Sumba ( pey, Soemba-eiland; id, pulau Sumba), natively also spelt as Humba, Hubba, Suba, or Zuba (in
Sumba languages
The Sumba languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian language family, spoken on Sumba, an island in eastern Indonesia.Asplund, Leif (2010)''The Languages of Sumba.''Paper presented at the East Nusantara Conference in Kupang. They are closely r ...
) is an
Indonesian island
* See also: Names of Indonesia
, location = Southeast Asia and Oceania
, waterbody =
* Indian Ocean
* Pacific Ocean
, total_islands = ± 17,000–18,000 islands
, major_islands =
, area_km2 = 8,300,000
, area_footnotes =
, rank =
, length_ ...
(part of the
Lesser Sunda Archipelago group) located in the Eastern Indonesia and administratively part of the
East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara ( id, Nusa Tenggara Timur – NTT; pt, Sonda Oriental) is the southernmost province of Indonesia. It comprises the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, facing the Indian Ocean in the south and the Flores Sea in the nor ...
provincial territory. Sumba has an area of , about the same size as
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...
or
Hawaii (Island)
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii ) is the largest island in the United States, located in the state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of , it has 63% of ...
. The population was 686,113 at the 2010 Census
[Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.] and 779,049 at the 2020 Census;
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] the official estimate as of mid-2023 was 820,506 (comprising 420,291 males and 400,215 females).
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.53)] To the northwest of Sumba is
Sumbawa
Sumbawa is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. Along with Lombok, it forms the province of West Nusa Tenggara, but there ...
, to the northeast, across the
Sumba Strait
Sumba Strait (Indonesian: Selat Sumba) is a strait in Indonesia.
It separates the island of Sumba from the major islands of Flores and Sumbawa, as well as minor islands including Komodo and Rinca. It connects the Indian Ocean to the Savu Sea
...
(Selat Sumba), is
Flores, to the east, across the
Savu Sea
The Savu Sea (or the Sawu Sea) ( id, Laut Sawu, pt, Mar de Savu, tet, Tasi Savu) is a small sea within Indonesia named for the island of Savu (Sawu) on its southern boundary. It is bounded by Savu and Rai Jua to the south, the islands of ...
, is
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. The Indonesian part, al ...
, and to the south, across part of the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...
, is
Australia.
Nomenclature

The name "Sumba" is derived from the native
Sumbanese word ''humba'' or ''hubba'' (in various Subanese dialects), which means “original”, “native”, “indigenous” or “no interference”; this was initially an
ethnonym referring to the native inhabitants of this island who identified themselves as ''tau Humba'' or ''tau Hubba'' ( or 'original people'), to differentiate themselves from foreigners (non-Sumbanese people) who gradually and continuously came to occupy the island.
On the other hand, the Sumbanese cultural territory (including Sumba Island and its surrounding seas) are also known as ''tana wai humba'' or ''tana wae hubba'' (in Sumbanese languages), which means “our native land” or “the motherland of Sumba people”; these sentences appeared in ancient Sumbanese manuscripts that told the tale of ''Inya Nyale'' (a mermaid-like creature who used to live on land but then moved to the ocean), considered as a sacred figure in Sumbanese mythology.
The letter '
h' in later time (around
12th century) replaced by '
s' due to the mass migration of
Javanese people
The Javanese ( id, Orang Jawa; jv, ꦮꦺꦴꦁꦗꦮ, ''Wong Jawa'' ; , ''Tiyang Jawi'' ) are an ethnic group native to the central and eastern part of the Indonesian island of Java. With approximately 100 million people, Javanese people ...
from the island of
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...
, because the word ''humba'' sounds so similar to the
Javanese
Javanese may refer to:
Of Java
*Javanese people, and their culture
* Javanese language
** Javanese script, traditional letters used to write Javanese language
**Javanese (Unicode block),
**Old Javanese, the oldest phase of the Javanese language ...
word of ꦲꦸꦩ꧀ꦧꦃ (''umbah'', but written as ''humbah'' according to
Javanese writing system), meaning "to wash" or "to cleanse".
