Sade Village
Sade is one of the hamlets in Rembitan village, Pujut, Central Lombok. This hamlet is known as a hamlet that maintains the customs of the Sasak tribe. The Sade Sasak tribe is already famous in the ears of tourists who come to Lombok. Yes, the local Tourism Office indeed makes Sade a tourist village. This is because of the uniqueness of Sade Village and the Sasak tribe that becomes its inhabitants. As a tourist village, Sade has its own uniqueness. Although located right beside a smooth asphalt highway, the residents of Sade Village in Rembitan, Central Lombok still hold strong to maintain the authenticity of the village. The atmosphere of a traditional village immediately hits when stepping foot through the village gate. A clean and neatly arranged traditional village. That was the first impression of entering this village. Fortunately, that afternoon we were accompanied by a guide who was a youth from the local village. After filling in the guest book and giving a donation as much as we could for village maintenance, only then did we start walking around. Strands of cloth are lined up neatly and various typical Lombok souvenirs are offered at almost every house in this village. You can choose local accessories such as necklaces, bracelets, or jewelry containers as souvenirs from Lombok. Some motifs that often decorate these accessories are usually geckos, a symbol of luck according to the local community. Sade Village has an area of more than 6 ha and is inhabited by 152 families. There are only 152 houses there and the local regional government together with village customary leaders indeed maintain the authenticity of local customs in this village. According to village regulations, residents are not allowed to build new settlements in Sade Village anymore. Most of the residents of Sade Village live from farming, being craftsmen of typical Lombok ikat weaving, and souvenir craftsmen. You could say, Sade is a reflection of the original Sasak tribe of Lombok. Well, although electricity and the National Program for Community Empowerment (PNPM) from the government have entered there, Sade Village still presents the atmosphere of the original indigenous village of Lombok. That can be seen from the house buildings that seem very traditional. The roof is made of fibers, the roof trusses use bamboo without nails, walls are made of woven bamboo, and directly based on the ground. The Sade Sasak people call that building "bale". There are eight bales, namely Bale Tani, Jajar Sekenam, Bonter, Beleq, Berugag, Tajuk, and Bencingah. The bales are distinguished based on their functions. There are 152 families in Sade. Formerly, many of the residents embraced Islam Wektu Telu. The inner bale is located behind the outer bale and connected by steps. To reach the entrance to the inner bale which is even smaller in size compared to the entrance of the house, you have to step up 3 steps. The number of these steps is also not random and has its own meaning. According to the guide, the number of steps corresponds to the philosophy of the Sasak tribe, namely Wetu Telu, where according to the belief of the Sasak tribe, human life is meaningful in 3 stages: born, develop, and die. But now, many residents of Sade have left Wektu Telu and embraced Islam fully. The inner bale is a more private space for the Sasak tribe si house owner. In this inner bale, there is a stove for cooking and a sleeping room for women which is also used as a delivery room. The inner bale does not have windows and its lighting only comes from a lamp located in the corner of the room. This Sasak house is entirely made of natural materials. The walls are made of woven bamboo and the roof is made of thatch. While the floor is also only based on the ground. Another uniqueness of this Sasak house is that the house floor is smeared with buffalo dung so that it is more clayey. In the old days when there was no cement plaster, the Sade Sasak people smeared buffalo/cow dung on the base of the house. Now some have made cement plaster first, then smeared with buffalo/cow dung. They say, by doing so the house floor is believed to be warmer and kept away from mosquitoes. Imagine that, the dung is not mixed with anything except a little water. But when entering the house, there is no trace of smell smelled.