Nihiwatu Villas

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Nihiwatu est un petit « Boutique-hôtel » déposé sur l’une des îles les plus
retirée de l’archipel de l’Indonésie. En effet, moins de 1'000 personnes par
an ont la chance de visiter la mystérieuse île de Sumba et ses habitants
arrivant d’un autre âge. Pour les réels « connaisseurs », Nihiwatu est
incomparable avec ses sites de plongée, l’une des plus belles vagues de
surf et sa pêche miraculeuse…
Le domaine est composé de 175 hectares de forêts tropicales, de rizières
en terrasse et de pré verdoyant, faisant face au 2,5 kilomètres de plage
privée assurant une intimité totale aux hôtes de Nihiwatu. Calme, paix &
romantisme assuré !
Faites tout ou ne faites rien, Nihiwatu vous permet de tout oublier au
paradis… Relaxez-vous à la piscine, baladez-vous le long des plages,
partez en excursion dans l’île… La cuisine est excellente, les suites
naturellement confortable et le sourire de l’équipe de l’hôtel est aussi naturel
que l’environnement.
Eco & People friendly
Mais Sumba c’est aussi la culture et les villages traditionnels arrivant de
l’âge de pierre, inchangés depuis des millénaires… Une culture tribale
unique et des rites animistes absolument incroyables.
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Depuis 1989, Nihiwatu n’a cesse de rendre la vie sur l’île de Sumba
meilleure… Meilleure pour la nature et meilleure pour les habitants de l’île.
La création de « The Sumba Foundation » est le modèle que tous les hôtels
devraient suivre…
Quelques prouesses de Nihiwatu :
∝ 95% des employés sont originaires de l’île de Sumba
∝ 100% des eaux usées sont traitées et réutilisées
∝ Création d’une centrale de bio-diesel avec les plantations de
cocotiers de l’île. 75% de nuisance en moins et plus de 100'000.US$ redistribué aux paysans locaux. Projet unique au monde !
∝ Protection des animaux. Plus de pêches à la tortue et réhabilitation
des aigles et faucons emprisonnés dans les villages.
∝ Interdiction de la technique de plantation sur brulis, 20% de forêt
en plus sur l’île.
∝ Plantation de 160'000 arbres de teck sur plus de 100 hectares
∝ 100% des plantes utilisées par Nihiwatu sont originaires de l’île
∝ 200 villages ruraux et 7'600 personnes ont droit à une eau
courante et propre grâce au projet de Nihiwatu
∝ 15'000 personnes ont accès gratuitement aux 7 cliniques
médicales construites par Nihiwatu et la Sumba Foundation
∝ 6'000 personnes sont protégées de la malaria et éradication de
Nihiwatu & sa plage déserte
cette maladie sur l’île
∝ 2'000 enfants peuvent suivre une scolarité dans l’une des 7 écoles
construites par Nihiwatu et la Sumba Foundation
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Nihiwatu & sa plage déserte
Un village typique voisin
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Une des plus belles vagues…
Nihiwatu & sa plage déserte
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Nihiwatu & sa plage déserte
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Nihiwatu & sa plage déserte
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Bungalows & Villas
Lors de votre séjour, l’un des 7 bungalows individuels, 2 villas de 2
chambres & 1 villa de 3 chambres seront votre seconde maison. Toutes
construites par des artisans locaux, elles offrent un confort et une sérénité
exceptionnelle.
Faisant face à la mer et profitant d’une grande terrasse avec chaises
longues, air conditionnée, minibar, filet antimoustique, coffre-fort, salles de
bain avec eau chaude et sèche cheveux.
Un minimum de 5 nuits est souhaitable pour découvrir l’île, se relaxer,
profiter des nombreuses activités et devenir un des membres de la famille.
Le pourcentage de client revenant à Nihiwatu est plus important que dans
les autres hôtels et les 2ème ou 3ème séjours sont toujours plus longs que le
1er !
Le séjour comprend les transferts vers l’aéroport, la pension complète, les
boissons sans alcool, un soin au Jungle Spa et une visite à un des villages
traditionnels proche de Nihiwatu.