History
Oral traditions
According to Sumbanese historians, Sumba Island was once connected to the neighbouring islands to the north, namely
Flores and
Sumbawa
Sumbawa is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. Along with Lombok, it forms the province of West Nusa Tenggara, but there ...
.
Flores and Sumba were connected by the ''Kataka Lindiwatu'' (in Sumba languages), an ancient stone bridge built by the native of Sumba and Flores.
Due to the high level of socialization around the ''Kataka Lindiwatu'' which connected both islands, civilization was thought to arise from around those regions (which nowadays correspond to northern Sumba and to part of
East Sumba regency territory). This story belongs to the Sumba oral traditions as was written down by Umbu Pura Woha (2007) in his book ().
Ancient civilization ruins
The ruins of the historical civilization of the Sumba people dates back to the
BC era;
megalithic burials were found on the central regions of the island (Central Sumba) which go back to thousands of years ago. These stone-based burial traditions are still kept alive by the Sumba people and have become a 'living ancient tradition' that still can be observed by scholars in modern days.
The megalithic remains found on Sumba Island include dolmen tombs, upright stones, megalithic statues, stone enclosures, and levelled terraces. The Sumba megalithic tradition itself was characterized by the old megaliths built and carved with high quality standards.
Some ancient tools are also found on the island. Notable findings are quadrangular
adze
An adze (; alternative spelling: adz) is an ancient and versatile cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel. Adzes have been used since the Stone Age. They are used for smoothing ...
s unearthed in the
Anakalang
Anakalang is a society and a megalithic site on the island of Sumba, in eastern Indonesia. It is noted for its quadrangular adzes and numerous megalithic tombs. The West Sumba island's best megalithic tombs are located here. They are large and ...
area (a cultural region of Anakalang Sumba, a subethnic group of Sumba people).
One significant archaeological discovery was that of the urn burial site in Melolo in the 1920s, dated around 2,870
BCE
Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the ...
.
Javanese power
Around the 12th century, the kingdom of
Singhasari
Singhasari ( jv, ꦏꦫꦠꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦱꦶꦔ꧀ꦲꦱꦫꦶ, translit=Karaton Singhasari or , id, Kerajaan Singasari) was a Javanese Hindu kingdom located in east Java between 1222 and 1292. The kingdom succeeded the Kingdom of Kediri a ...
in eastern Java gained more power over the maritime Southeast Asian territory after the kingdom defeated the
Mongols
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
; since then, this kingdom evolved into the
empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
known as
Majapahit
Majapahit ( jv, ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀; ), also known as Wilwatikta ( jv, ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; ), was a Javanese Hindu-Buddhist thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was based on the island of Java (in modern-day Indonesi ...
. Sumba Island was a subject of Majapahit's dominion, and the word "''Sumba''" itself was first officially used during the Majapahit era (mentioned in the ancient Javanese manuscripts of ''Pararaton'' and ''Sumpah Palapa'' oath of
Gajah Mada
Gajah Mada (c. 1290 – c. 1364), also known as JirnnodharaMunandar, 2010: 77 was, according to Old Javanese manuscripts, poems, and inscriptions, a powerful military leader and '' Mahapatih'' (the approximate equivalent of a modern Prime ...
); the word itself was thought as the closest substitution in Javanese for the native name of the island according to native Sumba people, which is ''Humba'' or ''Hubba''. The Javanese people was predicted to arrived on the Sumba Island via the
Madura
Madura Island is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively 5,379.33 km2 including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administrat ...
and
Kangean route, it was examined through the analysis on the DNA of chicken species on Sumba that are naturally only
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to the eastern regions of Java and its neighbouring islands (which in these case, most probably Kangean Island).
