Sasak people

Not to be confused with Sekak people.
"Bodha" redirects here. For the 2018 Tamil-language film, see Bodha (film).
Sasak people
Sasaks
Dengan Sasaq
ᬲᬸᬓᬸ​ᬲᬲᬓ᭄
A Sasak woman making traditional cloth
Total population
3,173,127 (2010 Indonesian census)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Indonesia3,173,127
West Nusa Tenggara3,033,631
Bali22,672
East Kalimantan22,194
Central Sulawesi20,436
South Kalimantan11,878
South Sulawesi11,335
Languages
Native
Sasak
Dialects
North Sasak (Kutó-Kuté, Bayan-Sasak) · Northeast (Sasak Nggetó-Nggeté) · Central Sasak (Menó-Mené) · Central East Sasak-Central West Sasak (Ngenó-Ngené) · Central South Sasak (Meriaq-Meriku)[2][3]
Also
Indonesian, Arabic (religious only)
Religion
Majority
Sunni Islam[4][5][6]
Minorities
Related ethnic groups
Austronesian peoples
Bayanese · Balinese · Bali Aga · Sumbawa · Dompuan · Bimanese · Javanese

The Sasak people[a] (Sasak: Dengan Sasaq, Sasak script: ᬲᬸᬓᬸ​ᬲᬲᬓ᭄; Indonesian: Orang Sasak) or Sasaknese, mainly live on the island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, numbering around 3.6 million (85% of Lombok's population). They are related to the Balinese in language and in ancestry, as well as to other ethnic groups on the neighboring island of Sumbawa. The Bayan people are a distinct part of the Sasak people, and are the oldest group on Lombok.[7]

Sasak people are predominanty Muslim; those who practice pre-Islamic beliefs are also known as Sasak Boda in reference to the name of the Sasak people's original religion, Bodha (Boda).[8][9]

Etymology

The name "Sasak" was first mentioned in the 11th century Pujungan Inscription, an inscription found in Tabanan Regency, Bali.[10]

The origin of the name "Sasak" may come from the word sak-sak, which means "boat"; it may also mean "one by one". The word sak is also used by some Dayak people on Kalimantan to mean "one".[11] In the 14th century Nagarakṛtāgama, the word Sasak is mentioned along with Lombok in the Kawi phrase Lombok Sasak Mirah Adhi, in which Lombok means "straight" or "honest", Mirah means "gem", Sasak means "statement", and Adhi means "something that is good" or "utmost". Therefore, Lombok Sasak Mirah Adhi means "honesty is the gem that states goodness".[12]

According to local tradition, it is believed that the word "Sasak" comes from the phrase sa'-saq which means "the one", followed by the word Lombok which originates from the word Lomboq, meaning "straight". Hence, Sa'-saq Lombok means "something that is straight". Other translations also include "a straight road".[13]

Weaving, an important part of Sasak culture, is known as sèsèk in the Sasak language; the word sèsèk comes from the words seksi, sesek, or saksak. Sèsèk is done by threading the threads one by one (sak-sak), then tightening the threads, and then forming a cloth by beating them on a loom. The sound heard when beating the loom is similar to the sound "sak-sak", and it is only done twice.[14][15] Yet another theory is that the word Sasak means "bamboo woven together".[16]

History

Little is known about early Sasak history except that Lombok was placed under direct rule of the Majaphait Empire by the 14th century Mahapatih[Note 1] Gajah Mada. Islam arrived into the area around the 15th century,[17] and Sasaks converted to Islam between the late 16th century to early 17th century. This was done under the influence of Pangeran Prapen (Sunan Prapen), the son of Raden Paku (Sunan Giri);[4][5] alternatively, this was done by Sunan Giri himself and the Muslim Makassarese, frequently mixing basic Islamic beliefs with Hindu-Buddhist beliefs to create the Wetu Telu religion.[18][19] Lombok was conquered by the Gelgel Balinese kingdom in the early 16th century,[20] thus bringing a large population of Balinese people to Lombok. The Balinese population of Lombok today is about 300,000, or 10–15% of Lombok's population. The Balinese have also strongly influenced the Wetu Telu religion.[6]

Language

The Sasak language (Sasak: Base Sasaq) is an Austronesian language belonging to the Malayo-Sumbawan branch, mostly found in Western Indonesia and Malaysia. More specifically, Sasak belongs to the languages of Western Indonesia, meaning it is closely related to the languages of Java (such as Javanese and Sundanese) and languages of Bali (such as Balinese). There are also a number of Sasak dialects in various regions, such as Kutó-Kuté and Bayan-Sasak (North Sasak), Menó-Mené (Central Sasak), Meriaq-Meriku (Central South Sasak), Ngenó-Ngené (Central East Sasak and Central West Sasak), and Nggetó-Nggeté (Northeast Sasak).[21]

Religion

Most Sasaks today are adherents of the Lima Waktu (lit. 'Five Times') version of Islam, signifying the five daily prayers which Muslims are required to perform;[22] this in contrast to Sasaks who are practitioners of Wetu Telu (lit. 'Three Times') Islam, who only pray three times a day. Orthodox Islamic teachers generally instruct adherents to pray five times a day.[22]

Large numbers of people adhering to the Wetu Telu branch can still be found throughout the island, especially in the village of Bayan, where the religion originated. Large Wetu Telu communities can be also be found in Mataram, Pujung, Sengkol, Rambitan, Sade, Tetebatu, Bumbung, Sembalun, Senaru, Loyok, and Pasugulan.

