The women wear an ikat as well but they have different prints and a different style. Ikats from Sumba are very popular with people around the world.
Another feature from Sumbanese is that they are excellent horsemen. Children have learned to ride a horse when they were very young. As adult they show their talent annually with the traditional pasola.
