Sumba Island, NTT - Official Tourism Website

Sumba Island

Photo by Dr. Kal Muller

"The cultural life of Sumba is distinguished by spectacular rituals, huge megalithic graves, unusual peaked houses & beautiful ikats." Dr. Kal Muller

Sumba Island with its megalithic stone tombs, its traditional high roofed houses and its outstanding Ikat weavings is one of the most culturally interesting regions of East Nusa Tenggara. Here village life, complete with time enduring burial rituals, strict social structures and their unique architectural style has survived through the ages. If you want to see traditional culture which has been unaffected by western influences then a trip to Sumba is a must.

Traditional Sumba houses (Dr. Kal Muller)

Man of Sumba (Dr. Kal Muller)

The Island itself appears as a barren and inhospitable place on first appearance, but it is blessed with rocky highlands giving breathtaking panoramic views of the coastline where near deserted white sandy beaches stretch on to the horizon. The warmth and hospitality of Sumba can be found in the people of Sumba with their incredibly rich culture, their unique architecture and their primitive but orderly way of life. Take a journey back in time and marvel at a people who can produce exquisite ikat weavings, monumental monolithic burial sites and spectacular houses from such a seemingly barren land.

Probably the most well known cultural event in Indonesia, the Pasola is still performed today in West Sumba by hundreds of spear throwing combatants charging at their opponents through an open field, a truly unbelievable spectacle. According to tradition, the Pasola must be proceeded by the catching of the Nyale(sea worms) which occurs in February in Kodi & Lamboya and March in Wanukaka. The exact time is 6 days before the full moon. Take the time and make the effort to get to one of these action packed events, it will be the highlight of your trip.

Pasola horsemen (Dr. Kal Muller)

Ikat weavings in Sumba play a vital role for the women of Sumba. They are exchanged at important ceremonies to show one's social status and the most exquisite cloth are placed at the gravesite for use in the after-world. The west and east regions of Sumba are different in design and color. The eastern ikats bear motifs of bold, bright designs of people, animals and animistic totems while those of the west are more abstract. Taking up to two years to produce, a full sized Sumba cloth is highly prized both within the community and as mementos for visitors. Sumba weaving (Dr. Kal Muller)

After you have soaked in all the culture, seen the Pasola action and purchased your Ikats, why not relax in one of the two rustic beach side bungalow resorts in East Sumba. They are located right on the beach and offer surfing, game fishing, snorkeling and bird-watching. The beaches are near deserted so it is easy to feel like Robinson Caruso as you wander down the near endless stretches of pure white sand - then you understand why we say that Sumba is the destination of contrasts.

Sumba ceremony (Dr. Kal Muller)