Before the widespread adoption of Islam, Lombok was primarily Hindu. The Balinese Kingdom of Karangasem conquered Lombok in the 17th century, further spreading Balinese Hinduism, the influence of which still remains.[23] Many ancient Hindu pura, such as Gunung Pengsong, Lingsar, Meru, and Suranadi, still remain standing.[24]

Art performances

Notes

  1. ^ Full title: Mahapatih Hamengkubumi, equivalent to the position of a prime minister.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ /ˈsɑːsɑːk/ SAH-sahk

References

  1. ^ "Kewarganegaraan, Suku Bangsa, Agama, Dan Bahasa Sehari-Hari Penduduk Indonesia". Badan Pusat Statistik. 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  2. ^ Austin, Peter K. (2012). McGill, Stuart; Austin, Peter K. (eds.). Tense, aspect, mood and evidentiality in Sasak, eastern Indonesia. Vol. 11. pp. 231-251 [231]. doi:10.25894/ldd182. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Sasak people at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  4. ^ a b Houtsma, Martijn Theodoor, ed. (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936. Vol. 5. BRILL. ISBN 90-04-09791-0.
  5. ^ a b Harnish, David; Rasmussen, Anne (2011). Divine Inspirations: Music and Islam in Indonesia. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-979309-9.
  6. ^ a b c d Müller, Kal (1997). Pickell, David (ed.). East of Bali: From Lombok to Timor. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 962-593-178-3.
  7. ^ Baal, J. Van (1976). Pesta Alip di Bayan. Jakarta: Bhratara. p. 16.
  8. ^ Olaerts, Anja (2023-02-01). "Sasak Culture in Lombok I A Rich and Unique Heritage". The Lombok Lodge I Exclusive Luxury in Lombok. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  9. ^ Erni Budiwanti (2000). Islam Sasak: Wetu Telu versus Waktu Lima. PT LKiS Pelangi Aksara. p. 8. ISBN 97-989-6651-1.
  10. ^ Wacana, H. L.; Suparman, L. G.; Argawa, Nyoman; Astuti, Renggo (1 January 1995). Hikayat Indarjaya (in Indonesian). Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan.
  11. ^ "Sejarah Suku Sasak: Perjalanan Panjang di Tanah Lombok" [History of the Sasak Tribe: A Long Journey in the Land of Lombok]. J News (in Indonesian). 10 July 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  12. ^ Oasis (6 October 2014). "Lombok Mirah Sasak Adi". Perpustakaan Digitial Budaya Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  13. ^ "Perang Topat, Perang Damai" (in Indonesian). Liputan6. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  14. ^ Ran, Asmarani (3 August 2025). "Lombok is Not Bali: The Island That Feels Like Home is Not Just An Escape from Bali". Lombok Digest. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  15. ^ "Tenun Sesek, Syarat Menikah Perempuan Sasak" [Sesek Weaving, a Marriage Requirement for Sasak Women] (in Indonesian). 20 June 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  16. ^ "Ini 8 Asal Usul Nama Sasak Suku Asli Pulau Lombok" [These are the 8 Origins of the Name Sasak, the Indigenous People of Lombok Island]. Senggigi News (in Indonesian). 19 April 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  17. ^ Cederroth, Sven (1999). A Sacred Cloth Religion?: Ceremonies of the Big Feast Among the Wetu Telu Sasak (Lombok, Indonesia). NIAS Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-87-87062-54-1.
  18. ^ Arhem, Kaj; Sprenger, Guido (2015). Animism in Southeast Asia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-33662-4.
  19. ^ Na, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im; Naʻīm, ʻAbd Allāh Aḥmad (2009-06-30). Islam and the Secular State. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-03376-4.
  20. ^ Cribb, Robert (2013). Historical Atlas of Indonesia. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-78057-8.
  21. ^ "Sasak". Ethnologue. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  22. ^ a b Bennett, Linda Rae (2005). Women, Islam and Modernity: Single Women, Sexuality and Reproductive Health in Contemporary Indonesia. Routledge. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-1-134-33156-7.
  23. ^ "History of Lombok Island – Culture, Heritage, and the Story Behind Paradise". Green Rinjani. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  24. ^ "History of Lombok: Sasak Tribes and Dutch East India Company". Amazing Lombok Resort. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  25. ^ Yunus, Akil (11 June 2016). "Lombok, the island that God smiles upon". Star2. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
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