On July 4 to August 13, 2011 I was doing a geological mapping for my
undergraduate thesis in Sumba Island. I got to meet new people, new
culture, and I also got new experiences that I'd like to share with the
world.
Sumba Island is divided into four regencies: Southwest Sumba, West
Sumba, Central Sumba, and East Sumba with Waitabula, Waikabubak,
Waibakul, and Waingapu as its headquarters, respectively. The funny
thing is, each district in each regencies has its own language, thank
God we have Bahasa Indonesia! Sumba also has beautiful sceneries almost
all the way, such as Laliang Beach, Wanokaka Beach, Roa Beach, and one
exclusive cottage at Nihiwatu, mostly occupied by foreigners. Everyday
is summer here! Beautiful clouds, you could even see the stars at night
(the most romantic scenery!).
Roa Beach
Beylis is the locals' term for dowry, and yes, it sounds just like
Bailey's haha! This so-called Beylis system regulates the conditions
that must be fulfilled should a man want to marry a woman. He must bring
with him certain amounts of buffaloes, horses, and pigs to the woman's
house in order to be able to take the woman with him. I happened to be
very lucky because during my stay there, there are lots of celebrations
and parties I attend. Everything is celebrated here, from the death of
someone, marriage, building of a house, etc! Each party lasts from 3 to
more than 3 days!
Mostly the locals here are Christians, with Catholics and Moslems as the
not-so dominant religions. What I love the most about the religions
here is the tolerance. Different religions are highly appreciated. Contohnya,
ketika ada makan-makan dan pesta ini terbuka untuk umum, yang memotong
daging sapi adalah orang Muslim, untuk menghormati aturan di agama
Islam. Contoh lainnya, teman saya yang beragama Islam diminta untuk
memotong ayam sendiri baru dagingnya dimasak untuk dimakan olehnya.
Their tolerance towards other religions are high and I wish the rest of
the Indonesians could act and behave just like the people of Sumba did.
What a great example of inter-religious harmony.
Every year there are several festival held here, such as Fasola,
Horse-race, with each village representative competes against each other
for their pride. There are also tombs in front of each house to bury
family members there.
The locals do farming, gardening, and raising for living, so they are
able to supply themselves with rice, cassavas, and meats. Each family
has two to three dogs to guard their houses. What I personally think the
best of Sumba is the coffee! I bought 4 kilos of it and brought it
home. My family also agreed with me. As for the locals living in cities,
they work as civil servants. My first impression is they work hard and
highly sociable. They are also very nice; as I rode my motorcycle, they
would say something like, "Good morning! Good afternoon! Good night!
Take care!" etc.
Traditional clothing here is very simple. Men would wear headbands,
sarong, and parang, usually riding a horse to complete the look. Women
would wear kain and sarong, but the old ladies don't feel like covering
their breasts because they say they can't stand the heat.
Jesika - Herwin - Fitrah - Me - Isto at somewhere near Waingapu, East Sumba
As for me, I am blessed to meet my new family here at Desa Mamodu: Bapak
Desa John Pajaga, Mama Desa, Nona, Apli, Putra, and Edo! Also Bapak
Kevin, Lukas, Herman, Pak Dedi, and the others! You guys had been a
wonderful blessings for me and Jesika (my partner). We made a promise
that we will come back here in the next five years! :-)
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