European colonizations
In
1522
__NOTOC__
Year 1522 ( MDXXII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1522nd year of the Common Era (CE) and '' Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 522nd year of the 2nd mill ...
, the native Sumba came into contact with the Europeans (Portuguese) who arrived on the island by ships to exploit the natural resources of the island. Later, it also attracted the
Dutch VOC to come in the region in circa
1600s 1600s may refer to:
* The century from 1600 to 1699, almost synonymous with the 17th century (1601-1700).
* 1600s (decade), the period from 1600 to 1609
{{letter-Number Combination Disambiguation ...
era. Historically,
sandalwood
Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus '' Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for ...
was the main commodity exported to Europe from this island, thus the Sumba Island back then colloquially also known as the ''Sandalwood Island'' or ''Sandel Island'' (in English).
As the time goes by, in
1866
Events January–March
* January 1
** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee.
** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine ''The Liberator'' is published.
* January 6 – Ottoman troo ...
, the island of Sumba was later transferred to and dominated by the following
Dutch East Indies colonization power. The well-known
Christianization
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, cont ...
of the natives of Sumba Island was started in 1886 by the Dutch under the Douwe Wielenga Jesuits missionary program in the district of Laura in
West Sumba
West Sumba Regency ( id, Kabupaten Sumba Barat) is a regency in East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia. Established in 1958,
the regency was considerably reduced in 2007 with the creation of new Regencies on Sumba Island. Its area is now 737.42& ...
.
Geography, climate and ecology

The largest town on the island is the main port of
Waingapu
Waingapu is the largest town in the eastern half of the island of Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It is the capital town of the Regency of Sumba Timur. The town (a district of the regency) had a population of 35,932 inhabitants at the offic ...
near the mouth of the
Kambaniru River
The Kambaniru River (Indonesian: ''Sungai Kambaniru''; Sumba name: ''Luku Kambaniru'') is a river in the island of Sumba, Indonesia, about 1,500 km east of the capital Jakarta. , with a population of 71,752
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.53)] (including the adjoining district of Kambera) in mid 2023.
The landscape is low, limestone hills, rather than the steep volcanoes of many Indonesian islands. There is a dry season from May to November and a rainy season from December to April. The western side of the island is more fertile and more heavily populated than the east.
Although generally thought to be originally part of the
Gondwana
Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final st ...
southern hemisphere supercontinent, recent research suggests that the island might have detached from the South East Asia margin.
Most of it was originally covered in
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, a ...
monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...
forest while the south-facing slopes, which remain moist during the dry season, were evergreen
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfo ...
.
The northern part of the island is extremely arid; the soils have been depleted from deforestation and erosion.
Sumba is in the
Wallacea
Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of mainly Indonesian islands separated by deep-water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Wallacea includes Sulawesi, the largest island in the group, as well as ...
region, having a mixture of plants and animals of
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
n and
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecolo ...
n origin.
Due to its distinctive flora and fauna, Sumba has been categorised by the
World Wildlife Fund
The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...
as the Sumba deciduous forests
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas o ...
.
Fauna

There are a number of mammals, but the island is particularly rich in bird-life with nearly 200 birds, of which seven
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
species and a number of others are found only here and on some nearby islands. The endemic birds include the endangered
Sumba eclectus parrot, four vulnerable species — the secretive
Sumba boobook
The Sumba boobook (''Ninox rudolfi'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is endemic to Sumba in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowl ...
owl,
Sumba buttonquail
The Sumba buttonquail (''Turnix everetti'') is a species of bird in the family Turnicidae. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett.
Distribution and habitat
It is endemic to S ...
,
red-naped fruit-dove
The red-naped fruit dove (''Ptilinopus dohertyi'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Sumba.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Identification
...
, and
Sumba hornbill
The Sumba hornbill (''Rhyticeros everetti'') is a large bird in the Bucerotidae, or hornbill family. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett.
