{{Short description|Ethnic group in Indonesia}} {{distinguish|Sekak people}} {{Redirect|Bodha|the 2018 Tamil-language film|Bodha (film)}} {{infobox ethnic group| | image = Pulih_Tuturan.jpg | caption = A Sasak woman making traditional cloth | group = Sasak people<br>{{small|Sasaks}} | native_name = {{lang|sas|Dengan Sasaq}}<br>{{lang|sas|ᬲᬸᬓᬸᬲᬲᬓ᭄}} | pop = '''3,173,127''' (2010 Indonesian census)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sp2010.bps.go.id/files/ebook/kewarganegaraan%20penduduk%20indonesia/index.html |title=Kewarganegaraan, Suku Bangsa, Agama, Dan Bahasa Sehari-Hari Penduduk Indonesia |publisher=Badan Pusat Statistik |date=2010 |access-date=18 July 2017}}</ref> | region1 = {{flag|Indonesia}} | pop1 = 3,173,127 | region2 = {{Flag|West Nusa Tenggara}} | pop2 = 3,033,631 | region3 = {{flagicon image|Official flag of the Province of Bali.jpg}} Bali | pop3 = 22,672 | region4 = {{Flag|East Kalimantan}} | pop4 = 22,194 | region5 = {{flag|Central Sulawesi}} | pop5 = 20,436 | region6 = {{Flag|South Kalimantan}} | pop6 = 11,878 | region7 = {{Flag|South Sulawesi}} | pop7 = 11,335 | langs = '''Native'''<br />Sasak<br />'''Dialects'''<br>North Sasak (Kutó-Kuté, Bayan-Sasak) · Northeast (Sasak Nggetó-Nggeté) · Central Sasak (Menó-Mené) · Central East Sasak-Central West Sasak (Ngenó-Ngené) · Central South Sasak (Meriaq-Meriku)<ref>{{cite book |last=Austin |first=Peter K. |date=2012 |title=Tense, aspect, mood and evidentiality in Sasak, eastern Indonesia |editor1-first=Stuart |editor1-last=McGill |editor2-first=Peter K. |editor2-last=Austin |journal=Language Documentation and Description |volume=11 |pages=231-251 [231] |doi=10.25894/ldd182}}</ref><ref name=e18>{{e18|sas}}</ref> <br>'''Also'''<br />Indonesian, Arabic (religious only) | rels = '''Majority'''<br>15px Sunni Islam<ref name="Houtsma">{{cite book |editor-first=Martijn Theodoor |editor-last=Houtsma |title=E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936 |volume=5 |year=1993 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=90-04-09791-0}}</ref><ref name="David Harnish & Anne Rasmussen 2011">{{cite book |first1=David |last1=Harnish |first2=Anne |last2=Rasmussen |title=Divine Inspirations: Music and Islam in Indonesia |year=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-979309-9}}</ref><ref name="EOB" />{{br}}'''Minorities'''{{br}}{{hlist|15px Wetu Telu|15px Balinese Hinduism|18px Theravada Buddhism|Aliran Kepercayaan}} | related = Austronesian peoples<br>{{small|{{ill|Bayanese|id|Suku Bayan}} · Balinese · Bali Aga · Sumbawa · {{ill|Dompuan|id|Suku Dompu}} · Bimanese · Javanese}} | native_name_lang = Sasak }}
The '''Sasak people'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɑː|s|ɑː|k|}} {{respell|SAH|sahk}}}} ({{langx|sas|Dengan Sasaq}}, Sasak script: {{lang|sas|ᬲᬸᬓᬸᬲᬲᬓ᭄}}; {{langx|id|Orang Sasak}}) or '''Sasaknese''', mainly live on the island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, numbering around 3.6 million (85% of Lombok's population). They are related to the Balinese in language and in ancestry, as well as to other ethnic groups on the neighboring island of Sumbawa. The {{ill|Bayan people|id|Suku Bayan}} are a distinct part of the Sasak people, and are the oldest group on Lombok.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pesta Alip di Bayan|last=Baal|first=J. Van|publisher=Bhratara|year=1976|isbn=|location=Jakarta|pages=16}}</ref>
