SumbaSumba

Sumba is divided into four regencies: East, Central, West and Southwest Sumba. The ancestral Marapu belief, which honours ancestors and nature, still shapes much of the island, from traditional houses with towering roofs to megalithic stone tombs that are still being built. Sumba is also famous for its ikat. The process is long, from binding the threads and dyeing them to weaving, and a single cloth can take months. In the west of the island, every February and March brings Pasola, a ritual contest of horsemen throwing wooden spears in Kodi, Lamboya, Wanukaka and Gaura, its dates set by rato (Marapu priests) according to the arrival of nyale sea worms.