Nihiwatu Villas
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Luxury Bungalows
Les 7 bungalows disposent de grands lits doubles ou de 2 lits séparés.
Avec une grande terrasse face à la mer et au coucher du soleil, une salle
de bain ave douche et tout le confort nécessaire à un séjour inoubliable.
Nihiwatu Villas
Les 2 Nihiwatu Villas sont parfaits pour de couples ou une famille désirant
de profiter de plus d’espace. Chaque villa dispose de 2 chambres et salles
de bain, un grand balcon et une décoration fait d’antiquités indonésiennes.
Haweri Villa
Quelque peu à l’écart, sur une petite presqu’île faisant face à une vue
spectaculaire sur la mer, la Haweri Villa repose dans un grand jardin de 3
acres entouré de jungle. La maison principale offre 2 chambres et salles de
bain et un bungalow supplémentaire accueille la 3ème chambre. La villa
dispose également de sa piscine privée, d’un salon et d’une salle à manger
Luxuy Bungalows
ouverte avec cuisine et major d’homme à votre service.
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Luxury Bungalows
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Luxury Bungalows
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Luxury Bungalows
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Luxury Bungalows
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Luxury Bungalows
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Nihiwatu Villas
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Nihiwatu Villas – master bedroom
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Nihiwatu Villas – 2nd bedroom
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Nihiwatu Villas
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Haweli Villa
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Haweli Villa
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Haweli Villa
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Haweli Villa – master bedroom
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Haweli Villa – 2nd bedroom
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Gastronomie & Bars
Pour l’équipe de cuisine et son Chef indonésien, il est aussi important de
préparer les meilleures recettes d’Asie et d’Europe que de cuisiner avec les
aliments les plus frais !
Les repas sont une vraie fête et à la manière des lodge africain, il n’est pas
rare que les invités discutent des activités du jour attablé alors que le soleil
se couche à l’horizon.
Le choix de menu asiatique ou européen est renouvelé quotidiennement et
une carte de vins mélangeant judicieusement les cépages du nouveau
monde et les classiques français parfait le décor de repas mémorables.
Avez-vous un anniversaire à fêter ou simplement l’envie de vous perdre tel
un Robinson Crusoé ? L’équipe de cuisine se fait toujours un plaisir
d’organiser des repas intime au cœur de la jungle proche d’une cascade,
ou un pique-nique en amoureux sur la plage, loin de toute civilisation !
Bien-sûr, si vous désirez suivre un régime spécial ou végétarien, pas de
problème !
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Wellness & Spa
Le terme « Wellness » est en fait simplement l’action de se sentir bien en tant
qu’individu… plus heureux d’esprit et profiter d’une meilleure santé.
Nihiwatu est l’écrin parfait à cet état d’esprit et les activités tel que le yoga,
les exercices cardiovasculaires ou le surf, associés à un régime alimentaire
contenant des minéraux, des vitamines et des herbes naturelles en sont la
combinaison parfaite.
Au magnifique et intime Jungle Spa, une large variété de soins & de
massages traitent autant le corps que l’âme.
Des leçons de yoga et Pilates sont donnés par l’instructeur Peter Jones dans
la maison des esprits, construite selon l’architecture traditionnelle de cette île.
En fait, la maison des esprits de Nihiwatu est le plus grande de l’île et fait la
fierté de ses créateurs.
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Activités & Loisirs
∝ Equitation
∝ Mountain-bike
∝ Trekking
∝ Ballades naturelles
∝ Visite des villages traditionnels
∝ Safaris à la découverte de la faune et des aigles
∝ Pêche à la ligne et au gros exceptionnelle
∝ Plongée parmi les plus belles du monde
∝ Surf sur l’une des plus belle droite au monde, en face de votre
bungalow… pas de 8 personnes sur ce spot fabuleux
∝ Croisières et visite des lagons
∝ Expérience de vie dans les villages de cultures mégalithiques
∝ Cours de tissage des Ikats en compagnie des villageoises
∝ Vivre, une fois dans sa vie, la « Pasola » en direct !
Familles
A Nihiwatu les enfants sont les rois et les activités naturelles permettent de
remettre un sens réel à notre existence !