thumb|{{lang|sas|Pintal Benang}} ("Spinning Yarn"), a tradition of the Sasak people Sasak people are predominanty Muslim; those who practice pre-Islamic beliefs are also known as {{lang|sas|Sasak Boda}} in reference to the name of the Sasak people's original religion, {{lang|sas|Bodha}} ({{lang|sas|Boda}}).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Olaerts |first=Anja |date=2023-02-01 |title=Sasak Culture in Lombok I A Rich and Unique Heritage |url=https://www.thelomboklodge.com/blog/sasak-culture-in-lombok-a-rich-and-unique-heritage/ |access-date=1 February 2024 |website=The Lombok Lodge I Exclusive Luxury in Lombok |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Erni Budiwanti|title=Islam Sasak: Wetu Telu versus Waktu Lima|year=2000|publisher=PT LKiS Pelangi Aksara|isbn=97-989-6651-1|page=8}}</ref>
== Etymology == The name "Sasak" was first mentioned in the 11th century Pujungan Inscription, an inscription found in Tabanan Regency, Bali.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L-YvCwAAQBAJ&dq=prasasti+pujungan&pg=PA1|title=Hikayat Indarjaya|last1=Wacana|first1=H. L.|last2=Suparman|first2=L. G.|last3=Argawa|first3=Nyoman|last4=Astuti|first4=Renggo|date=1 January 1995|publisher=Direktorat Jenderal Kebudayaan|language=id}}</ref>
The origin of the name "Sasak" may come from the word {{lang|sas|sak-sak}}, which means "boat"; it may also mean "one by one". The word ''sak'' is also used by some Dayak people on Kalimantan to mean "one".<ref>{{cite web |title=Sejarah Suku Sasak: Perjalanan Panjang di Tanah Lombok |url=https://jnewsonline.com/suku-sasak-sejarah-dan-tradisi/ |website=J News |access-date=23 November 2025 |language=Indonesian |date=10 July 2024 |trans-title=History of the Sasak Tribe: A Long Journey in the Land of Lombok}}</ref> In the 14th century Nagarakṛtāgama, the word {{lang|kaw|Sasak}} is mentioned along with Lombok in the Kawi phrase {{lang|kaw|Lombok Sasak Mirah Adhi}}, in which {{lang|kaw|Lombok}} means "straight" or "honest", {{lang|kaw|Mirah}} means "gem", {{lang|kaw|Sasak}} means "statement", and {{lang|kaw|Adhi}} means "something that is good" or "utmost". Therefore, {{lang|kaw|Lombok Sasak Mirah Adhi}} means "honesty is the gem that states goodness".<ref>{{cite web |author1=Oasis |title=Lombok Mirah Sasak Adi |url=https://budaya-indonesia.org/Lombok-Mirah-Sasak-Adi |website=Perpustakaan Digitial Budaya Indonesia |access-date=23 November 2025 |language=Indonesian |date=6 October 2014}}</ref>
According to local tradition, it is believed that the word "Sasak" comes from the phrase {{lang|sas|sa'-saq}} which means "the one", followed by the word {{lang|sas|Lombok}} which originates from the word {{lang|sas|Lomboq}}, meaning "straight". Hence, {{lang|sas|Sa'-saq Lombok}} means "something that is straight". Other translations also include "a straight road".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.liputan6.com/read/370636/perang-topat-perang-damai |title=Perang Topat, Perang Damai |publisher=Liputan6 |language=Indonesian |date=5 January 2012 |access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref>
Weaving, an important part of Sasak culture, is known as {{lang|sas|sèsèk}} in the Sasak language; the word {{lang|sas|sèsèk}} comes from the words {{lang|sas|seksi}}, {{lang|sas|sesek}}, or {{lang|sas|saksak}}. {{lang|sas|Sèsèk}} is done by threading the threads one by one ({{lang|sas|sak-sak}}), then tightening the threads, and then forming a cloth by beating them on a loom. The sound heard when beating the loom is similar to the sound "{{lang|sas|sak-sak}}", and it is only done twice.