Description
It is a medium-size ...
— as well as three more common species: the
Sumba green pigeon
The Sumba green pigeon (''Treron teysmannii'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Sumba Island in Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss
...
,
Sumba flycatcher
The Sumba flycatcher (''Ficedula harterti'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae.
It is endemic to Indonesia.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees ...
, and
apricot-breasted sunbird
The apricot-breasted sunbird (''Cinnyris buettikoferi'') is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the island of Sumba in Indonesia, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtrop ...
.
Saltwater crocodile
The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats and brackish wetlands from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaic region to northern Australia and Micronesia. It has been list ...
s can still be found in some areas.
The
Sumba hornbill
The Sumba hornbill (''Rhyticeros everetti'') is a large bird in the Bucerotidae, or hornbill family. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett.
Description
It is a medium-size ...
or ''Julang Sumba'' (''Rhyticeros everetti'') is under increasing threat of extinction. Indiscriminate deforestation is threatening their survival. The population is estimated at less than 4,000 with an average density of six individuals per square kilometre. A hornbill can fly to and from over an area of up to 100 square kilometres.
Threats and preservation
Most of the original forest has been cleared for the planting of
maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn ( North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. ...
,
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated a ...
, and other crops so only small isolated patches remain. Furthermore, this clearance is ongoing due to the growing population of the island and this represents a threat to the birds.
In 1998 two national parks were designated on the island for the protection of endangered species: the
Laiwangi Wanggameti National Park
Laiwangi Wanggameti National Park is located on the island of Sumba in Indonesia. All forests types that exist on this island can be found in this national park. Some endemic plant species are protected in this national park, such as ''Syzygiu ...
and
Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park
Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park is located on the island of Sumba in Indonesia. This national park consists lowland forests on steep slopes that rise up to ca. 600m.Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia"Manupeu-Tanah Daru National Park", retrieved 4 ...
.
Administration
Sumba is part of the
East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara ( id, Nusa Tenggara Timur – NTT; pt, Sonda Oriental) is the southernmost province of Indonesia. It comprises the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, facing the Indian Ocean in the south and the Flores Sea in the nor ...
Province, and there is no single administrative body at the island level. The island and the very small offshore islands administered with it are split into four
regencies
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...
(local government regions), following re-organisation on 2 January 2007 when two new regencies were created from parts of West Sumba Regency. The four regencies are
Sumba Barat
West Sumba Regency ( id, Kabupaten Sumba Barat) is a regency in East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia. Established in 1958,
the regency was considerably reduced in 2007 with the creation of new Regencies on Sumba Island. Its area is now 737. ...
(West Sumba),
Sumba Barat Daya
Southwest Sumba Regency ( id, Kabupaten Sumba Barat Daya) is a regency on Sumba Island in East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. Established in 2007, the regency has its seat (capital) in Tambolaka. Its population was 283,818 in the 2010 de ...
(Southwest Sumba),
Sumba Tengah
Central Sumba Regency ( id, Kabupaten Sumba Tengah) is a regency in East Nusa Tenggara of Indonesia. The new Central Sumba Regency was established on the island of Sumba when West Sumba Regency was split into two regencies on 22 May 2007 and a f ...
(Central Sumba) and
Sumba Timur
East Sumba Regency ( id, Kabupaten Sumba Timur) is geographically the largest of the four regencies which divide the island of Sumba, within East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia. It occupies 64% (nearly two-thirds) of the entire island, being ...
(East Sumba), which together accounted for 14.7% of the provincial population in 2023. The regencies are listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census
[Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.] and the 2020 Census,
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Timur Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.53)] The provincial capital is not on Sumba Island, but in
Kupang
Kupang ( id, Kota Kupang, ), formerly known as Koepang, is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. At the 2020 C ensus, it had a population of 442,758; the official estimate as at mid 2021 was 455,850. It is the largest c ...
on
West Timor
West Timor ( id, Timor Barat) is an area covering the western part of the island of Timor, except for the district of Oecussi-Ambeno (an East Timorese exclave). Administratively, West Timor is part of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The c ...