∝ Piscine
∝ Connexion internet au centre business
∝ La plage longue de centaines de mètres est parfaite pour les
surfeurs et les bons nageurs.
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hanches. A leur ceinture, ils glissent le parang, une machette à poignée d’ivoire ou
La Pasola
de corne, transmise de père en fils - une arme redoutable dont la valeur dépend
du nombre de têtes qu’elle a tranchées.
La (ou le) pasola est l’un des derniers tournois de type médiéval au monde. Ce
rituel est lié au cycle agraire et se déroule dans quatre villages différents de l’île, en
février-mars, la date exacte étant fixée par les prêtres suite à l’arrivée sur les côtes
de l’île de vers marins appelés nyale.
Ces derniers arrivent le 8e ou le 9e jour de la pleine lune. En sumbanais, Pa
signifie ¿homme seul¿ et Sola ¿javelot de bois¿. Le rituel de la pasola consiste en
un tournoi à cheval qui oppose des cavaliers de villages différents. Ces
affrontements sanglants trouvent leurs origines dans l’histoire de l’île.
Autrefois, des guerres tribales éclataient sous n’importe quel prétexte. Un simple
désaccord sur la dot d’une épouse suffisait à envenimer les relations de voisinage
et les querelles ne pouvaient se résoudre que par des combats mortels. Au XVIIe
Cette joute a également un sens religieux. Dans le culte Marapu, la pasola est
aussi une cérémonie sacrificielle, destinée à demander aux esprits de faire naître
les pluies et de favoriser les récoltes de l’année. Quelques jours avant, les prêtres se
rendent sur une plage sacrée pour recueillir les nyales enfouis dans le sable. Ces
vers marins seraient, selon la légende, les cheveux de la belle Nyale, la fille de la
Lune, offerte aux hommes pour leur assurer l’abondance et dont le corps découpé
en morceaux fut jeté à la mer.
Le nombre de nyales trouvé présage d’une bonne ou d’une mauvaise récolte : plus
ils sont nombreux, plus la récolte sera abondante. Mais, lorsque les augures
annoncent de médiocres moissons, le rôle de la pasola devient primordial.
siècle, les missionnaires de la Société des missions étrangères, créée à Paris en
Au cours des combats, le sang des hommes devra couler pour fertiliser la terre.
1658, ont pour vocation d’évangéliser la Chine et le Sud-Est asiatique.
Mais si, par maladresse, un cavalier blesse un cheval, le mauvais sort s’acharnera
En Indonésie, ils s’efforcent de canaliser la violence qui régit les rapports sociaux et
sur tout son village jusqu’à la prochaine pasola.
encouragent les Sumbanais à organiser une joute unique, la pasola, exutoire
Dans le tempat pasola, la plaine où se déroulent les affrontements, les hurlements
permettant de régler les différents de l’année. Cette cérémonie n’en demeure pas
des spectateurs attisent la fureur des cavaliers. Deux camps s’affrontent violemment,
moins tragique : de nombreux cavaliers y trouvent la mort ou sont grièvement
sous la surveillance des prêtres et des policiers sur le qui-vive. Les charges se
blessés.
succèdent ; les lances, les tombaks, sont projetées avec une adresse stupéfiante.
Récemment, le gouvernement indonésien a décidé d’intervenir, en interdisant
Les cavaliers se détachent par petits groupes pour narguer et attaquer leurs rivaux.
l’utilisation de lances aux pointes d’acier au profit de javelots de bois. Des gardes
Toute la journée, dans l’ardeur du combat, ils ripostent, s’acharnent, repartent et
armés surveillent désormais les combats, prêts à user de leurs fusils si une charge
reviennent, faisant preuve d’une stratégie qui honore la tradition guerrière de leurs
entre deux villages opposés dégénère.
pères.
A cette occasion, les chevaux sont superbement parés et les cavaliers revêtent le
Les vainqueurs des pasolas jouiront à leur retour au sein de leur village d’un grand
traditionnel kaïen ou ikat, une pièce d’étoffe colorée qu’ils nouent autour de leurs
respect de tous et d’une aura quasi religieuse.