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ran |first1=Asmarani |title=Lombok is Not Bali: The Island That Feels Like Home is Not Just An Escape from Bali |url=https://lombokdigest.com/stories/lombok-is-not-bali-the-island-that-feels-like-home-is-not-just-an-escape-from-bali/ |website=Lombok Digest |access-date=23 November 2025 |date=3 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tenun Sesek, Syarat Menikah Perempuan Sasak |url=https://indonesia.go.id/kategori/komoditas/1893/tenun-sesek-syarat-menikah-perempuan-sasak?lang=1 |access-date=23 November 2025 |language=Indonesian |date=20 June 2020 |trans-title=Sesek Weaving, a Marriage Requirement for Sasak Women}}</ref> Yet another theory is that the word {{lang|sas|Sasak}} means "bamboo woven together".<ref>{{cite web |title=Ini 8 Asal Usul Nama Sasak Suku Asli Pulau Lombok |url=https://www.senggiginews.id/2024/04/ini-8-asal-usul-nama-sasak-suku-asli.html?m=1 |website=Senggigi News |access-date=23 November 2025 |language=Indonesian |date=19 April 2024 |trans-title=These are the 8 Origins of the Name Sasak, the Indigenous People of Lombok Island}}</ref>
== History == thumb|Sasak dancers Little is known about early Sasak history except that Lombok was placed under direct rule of the Majaphait Empire by the 14th century ''Mahapatih''<ref group="Note"> Full title: ''Mahapatih Hamengkubumi'', equivalent to the position of a prime minister.</ref> Gajah Mada. Islam arrived into the area around the 15th century,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cederroth|first=Sven|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hn2XPSm5KR8C&q=sasak+people&pg=PA9|title=A Sacred Cloth Religion?: Ceremonies of the Big Feast Among the Wetu Telu Sasak (Lombok, Indonesia)|publisher=NIAS Press|year=1999|isbn=978-87-87062-54-1|pages=9}}</ref> and Sasaks converted to Islam between the late 16th century to early 17th century. This was done under the influence of Pangeran Prapen ({{ill|Sunan Prapen|id}}), the son of Raden Paku (Sunan Giri);<ref name="Houtsma"/><ref name="David Harnish & Anne Rasmussen 2011"/> alternatively, this was done by Sunan Giri himself and the Muslim Makassarese, frequently mixing basic Islamic beliefs with Hindu-Buddhist beliefs to create the Wetu Telu religion.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Kaj |last1=Arhem |first2=Guido |last2=Sprenger|title=Animism in Southeast Asia|year=2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-33662-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Na|first1=Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aKenKtONX2MC&q=sasak+people&pg=PA238|title=Islam and the Secular State|last2=Naʻīm|first2=ʻAbd Allāh Aḥmad|date=2009-06-30|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-03376-4|language=en}}</ref> Lombok was conquered by the Gelgel Balinese kingdom in the early 16th century,<ref>{{cite book|first=Robert |last=Cribb|title=Historical Atlas of Indonesia|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-78057-8}}</ref> thus bringing a large population of Balinese people to Lombok. The Balinese population of Lombok today is about 300,000, or 10–15% of Lombok's population. The Balinese have also strongly influenced the Wetu Telu religion.<ref name="EOB" />
== Language == thumb|{{lang|sas|Peresean}}, a traditional Sasak sport The Sasak language ({{langx|sas|Base Sasaq|links=no}}) is an Austronesian language belonging to the Malayo-Sumbawan branch, mostly found in Western Indonesia and Malaysia. More specifically, Sasak belongs to the languages of Western Indonesia, meaning it is closely related to the languages of Java (such as Javanese and Sundanese) and languages of Bali (such as Balinese). There are also a number of Sasak dialects in various regions, such as Kutó-Kuté and Bayan-Sasak (North Sasak), Menó-Mené (Central Sasak), Meriaq-Meriku (Central South Sasak), Ngenó-Ngené (Central East Sasak and Central West Sasak), and Nggetó-Nggeté (Northeast Sasak).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/language/sas |title=Sasak |publisher=Ethnologue |access-date=8 October 2014}}</ref>