.
Culture

The west part of Sumba is inhabited by segmentary societies made of clans and of politically autonomous villages, while Sumba North and East are occupied by stratified societies
(based on
caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural ...
s
) made of clan confederations and led by a dominant clan from which a “king” (''raja'') is chosen, who yields a real political power.
Thus West Sumba is more ethnically and linguistically diverse.
Both systems exist simultaneously with a 3-tier class system (aristocracy, common people and slaves) assimilated in such a way that - paradoxically - it does not impair the egalitarian functioning of the Western segmentary societies.
Villages almost always include members of several clans, because at each generation many of the youngest ones settle in villages other than the one they originated from - which may belong to an allied clan and not their own original clan and lineage.
As of 2021, Sumba is the last place on Earth where societies have remained close to the traditions of South-East Asian hill tribes and still build megalithic monuments such as dolmens for collective burials: more 100 megalithic tombs are still built each year on the island. But this too reflects the East / West difference: the Western segmentary societies built many more dolmens than the Eastern stratified societies; and dolmens in the east are larger, more richly ornated and are reserved to the royal clan.
Waingapu
Waingapu is the largest town in the eastern half of the island of Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It is the capital town of the Regency of Sumba Timur. The town (a district of the regency) had a population of 35,932 inhabitants at the offic ...
, a Kodi village in the west of Sumba, has some 1,400 dolmens - one of the highest concentrations on the island.
The
Sumbanese have a mixture of
Austronesian
Austronesian may refer to:
*The Austronesian languages
*The historical Austronesian peoples
The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, M ...
and
Melanesia
Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea.
The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, ...
n ancestry. Sumba is home to 24 ethnic groups who speak nine
Austronesian languages, some of these including several dialects. The largest language group is the
Kambera language
Kambera, also known as East Sumbanese, is a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in the Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. Kambera is a member of Bima-Sumba subgrouping within Central Malayo-Polynesian inside Malayo-Polynesian. The island of Sumba, lo ...
, spoken by a quarter of a million people in the eastern half of Sumba.
Twenty-five to thirty percent of the population practices the animist
Marapu
The Marapu religion (also known as Marafu in Sumba) is a form of ancestral religion that is practiced mainly in the island of Sumba in Indonesia. Marapu is also practiced in many more remote areas of Sumba and Flores. Both the Christians and M ...
religion. The remainder are
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
, a majority being Dutch
Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
with a substantial minority being
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
. A small number of
Sunni Muslims
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
can be found along the coastal areas.
The younger generations seem to reject Marapu. This may be at least in part because the only functioning schools are Catholic and embracing that religion is required to attend school. Whatever the cause, the difference is significant compared to some other traditional places such as
Waerebo, where the locals have a Christian first name and a traditional second name.
Sumba is famous for ''ikat''
textiles
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not th ...
, particularly very detailed hand-woven ''
ikat
''Ikat'' (in Indonesian languages means "bind") is a dyeing technique originating from Indonesia used to pattern textiles that employs resist dyeing on the yarns prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric.
In ''ikat'', the resist is formed by b ...
''. The process of dyeing and weaving ''ikat'' is labor-intensive and one piece can take months to prepare. Ikat from West Sumba is notably different to that produced in the East: its only designs are geometric motifs and it usually includes a part that imitates a reticulated python skin.
Development and living standards
Sumba is one of the poorer islands of Indonesia.
Health
A relatively high percentage of the population suffers from
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or deat ...
, although the illness is almost eradicated in the western part of the island.
Infant mortality
Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of 1. This death toll is measured by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the probability of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births. The under-five morta ...
is high.