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L’île merveilleuse de Sumba
Protégeant l’une des dernières civilisations n’ayant pas changé depuis de
millénaires, Sumba est d’une richesse culturelle et religieuse incomparable.
Afin de ne pas trahir le contexte par une traduction difficile, la description
de l’île et de ses mythes est présentée ci-dessous en anglais.
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The ancestor of Sumba
The Sumbanese believe that the Marapu were the first ancestors who dwelled
within the eight spheres of the heavens that are divided in darkness and light. The
first sphere is believed to be the dwelling place of the all-powerful father and
mother, symbolized by the two cosmic energies that are the moon and the sun. For
the Sumbanese the Great Divine Entity, or Supreme Being, has no name or form.
He is usually called according to his nature and is generally known as the One
without name.
According to Sumbanese myth, eight males and eight females were born from the
divine couple and generated the people of Sumba. The Sumbanese identified their
first ancestors as being the children of the moon and the sun. After descending to
the lower spheres, they finally settled in the eighth level where they remained for
some time. On this last heavenly sphere they came to learn all knowledge, and
they carried out the first ceremonies and rituals that were to be brought down to
earth.
Soon thereafter the Marapu decided to come down to earth but there was no
land, only water. The Marapu were given stones and soil to form land on the
waters. When the land was formed, the Marapu came down on a ladder made of
wood to eventually settle on the island of Sumba. After arriving on Sumba the new
settlers parted ways and traveled separately to where they founded their clans in
other parts of the island. Each of these clans began to build social structures with
complexities of rituals in birth, marriage, initiations, and funerary ceremonies. Today
such traditions are still highly respected.
Each clan, forest, mountain, lake, sea, even trees and animals, are believed to have
their own Marapu. A popular myth tells how one of the Marapu, Rambu Pari, while
stepping down the heavenly staircase, slipped and fell to Earth. Her body
transformed into a rice stalk, and since then she is venerated as the goddess of rice
and fertility. In Sumba the spirits of nature and the ancestral spirits are venerated in
many forms and they are believed to manifest their presence in the form of carved
objects or in sacred body ornaments.
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An island living in the past
Sumba is one of the few islands in Indonesia where a majority of the population still
follow the ways of their ancestors. One gets the sense that time has passed this
island by and that only now is it slowly being drawn into the present. On Sumba
faith in the old traditions are very strong. Throughout the year the island is the site of
many fascinating rituals, the most spectacular of them all are the Pasola ceremonies
that take place during the months of February and March at select locations along
the west coast of the island.
The Pasola’s are wild and martial events involving hundreds of charging horseman
battling with spears on a large playing field. Serious injuries are common and there
are occasional deaths of horses and even riders. In fact a Pasola is not considered
successful without a proper amount of bloodletting. In Sumba blood on the ground
is necessary to make it fertile, and one of the aims of the Pasola is to make the
conditions right for the rice harvests that take place in the months of April and May.
The main aim of the traditional Sumbanese religion is to maintain a peaceful and
fruitful relationship with the Marapu, the ancestral spirits. To do so there are many
Animist rules that must be adhered to in the form of ritual celebrations that are
meant to provide the ancestor spirits with food and wealth in the afterlife. In
exchange it is expected that the ancestors will bestow increased fertility and
prosperity on the living.
The funerary rituals of Sumba continue to this day. Huge blocks of stone are cut and
dragged great distances to the mortuary ground to construct mausoleums for the
rich and the nobility. An average sized stone can weigh in the range of six tons,
and larger stones weigh more than twenty. Until recently, particularly at the funerals
of noblemen, literally hundreds of water buffalo, horses, pigs and dogs were
slaughtered to accompany the departed soul to the afterlife. The number of animals
dispatched was, and still is, prestige enhancing. In Sumba, where the remains of a
highly stratified society of nobles, commoners and indentured slavery still exist, it was
not uncommon for a family to bankrupt itself to put on a good funeral show. With
occasional success, the government is trying to discourage this practice by limiting
the amount of slaughtered animals to five.
