Editing Sumbawa (section)

==History==
The 14th-century [[Nagarakretagama]] mentioned several principalities identified to be on Sumbawa; [[Dompu]], [[Bima]], Sape, and one on the [[Sangeang Api|Sang Hyang Api]] island just off the coast of northeast Sumbawa. Four principalities in western Sumbawa were dependencies of the [[Majapahit Empire]] of eastern [[Java (island)|Java]]. Because of Sumbawa's natural resources, it was regularly invaded by outside forces – from the [[Java]]nese, [[Bali]]nese, [[Makassar|and Makassar]], to the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] and [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]]. The Dutch first arrived in 1605 but did not effectively rule Sumbawa until the early 20th century.

For a short period, the [[Bali]]nese kingdom of [[Gelgel, Indonesia|Gelgel]] ruled a part of western Sumbawa. The eastern and central parts of the island were traditionally divided into four sultanates: Sumbawa, Sanggau, Dompo, and [[Sultanate of Bima|Bima]], which had links to the [[Bugis]] and [[Makassar people|Makassar]] peoples of South Sulawesi. 

Historical evidence indicates that people on Sumbawa island were known in the East Indies for their honey, [[Sumbawa Pony|horses]],<ref>Jong Boers, B.D. de (2007), 'The 'Arab' of the Indonesian Archipelago: The Famed Horse Breeds of Sumbawa' in: Greg Bankoff and Sandra Swart (eds), Breeds of Empire: The 'invention' of the horse in Southern Africa and Maritime Southeast Asia, 1500–1950. Copenhagen: NIAS Press, pp 51–64. </ref> [[Biancaea sappan|sappanwood]], which is used to make red dye,<ref>Jong Boers, B.D. de (1997), "Sustainability and time perspective in natural resource management: The exploitation of sappan trees in the forests of Sumbawa, Indonesia (1500–1875)" in: Peter Boomgaard, Freek Colombijn en David Henley (eds), ''Paper landscapes; Explorations in the environmental history of Indonesia''. Leiden: KITLV Press, pp. 260–281.</ref> and [[sandalwood]], which is used for incense and medications. The area was thought to be highly productive agriculturally. In the 18th century, the Dutch introduced [[coffee]] plantations on the western slopes of [[Mount Tambora]], a volcano on the north side of Sumbawa, thus creating the Tambora coffee variant.

Tambora's [[1815 eruption of Mount Tambora|colossal eruption in 1815]] was the most powerful in recorded history, ejecting {{convert|180|km3}} of ash and debris into the atmosphere. The eruption killed up to 71,000 people and triggered a period of [[global cooling]] known as the "[[Year Without a Summer]]" in 1816.  It also apparently destroyed a culture of [[Papuan languages|Papuan]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Donohue|first=Mark|date=2008-01-03|title=The Papuan Language of Tambora|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/228921|journal=Oceanic Linguistics|volume=46|issue=2|pages=520–537|doi=10.1353/ol.2008.0014|s2cid=26310439|issn=1527-9421}}</ref> affinity, known to archaeologists as the "[[Tambora culture]]".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Roach|first1=John|title="Lost Kingdom" Discovered on Volcanic Island in Indonesia|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/02/0227_060227_lost_kingdom.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060311064255/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/02/0227_060227_lost_kingdom.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 11, 2006|website=National Geographic News|publisher=National Geographic Society|access-date=13 April 2018|date=February 27, 2006}}</ref>