Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lombok's Sasak villages
Balinese people living on Lombok retain their traditional house compounds, as do the Bugis
people, who have settled along Lombok's eastern and southern coasts and live in wooden
houses constructed on tall piles. The indigenous
Sasak
people of Lombok also have their
own architectural style.
Traditional Sasak villages
, such as those at Segenter and Senaru in north Lombok, and
Rembitan and Sade in south Lombok, are walled enclosures, with a gateway that is closed at
night.
Houses
are made of bamboo with a thatch roof that slopes almost to the ground and
floors of mud and dung; they may have none or only a few windows, with a veranda on at
least one side. Traditionally, the cooking hearth and eating area are inside the house; a walled-
off room, the
inan bale
, is used for storage but is also the place where newlyweds spend their
first night.
The symbol of Lombok, the
lumbung rice barn
, with its bonnet-shaped roof, is a feature
of only the south of the island. They are built in rows, on four piles, with a thatch roof and a
single opening high up. A circular wooden disc, the
jelepreng
, on each post stops rats climb-
ing up to the rice. Underneath each post, old Chinese coins (
kepeng
) are buried for good luck
and protection.
Balinese Village organizations
The smallest unit of social organization in each Balinese village is the
banjar
or neighbour-
hood. Each adult male joins the local
banjar
when he marries; his wife and children are also
members but only the adult men attend meetings. The largest
banjar
in Denpasar may have
five hundred heads of household, the small rural ones just fifty.