The social structure of Sumba is organized around the traditional ancestral house
and the patrilineal group that claims decent from it. Ancestral houses are the bridge
between the visible and invisible worlds and must be perpetuated over time as
ritual centers. The ancestral villages are usually built on a defensive height and
surrounded by a perimeter wall of stone or a thick cactus hedge. Traditional houses
with high peaked roofs are aligned in rows around an open space that contains
rectangular stone graves. Some villages, those that fielded war expeditions, kept a
“skull tree” on which the human heads of the enemy victims were hung. The
Sumbanese were feared headhunters and “officially” abandoned the practice in
the 1950’s. However as recently as the late nineties heads were still being taken
during major inter clan battles.
The Sumbanese are proud of their culture. They value their traditional way of life
and their tribal unity. For foreigners to witness this culture is like looking through a
window to the past. In this fast modernizing world it is unfortunate that few places
like Sumba remain.
A brief history of the island
Not much is known about the history of the island other than it being one of war
and hardship. In the sixteenth century Pigafetta, the traveling companion of the
famed Portuguese explorer Magellan, was the first foreigner to mention Sumba. He
recorded proud natives that were clad in fine woven ikats and bodies adorned
with beautiful ornaments. He wrote of the breathtaking landscapes of Sumba, an
island of untouched white sandy beaches, villages perched on green hills and
fertile valleys swarming with sculptured stone tombs. At that time the air was filled
with the sweet aroma of the sandalwood forests that covered the island, in fact
there was so much sandalwood growing in the forests that the island was first
known as the Sandalwood Island. The sweet smelling wood was in great demand
throughout Asia and Arabia, and for centuries it was the main trade item flowing
out of the island. The Sumbanese also bartered their sturdy horses for gold, silver
and Chinese ceramics that were, and still are, highly regarded as precious items by
the islanders. Today, in most parts of the island, Pigafetta’s view of the island has
changed little. And, except for the destruction of the sandalwood forests in East
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Sumba, one can still experience the same sense of wonder that those first
Europeans experienced over 400 years ago.
umba was known amongst foreign traders as being an island of fierce warriors
were headhunting expeditions where common. It was due to these incessant raids
the villages were built on hilltops and heavily fortified by stone walls. The dry season
was the period of the headhunting expeditions as well as the wars between rival
clans and villages. In East Sumba, heads were used as tokens of territorial conquest
in battles between nobles. In West Sumba, headhunting rites were often acts of
revenge between equals. In both parts of the island the heads were considered
trophies that would be displayed on “skull trees” in the villages. It was believed that
the trophies brought home would stimulate prosperity and fertility of the village and
the fields.
Slave raids were also common on the island. Rival Kingdoms and clans would
periodically attack each other in order to bring home slaves to work their fields, or
for sale to the foreign traders that were based on the northern part of the island.
Sumbanese slaves were sold in Flores and Bali, and even as far west as the
Arabian Peninsula and southward from there to the island of Madagascar off the
African coast.
Today, in some villages in West Sumba there are stories passed down about slave
raids that the Portuguese made hundreds of years ago, and some elders are still in
possession of ancient shields that they believe are adorned with human hair taken
from the fallen invaders. Even well into the twentieth century it was common for
Sumbanese headhunting parties to capture enemies to be brought back to the
village. It is told that some would be treated as honored guests who would live in
the village for years, all the while being overfed and becoming obese. Eventually
the auspicious sacrificial day would come, only then would the head of the slave
be taken and his skin used for sacred ceremonial drumheads.
Given its fierce reputation it is not surprising that most foreign traders stayed well
clear of the island, and that it wasn’t until the latter part of the nineteenth century
that the first Europeans attempted to settle on the island. It was then that the Dutch
colonial administration based in Batavia, now known as Jakarta, claimed control of
the island. In reality they could only manage to establish a small garrison on a
beachhead at Waingapu and its soldiers rarely ventured out from there. Control
could not be established on the island until near the end of its centuries of rule in
Indonesia. It was not until late in the 1920’s that the colonial rulers deemed Sumba
safe enough to replace its only garrison in Waingapu with police.
Since Indonesian Independence in 1945, Sumba has been part of Nusa
Tenggara Timor, the “Southeastern Islands,” with its administrative capital in Kupang
on the Island of Timor. Although the government has recently improved the crossisland road as well as ferry and airport access to the island, outside of the local
administrative capitals of Waingapu and Waikabubak life has changed little.
The traditional Sumbanese house
According to the ancient Sumbanese myths, when the first ancestral house was built
on the eighth heavenly sphere, the roof was covered by human hair taken during
head hunting raids. Now dried palm leaves symbolically replace the human hair.
Traditional Sumbanese houses are built with tall peaked roofs that are topped with
a projecting wooden beam at both ends holding a male and female figure made
of carved wood or bound grass. The wooden beams on the roof are believed to
be the entrance for the ancestor spirits to enter the house and give blessings to their
descendants. The presence of Marapu is omnipresent among the living and the
house is also seen as an important place of ancestor worship.
The four main wooden posts supporting the house from its foot to the top are
closely associated with the rituals of ancestor worship. Racks made of rattan and
wood hanging from the posts serves as offering altars. The first front post is where
the Rato, the Animist priest, carries out his rituals of divination by invoking the
appropriate spirit to guide him into the future. The second front pillar symbolizes the
female ancestors. While the two rear pillars symbolize the male and female
ancestors, as well as the spirits of fertility. These four main pillars are often carved
with the same geometric designs that decorate the stone monuments that are in
and around the village. In the house there are offering altars where sacred objects
of the Marapu are kept. It is in these carefully selected corners of the house that the
Rato make contacts with the spirits during religious ceremonies. Worship of the
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powerful invisible forces is a prevalent element in megalithic cultures and
inseparable in Sumbanese daily life. As in many sacred architectural forms in
Indonesia, the house is not only seen as a mere dwelling place, it is regarded as
symbol of the cosmos linking the divine world to that of Man.
Although the house is regarded as a living heavenly altar on earth, ancestor
worship is also common within the village and anywhere else that needs the
blessings of the invisible forces. Small effigies known as Katoda are placed in front
of houses, at the entrance of a village, and in the rice fields. Katoda may also take
the form of simple branches or an undecorated upright stone carefully chosen by
the Rato when performing a specific ritual. The Rato will first bless and “cleanse” the
stone to be used as the dwelling place of the spirit, and then through sacred chants
to the stone he will invoke the spirits of the ancestors. When the spirits are believed
to have entered the stone it is then given offerings of betel and areca nut.
The funerary rites
Lavish funerals with all its rituals are a necessity for the Sumbanese. They believe
that ones soul lingers with the living during his primary burial, and only with a
second and final burial can the deceased be guided to the land of the spirits. In
East Sumba during the primary burial, the dead are bundled in dozens of Ikat
blankets or placed in a coffin that is kept in a special house for the dead and
guarded by male and female servants. The length of time before the secondary
burial may vary from one to ten years. The bones are then taken and placed in the
megalithic stone tomb.
The custom of burying the dead is similar in West Sumba differing only in the
shorter length of time, only one to several weeks, given to the primary burial. When
a noble dies, he is richly dressed and covered with magnificent textiles. Then he is
placed in a squatting position and his eyes, mouth and chest are covered with
gold pieces and jewellery. He is then buried in front of the house waiting for his
final burial in the stone tomb that holds the bodies of his parents and ancestors.
There are ancient tombs in villages that hold dozens of bodies that have been
placed inside through the generations. Some are thought to be many hundreds
and even thousands of years old. The tombs of royal families and noblemen often
resemble treasure chests filled with precious porcelains, Ikat blankets, ivory bracelets,
gold jewelry and beads.
Typically the deceased’s body is carried to the grave and placed inside the stone
tomb. A male cock is sacrificed so that it may wake the soul and start it on its
journey to the land of the dead. Buffalo, horses, pigs and dogs are also sacrificed,
as their souls are believed to accompany the dead during his journey. Human
sacrifices were once a common custom among Sumbanese burial ceremonies. A
servant or slave would be put to death following the death of his master to serve
him in the afterlife. Similar practices of human sacrifice connected to magical rites
are also found among the peoples of Nias Island and the Batak of Sumatra.
The stone megaliths are connected with life after death, and the building of stone
monuments is intended to protect the soul during the journey to the nether world.
The preparations of the stone tombs are quite impressive and can take several
years before they are ready for use. Prior to the stone dragging, the Rato gather to
perform a ritual required to choose the right date for the stone to be moved. By
observing the entrails of sacrificed pig and chicken the Rato decide on the
auspicious time. The day is set and the dragging of the stone follows after praying
to the ancestors. The stones are hand hauled over logs by hundreds of men
accompanied by the Rato. While the people drag the stone the Rato encourages
them, often from on top of the stone, by chanting sacred songs and sounding
gongs throughout the journey. More recently trucks sometimes deliver the stones to
an area nearby the burial site from where many dozens of men will drag the stone
into position. Even with the help of trucks it can take weeks to pull the stone to its
final destination. Once the stone arrives at the village, it is welcomed with great
feasting and dances.
Funerals can be quite expensive and in some cases may require hundreds of pigs,
horses, and water buffaloes for sacrifice. In Sumba it is believed that the more
animals that are sacrificed, the more respect is given to the dead who can then rest
in peace in the world of the ancestors. Since 1993 the government has been trying
to discourage this practice by limiting the total amount of slaughtered animals to
five. Many of the wealthy disregard this advice, but most of the poor Sumbanese
now use the decree as a face saving excuse for opting out of the financial burden
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of a lavish funeral. In the past it was not uncommon for noble class families to
sacrifice all of their animals and end ultimately end up destitute for generations.
funerals, rules of inheritance, and rules for settling disputes. It is Marapu that guides
everyday life on the island.
Religion on Sumba
Rituals
Starting in 1965 with President Suharto's New Order Decree, religious
developments in Sumba became influenced by the central government’s policies.
Sumbanese who tried to pass the exams required for appointment in government
service work were required to be a registered member of one of the five officially
recognized religions, Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic or Protestant. Marapu, the
traditional Sumbanese religion, was not recognized by the state, and those seeking
to work in the bureaucracy that was being established on the island, and even
those wanting an identity card, had no choice but to register as a member of the
Protestant Christian Church, which at the time was the dominant faith due to its
years of mission presence on the island. This was a major coup for the Protestant
missionaries who eventually, largely as a result of this political decree, were able to
sign up more than half of the population of Sumba as converts.
There are now a myriad of churches and faiths on the island including Catholics,
Baptist, Seventh Day Adventists and others; however it is the Catholics and the
Protestant faiths that claim the majority of converts to Christianity on Sumba.
Government statistics state that out of the 600,000 inhabitants of the island, 65%
are registered Christians with the rest being Marapu. Even so the majority of
Sumbanese Christians still practice the rituals and ways of life dictated by the
Marapu faith. They do so because the Christian religions cannot provide
alternatives for all aspects of the Sumbanese culture. This is an important fact
towards understanding why Sumbanese Christians respect the authority of the Rato,
the traditional Marapu religious leaders.
There are a large number of rituals in the Marapu religion. The rituals are generally
performed to ask the Marapu's permission, or blessing, for all manner of
ceremonies that are needed to maintain harmony in ones everyday life. The
Sumbanese believe that bitterness and heat, which cause people to fall ill and
prevent animals and plants from thriving, are caused by human transgressions, such
as incest and violent behavior, or the killing of sacred animals. As a balance, a
series of Podu rituals take place throughout the year to cleanse and revitalize the
land.
Some of the rituals are very violent. In one, groups of men and young boys of two
opposing parties fight each other in boxing matches. Specific rules are followed
that stipulate the type of fighting and the kind of fighting equipment allowed,
usually stones tightly wrapped with cloth or head scarves that are wrapped into
cone like spears on the fist. The boxers take these fights seriously and go all out to
draw blood from their opponents.
All clans on Sumba have their own center of traditional power that are the ancient
traditional villages where it is believed the ancestors and the spirits reside. It is in
these villages that the Sumbanese keep the Marapu religion and its rituals alive.