Water
Access to water is one of the major challenges in Sumba. During the dry season, many streams dry out and villagers depend on wells for scarce supplies of water. Villagers have to travel several kilometres several times a day to fetch water. It is mainly the women and children who are sent for water, while the men are at work. The
Sumba Foundation
Sumba ( id, Pulau Sumba) is an island in eastern Indonesia. It is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands and is in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Sumba has an area of , and the population was 779,049 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as ...
has been active in raising sponsorship to drill wells in villages and attempting to reduce poverty on the island. As of February 2013, the Sumba Foundation was responsible for 48 wells and 191 water stations, supplying 15 schools with water and sanitation, and reducing malaria rates by some 85%.
Electricity
Electricity mainly comes from diesel generators. New projects include 3 MW Bayu wind power plant (PLTB) in Kadumbul, East Sumba by PT Hywind. Another is the Bodo Hula Biomass Power Plant (PLTBm), West Sumba. 1 MW capacity. Other existing renewable electricity projects involve solar PV and micro-hydroelectricity.
Tourism
Areas of interest
* Tanggedu Waterfall (''Air Terjun Tanggedu''), 50 kilometres north-west of
Waingapu
Waingapu is the largest town in the eastern half of the island of Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It is the capital town of the Regency of Sumba Timur. The town (a district of the regency) had a population of 35,932 inhabitants at the offic ...
, the capital city of the
East Sumba Regency
East Sumba Regency ( id, Kabupaten Sumba Timur) is geographically the largest of the four regencies which divide the island of Sumba, within East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia. It occupies 64% (nearly two-thirds) of the entire island, being ...
(the itinerary to the waterfall goes through Purukambera on the coast).
* Puru Kambera Beach, 30 kilometres north-west of Waingapu (one-hour drive)
* Tarimbang Bay, 87 kilometres south-west of Waingapu (three-hour drive), is a surfers paradise with 2- to 3-meter tall waves between June and September.
* Watu Mandorak Cove, a white sandy beach with cliffs 42 kilometers south-west of Tambolaka (two-hour drive in the dry season ; in the rainy season, the journey takes longer and is not recommended).
* Walakiri Beach, 24 km east of Waingapu, for its famed "dancing trees".
* The Sumba Hospitality Foundation is located in
West Sumba
West Sumba Regency ( id, Kabupaten Sumba Barat) is a regency in East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia. Established in 1958,
the regency was considerably reduced in 2007 with the creation of new Regencies on Sumba Island. Its area is now 737.42& ...
(Sumba Barat). This organization is dedicated to providing vocational education in hospitality to underprivileged students hailing from all across Sumba.
Resorts
NIHI Sumba has been ranked as one of the world's five best eco-hotels and was awarded the world's best hotel of 2016 and 2017 from ''
Travel + Leisure
''Travel + Leisure'' is a travel magazine based in New York City, New York. Published 12 times a year, it has 4.8 million readers, according to its corporate media kit. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC, with trademark ...
'' for its native ambiance and authentic local experience.
See also
*
Soemba Mission
The Soemba Mission was a mission on the Indonesian island of Soemba, intended to convert the population to Christianity.
Gallery
image:KerkGKSin_KaruniSoemba.JPG, GKS church in Karuni West Sumba Regency, 2007
Image:KatholiekeKerkWaungapu.JP ...
*
List of islands of Indonesia
* See also: Names of Indonesia
, location = Southeast Asia and Oceania
, waterbody =
* Indian Ocean
* Pacific Ocean
, total_islands = ± 17,000–18,000 islands
, major_islands =
, area_km2 = 8,300,000
, area_footnotes =
, rank =
, length ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Sumba tourist and social information (private website)*
Maps
*
*
{{Authority control
Australasian ecoregions
Ecoregions of Indonesia
Ecoregions of Malesia
Islands of Indonesia
Landforms of East Nusa Tenggara
Lesser Sunda Islands
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
Wallacea
Islands of the Indian Ocean
Populated places in Indonesia