== Religion == thumb|Sasak children in a Sasak village, ca. 1997 Most Sasaks today are adherents of the {{lang|id|Lima Waktu}} ({{lit|Five Times}}) version of Islam, signifying the five daily prayers which Muslims are required to perform;<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Bennett |first=Linda Rae |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4YxZMlEg3tMC |title=Women, Islam and Modernity: Single Women, Sexuality and Reproductive Health in Contemporary Indonesia |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-33156-7 |pages=9–10 |language=en}}</ref> this in contrast to Sasaks who are practitioners of Wetu Telu ({{lit|Three Times}}) Islam, who only pray three times a day. Orthodox Islamic teachers generally instruct adherents to pray five times a day.<ref name=":0" />
Large numbers of people adhering to the Wetu Telu branch can still be found throughout the island, especially in the village of Bayan, where the religion originated. Large {{lang|sas|Wetu Telu}} communities can be also be found in Mataram, Pujung, Sengkol, Rambitan, Sade, Tetebatu, Bumbung, Sembalun, Senaru, Loyok, and Pasugulan.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
Before the widespread adoption of Islam, Lombok was primarily Hindu. The Balinese Kingdom of Karangasem conquered Lombok in the 17th century, further spreading Balinese Hinduism, the influence of which still remains.<ref name="Rinjani">{{cite web |title=History of Lombok Island – Culture, Heritage, and the Story Behind Paradise |url=https://www.greenrinjani.com/history-of-lombok/ |website=Green Rinjani |access-date=23 November 2025}}</ref> Many ancient Hindu {{lang|ban|pura}}, such as Gunung Pengsong, Lingsar, Meru, and Suranadi, still remain standing.<ref name="Resort">{{cite web |title=History of Lombok: Sasak Tribes and Dutch East India Company |url=https://amazinglombokresort.com/explorelombok/read/history-lombok |website=Amazing Lombok Resort |access-date=23 November 2025 |date=19 November 2023}}</ref>
== Art performances == [[File:Raiyani Muharramah Gendang beleq DSCF8502a.jpg|thumb|{{lang|sas|Gendang beleq}} performance on a road]] * {{lang|sas|Gandrung}} dance<ref name="EOB">{{cite book|first=Kal |last=Müller|editor-first=David |editor-last=Pickell|title=East of Bali: From Lombok to Timor|year=1997|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|isbn=962-593-178-3}}</ref> * {{lang|sas|Gendang beleq}} dance<ref name="EOB" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.star2.com/travel/asia-oceania/2016/06/11/lombok-the-island-that-god-smiles-upon/ |title=Lombok, the island that God smiles upon |first=Akil |last=Yunus |publisher=Star2 |date=11 June 2016 |access-date=11 November 2016}}</ref>
== Notes == <references group="Note" />
== See also == {{Portal|Indonesia}}
* Sasak architecture * Austronesian expansion
== Notes == {{notelist}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.times.com/fodors/top/features/travel/destinations/asia/indonesia/bali/fdrs_feat_19_5.html?n=Top%2FFeatures%2FTravel%2FDestinations%2FAsia%2FIndonesia%2FBali Sidetrip to Lombok by the New York Times]
{{Commons category|Sasak people}} {{Ethnic groups in Indonesia}}
Category:Ethnic groups in Indonesia Category:Lombok Category:Indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia