Editing Sumba (section)

==Culture==
[[File:Houses bondokodi sumba.JPG|thumb|[[Sumbanese traditional house|Traditional Sumbanese houses]] near Bondokodi, West Sumba]]
[[File:KatholiekeKerkWaungapu.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Catholic]] church in [[Waingapu]], [[East Sumba Regency]]]]
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Sumba (2023)<ref>{{cite web | url= https://e-database.kemendagri.go.id/dataset/1203/tabel-data?page=23| title=Religion in Indonesia }}</ref>
|label2 = [[Roman Catholic]]
|value2 = 29.82
|color2 = Purple
|label1 = [[Protestantism]]
|value1 = 62.88
|color1 = Blue
|label3 = [[Islam]]
|value3 = 4.05
|color3 = DarkGreen
|label4 = [[Marapu]] and others
|value4 = 3.15
|color4 = Red
|label5 = [[Hinduism]]
|value5 = 0.10
|color5 = DarkOrange
|label6 = [[Buddhism]]
|value6 = 0.00
|color6 = Yellow
}}

The west part of Sumba is inhabited by segmentary societies made of clans and of politically autonomous villages, while Sumba North and East are occupied by stratified societies<ref name="jeun_6">{{cite journal |last1= Jeunesse |first1= Christian |last2= Bec-Drelon |first2= Noisette |last3= Boulestin |first3= Bruno |last4= Denaire |first4= Anthony |date= 2021 |title= Aspects de la gestion des dolmens et des tombes collectives actuels dans les sociétés de l’île de Sumba (Indonésie) |trans-title= Ethnoarchaeology of funeral practices: aspects of the management of current dolmens and collective tombs in the tribal societies of Sumba Island (Indonesia) |journal= Préhistoires méditerranéennes |volume= 9 |issue= 2 |pages= 165-179 (see § 6) |url= https://journals.openedition.org/pm/3098 |access-date= 2024-06-15 }}</ref>  (based on [[caste]]s<ref name="Forshee2006">{{cite book |last= Forshee |first= Jill |year= 2006 |title= Culture and Customs of Indonesia |publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn= 978-0-313-33339-2 |page= 41 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=y0xVkgXZOfUC&pg=PA41 |access-date= 2 February 2013 }}</ref>) made of clan confederations and led by a dominant clan from which a “king” (''raja'') is chosen, who yields a real political power.<ref name="jeun_6"/>
Thus West Sumba is more ethnically and linguistically diverse.<ref name="Müller1997 2">{{cite book |last= Müller |first= Kal |year= 1997 |title= East of Bali: From Lombok to Timor |publisher= Tuttle Publishing |isbn= 978-962-593-178-4 |page= 170 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DSmqaNFttVkC&pg=PA170 |access-date= 2 February 2013 }}</ref> Both systems exist simultaneously with a 3-tier class system (aristocracy, common people and slaves) assimilated in such a way that - paradoxically - it does not impair the egalitarian functioning of the Western segmentary societies.<ref name="jeun_6"/> <br>
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.{{sfn|Jeunesse|Bec-Drelon|Boulestin|Denaire|2021|loc= § 7 }}

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:{{sfn|Jeunesse|Bec-Drelon|Boulestin|Denaire|2021|loc= § 3 }} more 100 megalithic tombs are still built each year on the island. But this too reflects the East / West difference: the Western segmentary societies built many more dolmens than the Eastern stratified societies; and dolmens in the east are larger, more richly ornated and are reserved to the royal clan.{{sfn|Jeunesse|Bec-Drelon|Boulestin|Denaire|2021|loc= § 8 }} [[Waingapu]], a Kodi{{efn|The Kodi are one of the 24 ethnic groups that inhabit Sumba.{{sfn|Jeunesse|Bec-Drelon|Boulestin|Denaire|2021|loc= § 4 }} }} village in the west of Sumba, has some 1,400 dolmens - one of the highest concentrations on the island.{{sfn|Jeunesse|Bec-Drelon|Boulestin|Denaire|2021|loc= § 8 }}

The [[Sumba people|Sumbanese]] have a mixture of [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]] and [[Melanesia]]n ancestry.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} Sumba is home to 24 ethnic groups who speak nine [[Austronesian languages]], some of these including several dialects.{{sfn|Jeunesse|Bec-Drelon|Boulestin|Denaire|2021|loc= § 4 }} The largest language group is the [[Kambera language]], spoken by a quarter of a million people in the eastern half of Sumba.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Twenty-five to thirty percent of the population practices the animist [[Marapu]] religion. The remainder are [[Christianity|Christian]], a majority being Dutch [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] with a substantial minority being [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]. A small number of [[Sunni Islam|Sunni Muslims]] can be found along the coastal areas.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} 
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.<ref>{{cite web |title= Marapu and other weird things in Sumba |website= whatsnextnaomi.com |url= http://www.whatsnextnaomi.com/2016/06/marapu-and-other-weird-things-in-sumba.html |access-date= 2024-06-15 }}</ref>

Sumba is famous for ''ikat'' [[Textiles of Sumba|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.<ref>{{cite news |last= Sertori |first= Trisha |date= 30 August 2012 |title= Sumba on show in Bali |url= http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/08/30/sumba-show-bali.html |work= The Jakarta Post |access-date= 2024-06-15 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title= Ikat from West Sumba, Indonesia |website= ikat.us |url= https://ikat.us/ikat_sumba_west%20sumba.php |access-date= 2024-06-15 }}</ref>