The Sasak people (Sasak language: Dengan Sasaq, Sasak script: ᬲᬸᬓᬸᬲᬲᬓ᭄; ) or Sasaknese mainly lives on the island of Lombok, province of West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, numbering around 3.6 million (85% of Lombok's population). They are related to the Balinese people in language and in ancestry and other ethnic groups on neighboring island Sumbawa. The indigenous people of Lombok which is the oldest community on the island are called Bayan.
Sasak people are predominanty muslim, Sasak people 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),
Etymology
There is a possibility that the origin of the name
Sasak came from the word
sak-sak, which means "boat". In the
Nagarakretagama, the word
Sasak is mentioned together as one with
Lombok Island, namely
Lombok Sasak Mirah Adhi. According to local tradition, it is believed that the word
Sasak came from
sa'-saq which means "the one". Followed by the word
Lombok which originates from the word
Lomboq, meaning "straight". Hence by combining the words together
Sa'-saq Lombok, it means "something that's straight". Other translations also includes "a straight road".
is taken from the
Nagarakretagama (Desawarnana) literature, a scripture written by
Mpu Prapanca that records the power and rule of the
Majapahit kingdom. The word
Lombok in
Kawi language means "straight" or "honest",
Mirah means "gem",
Sasak means "statement", and
Adhi means "something that's good" or "utmost". Therefore
Lombok Sasak Mirah Adhi means "honesty is the gem that states out goodness".
History
Little is known about Sasak history except that Lombok was placed under direct rule of the
Majapahit prime Minister, patih
Gajah Mada. Islam arrived into the area around the 15th century.
The Sasaks converted to
Islam between the late 16th century to early 17th century under the influence of Pangeran Prapen (Sunan Prapen), the son of Raden Paku (
Sunan Giri)
or
Sunan Giri himself and the Muslim Makassarese, frequently mixing basic Islamic beliefs with Hindu-Buddhist beliefs, thus creating the
Wetu Telu religion.
Lombok was conquered by the Gelgel Balinese kingdom in the early 16th century,
thus bringing a large population of Balinese to
Lombok. The Balinese population of Lombok today is about 300,000, 10–15% of Lombok's population. The Balinese have also strongly influenced the
Wetu Telu religion of Lombok.
Language
The
Sasak language is an Austronesian language that belongs to the
Malayo-Sumbawan branch, mostly found in western Indonesia and Malaysia. Specifically, Sasak belongs to the languages of Western Indonesia which also means it is closely related to the languages of
Java and
Bali. There are also a number of Sasak dialects in various regions such as Kuto-Kute (North Sasak), Meno-Mene (Central Sasak), Meriak-Meriku (Central South Sasak), Ngeno-Ngene (Central East Sasak, Central West Sasak), Ngeto-Ngete (Northeast Sasak) and so on.
Religion
of the Sasaks today are adherents of the Lima Waktu version of
Islam. Lima Waktu or Five Times signifies the five daily prayers which Muslims are required to do.
The term Lima Waktu is used to distinguish them from the Sasaks who are practitioners of Wetu Telu or Three Symbols who only pray three times a day. Orthodox Islamic teachers generally instruct adherents to pray five times a day.
Large numbers of people adhering to the Wetu Telu branch can be still found throughout the island, especially in the village of Bayan, where the religion originated. Large Wetu Telu communities can be still found in Mataram, Pujung, Sengkol, Rambitan, Sade, Tetebatu, Bumbung, Sembalun, Senaru, Loyok and Pasugulan.
Art performances
Notes
See also
-
Sasak architecture
-
Austronesian expansion
External links
