SASAK

also spelled Sassak, largest ethnic group on Lombok, one of the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia, constituting most of the island's population and numbering about 2,000,000 in 1977. The Sasak are of Deutero-Malay stock and speak Sasak or Sasak-Balinese. Concentrated most densely in the central third of the island, they are subsistence farmers of wet rice, coffee, vegetables, coconuts, bamboo, sugarcane, and pandanus. The Sasak live in small villages (520 families) or in large villages numbering several thousand in population. Houses are built around a kampu, where ceremonies take place. Originally the only inhabitants of Lombok, the Sasak were under the political domination of Bali from the 18th century until 1895, when the Dutch conquered the island. Today, the Sasak continue to recognize caste social divisions and observe one of two forms of religion: Waktu Telu (traditional practices with Islamic modifications) in the smaller villages and Waktu Lima (strict Islam) in the larger settlements. Village officials, including a headman, are chosen from among both Muslim and traditional religious leaders. Islamization has strengthened the patrilineal structure of the Sasak, reinforcing male dominance in family structure, inheritance, and economic control.