The Marapu religion is the essential and inextricable part of the traditional
Sumbanese culture. It outlines the customs and rules that govern weddings and
The most spectacular of all rituals is the Pasola. The Pasola is ritual warfare, a
contest during which men riding full speed on horseback throw wooden spears at
one another. The participants in the Pasola prepare themselves for the battle by
making offerings to placate the angry spirits; they also dress in their best Ikat cloths
and decorate their horses with colorful ribbons and feathers. In the Pasola men from
mountainous regions often pit themselves against men from communities located
The ritual hunting of wild pig is also part of the Podu festival. The hunt refers to the
myth of the origin of the Sumbanese, in which the wild pig represents evil. Killing
wild boar and the ritual consumption of its meat are very important for social
purification at the beginning of the Sumbanese New Year. Pig hunts usually take
place at night during the full moons and often the hunters are dressed only in white
or black loincloths. Some travel on horseback and others on foot with their dogs.
Long spears are used for the kills.
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near the sea. For the foreign observer the Pasola appears to be real warfare,
however there are rules of engagement and the violence is usually controlled, to a
point. Violence occurs among the riders only and does not involve the onlookers,
who are there to urge their clan representatives on. The fighting is intense but
supervised by the Ratu who occasionally jump in to cool things down; they even
verify the weight of the wooden spears and call the start and the end of the contest.
Since the late 1980’s the government has banned the use of real spears and now
the metal tips must be removed before entering the battle. The police, and
sometimes the army as well, have taken on some of the traditional supervisory
responsibilities from the Ratu. They often stop the games when they feel it could be
close to getting out of their control. This has led to many complaints from the
participants who feel frustrated that not enough blood has been let during the
ceremonial battle. In Sumba it is blood on the ground that is all-important, blood
equates to fertility. One of the primary purposes of the Pasola is to ask the sprits for
a bountiful harvest in the coming months; the belief is that the more blood spilled
during the Pasola the better the harvest will be.
The Sumba “ikat” blankets
Textiles in Sumba have always functioned both as an indication of status and a
means of ritual exchange. An individual's position in the island's complex social
hierarchy is still displayed by the motifs and colors of their weavings. Personal
wealth is measured not only by the number of animals one owns, but also by the
number of weavings. Textiles form an integral part of the ceremonial exchange of
gifts between the families of a bride and groom. They are required for funerals
where dozens of cloths are interred with the corpse, and many more given by the
guests that attend the ceremony.
In Sumba weaving is the preserve of the female members of the villages. A full
sized, hand spun, Sumba cloth can take up to two years to complete and can
command the same value as a buffalo. It is a time consuming process starting with
the spinning of the yarn, made from local home grown cotton, using simple spindles
or wheels. Now that it is available, some women prefer to buy pre-spun yarn and
chemical dyes from the shops in town, in this way months of preparation and
weaving are saved. However the thick hand-spun cotton blankets, with the rich
earth toned natural dyes, have a higher value and are preferred over the new
faster to dye, and weave, modern versions. Although it is quite common to see
women weaving blankets using store bought yarn and dyes, they readily admit that
they are cheating by using them.
Before weaving, the yarn is boiled in water that is mixed with black sorghum seeds,
burned coconut sheathes and candle nuts. This strengthens the yarn and makes it
stiffer and easier to tie the pattern of the blanket. Using threadlike shavings made of
young smoked coconut leaves, the often intricate patterns are tied on to the bundles
of yarn that have been set up on the loom. This is why the blankets are called Ikat,
the Indonesian word meaning to tie.
Once the pattern of the first color is completed, the bundles of yarn are taken off of
the loom and prepared for the dying process. The yarn is dyed in boiling water
and natural dyes prepared from indigo leaves and the roots of trees. The bundle of
dyed yarn is dried and thereafter re-dyed many times until the desired rich color is
achieved. During each coloring process the bundles of yarn are reassembled on to
the loom and once again tied off to form the next pattern; the section of previously
dyed yarn must also be tightly bound so that it is not affected by the next color. This
is a very laborious and time-consuming process that is repeated over and over until
the colors are perfect.
The motifs in a cloth vary throughout the island and most Sumbanese can identify
the wearers’ clan by the motif of their cloth. Even though many Sumbanese are now
Christian, the way of the Marapu ancestral spirits continues to be vividly expressed
in the symbols of birth, on-going life, death, and reincarnation woven into the
island's textiles.
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