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Sumba Island

Sumba (Petjo: Soemba-eiland; Indonesian: pulau Sumba), natively also spelt as Humba, Hubba, Suba, or Zuba (in Sumba languages) is an Indonesian island (part of the Lesser Sunda Archipelago group) located in the Eastern Indonesia and administratively part of the East Nusa Tenggara provincial territory. Sumba has an area of 11,243.78 square kilometres (4,341.25 square miles), about the same size as Jamaica or the island of Hawaii. The population was 686,113 at the 2010 Census and 779,049 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2024 was 853,428 (comprising 436,845 males and 416,583 females). To the northwest of Sumba is Sumbawa, to the northeast, across the Sumba Strait (Selat Sumba), is Flores, to the east, across the Savu Sea (including Savu Island), is Timor, and to the south, across part of the Indian Ocean, is Australia.

History

Oral traditions

According to Sumbanese mythology, Flores and Sumba were once 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 Sejarah, Musyawarah dan Adat Istiadat Sumba Timur (lit. 'History, Deliberation and Customs of East Sumba').

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 adzes unearthed in the Anakalang 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.

Javanese power

Around the 12th century, the kingdom of Singhasari in eastern Java gained more power over the maritime Southeast Asian territory after the kingdom defeated the Mongols; since then, this kingdom evolved into the empire known as Majapahit. 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); 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. It is thought that Javanese people arrived on Sumba Island via the Madura and Kangean route, based on analysis of the DNA of chicken species on Sumba that are only endemic in the eastern parts of Java and its neighbouring islands (which in this case is probably Kangean Island).

European colonizations

In 1522, the native Sumba came into contact with the Europeans (Portuguese) who arrived on the island by ship to exploit the natural resources of the island. Later, it also attracted the Dutch VOC to come in the region in circa 1600s era. Historically, sandalwood 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).

In 1866, the island of Sumba was transferred to and dominated by the Dutch East Indies colonization power. The well-known Christianization 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.

Geography, climate and ecology

The largest town on the island is the main port of Waingapu near the mouth of the Kambaniru River, with a population of 71,752^[2] (including the adjoining district of Kambera) in mid 2023.

The landscape is low, with 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 densely populated than the east.

Although generally thought to be originally part of the Gondwana 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 monsoon forest while the south-facing slopes, which remain moist during the dry season, were evergreen rainforest. The northern part of the island is extremely arid; the soils have been depleted by deforestation and erosion.

Sumba is in the Wallacea region, having a mixture of plants and animals of Asian and Australasian origin. Due to its distinctive flora and fauna, Sumba has been categorised by the World Wildlife Fund as the Sumba deciduous forests ecoregion.

Fauna

There are a number of mammals, but the island is particularly rich in bird-life with nearly 200 birds, of which seven endemic 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 owl, Sumba buttonquail, red-naped fruit-dove, and Sumba hornbill — as well as three more common species: the Sumba green pigeon, Sumba flycatcher, and apricot-breasted sunbird. Saltwater crocodiles can still be found in some areas.

The Sumba hornbill 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, cassava, and other crops and only small isolated patches of forest remain. Forest clearance is still 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 and Manupeu Tanah Daru National Park.

Administration

Sumba is part of the East Nusa Tenggara 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 (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), Sumba Barat Daya (Southwest Sumba), Sumba Tengah (Central Sumba) and Sumba Timur (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 and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2024. The provincial capital is not on Sumba Island, but in Kupang on West Timor.

Culture

Religion in Sumba (2023)^[20]

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: 100 new megalithic tombs are still built each year on the island. But this too is reflected in the East / West divide: the Western segmentary societies build many more dolmens than the Eastern stratified societies; and dolmens in the east are larger, more richly ornated and are reserved for the royal clan. Waingapu, 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 and Melanesian 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, 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 religion. The remainder are Christian, a majority being Dutch Calvinist with a substantial minority being Roman Catholic. A small number of Sunni Muslims 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, particularly very detailed hand-woven ikat. 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.