Brothers & sisters…, I have never imagined in this modern day there is still a group of people living in traditional ways just like their ancestors many many years ago in a place surrounded by modern life styles. But, here they are, a group suku Sasak (Sasak tribe), they live in a place called desa Sade, Lombok island.

There are about 150 family living in this village. From what I heard the people living there are the 15th generation and this village has been there for hundreds of years. Interestingly their houses are all built from bamboo and blady grass. The walls are from bamboo and the roofs are all from blady grass. The house floor mostly pure dirt but there are some houses already used cement floor. Even more interesting these people regularly clean their house floor using cow or buffalo dung. They spread it all over the foor and then once dry out they clean it using broom. I was lucky to see one of the houses just do this. Well, that’s the way they do from generation to generation.

the houses are very close to each other

In side the house every thing is very simple and traditional, no modern equipments. No fancy TV set, no comfortable sofas, no spring beds. Most, if not all, housing equipments are traditionally hand made.

Inside the house first room

the bed

the kitchen

the floor is newly cleaned with cow dung

The houses are built very close to each other, there are very narrow streets in the village that people only can walk. The village is relatively small so walking from one end to another doesn’t take much energy. According to the local guide, the people in this village married only to the people within the village. They even married to their close relatives. They do this to keep their tradition as pure and original as possible. According to the story I am told, suku Sasak is believed to be the first tribe occupies Lombok island.

my wife is wearing Sasak traditional dress.

there are some shops in this village selling local products as souvenir.

that’s me on the narrow street

Sasak people having a meeting

It is amazing that they are able to keep their village and their way of life in old traditional fashion. While out side this village, just a few meters away, people are living in modern life styles just like the rest of the world.