Kids in Alor, go to school by boat from Kepa island to Alor Kecil.

FLORES ISLAND
HISTORY

Since very early times, the Florinese have been confronted with people from many parts of the world. Some of them came with purely economic intentions, others with ideas of power and belief. Whatever their interest in Flores might have been, it is certain that these outside influences left their footprints and contributed to the already manifold social and cultural diversity.

Flores has had its own history long before the first traders or missionaries arrived. However, as ancient Florinese societies shared their history through oral tradition, little is known about the origins of many of them. The first foreign visitors to Flores probably encountered dispersed, independent settlements consisting of several lineages which descended from a common ancestor. By that time, political authority was locally limited.

Before the first Europeans reached Flores, Makassarese and Bugis seafarers from Southern Sulawesi came to Flores for trading and slave raiding, and took control of some of the coastal areas. While the eastern coastal areas of Flores were under the authority of the emperors of Ternate in the Moluccas, West Flores was prominently ruled by the sultanates of Bima in Sumbawa and Goa in Sulawesi.

Colonial era

A Portuguese expedition crew reached the island in the early 16th century and named it ‘Cabo das Flores’, which means ‘Cape of Flowers’. The island became an important strategic point for the economic activities of Portuguese traders. However, Flores itself was neither a source of valuable spices nor sandalwood. After a long period of struggling with other trade powers, the Portuguese were finally defeated and withdrew themselves to Dili in East Timor in 1769. They renounced all their spheres of influence in Eastern Indonesia and sold their remaining enclaves on Flores to the Dutch administration.

Even though the Dutch administration was eager to expand its influence in Indonesia, it hardly interfered in local political issues at the beginning. When the Dutch administration decided to increase Flores’ potential as a source of income for its state treasury, systematic measures were taken to improve the island’s infrastructure and educational system. Being increasingly challenged with rebellions and inter-tribal wars, the Dutch army launched a massive military campaign in 1907 to settle the disputes. After being subdued in 1909, the island was provided with a new administrative system, dividing it into the five major districts of Manggarai, Ngada, Ende, Sikka, and Flores Timur. Each of these administrative units was headed by a local leader who was appointed by the

Dutch colonial government. 

Except for a short period of Japanese occupation during World War II, the Dutch remained the dominating colonial force until Indonesia became an independent nation state in 1945.

Nation building

The main focus of Indonesia’s first president, Soekarno, was the building of a national identity for the new-born state and the preservation of its fragile unity. Soekarno and Hatta proclaimed Indonesian independence on 17th August 1945. After four years of bitter armed struggle and international pressure, the Netherlands formally recognized Indonesian independence. On 17th August 1945, Soekarno proclaimed a single unitary Republic of Indonesia. He also elaborated the idea of Pancasila, Indonesia’s five pillars of national unity, as an attempt to incorporate the many different religious and ethnic groups into an independent nation state.

President Soeharto, who followed Soekarno after a period of violent takeover in 1965, aimed to lead Indonesia from its rural condition into the modern industrialized world. An important political issue under his so-called New Order government was the economic development and growth of Indonesia. Therefore, the government launched many health care, education, economy, and infrastructure programs and projects with the idea of bringing modernity to the remotest villages. After a long period of governing Indonesia in a rather authoritarian way, President Soeharto was brought to fall in 1998.

Flores today

After the Soeharto regime, Indonesia was turning into a more democratic and decentralized state. The positive effects of these new policies for Flores were limited: the majority of the Florinese people could not directly benefit from the increased local autonomy and decentralization, and remained to be among the poorest inhabitants of Indonesia. Most families on Flores still struggle with the educational system. They cannot afford to pay the school fees for their children, thereby reducing their future opportunities to make a living beyond rural agriculture. Besides, the access to health care is very limited – not only in the remote villages, but also in the larger towns. Furthermore, the access to water, electricity, transportation, communication, and information is still at a low coverage level.

However, the policy shift from a centralized focus on Javanese culture to an increased appreciation of Indonesia’s rich local cultural varieties brought some positive change: traditional cultural features and peculiarities are not equated with backwardness anymore, but proudly valued as the country’s treasure and heritage, which also has the potential to attract domestic and foreign tourists – and their spending power.

Sources: www.florestourism.com

NUSA TENGGARA - INDONESIEN

Traditionen, Tänze und Textilien



Die „südöstlichen Inseln“, Nusa Tenggara, zwischen Bali und Timor Leste, sind auch heute noch geprägt von traditioneller und kultureller Vielfalt:

Sumbas berühmte Ikat-Textilien werden nach althergebrachten Techniken und Motiven in mühevoller Handarbeit hergestellt.

Die archaischen Riten und Volkstänze von Alor haben an Exotik nichts  eingebüßt.

Die traditionelle Architektur auf Flores ist beeindruckend wie eh und je.

In früheren Jahrhunderten begehrt wegen ihrer Sandelholzbäume,locken Inseln wie Sumba, Savu oder Westtimor heute eher Kunsthändler an.

Alor


In den zerklüfteten Bergregionen Alors findet man Volksgruppen deren tägliches Leben noch stark geprägt ist von Tradition und Ahnenkult.
Betelnusskauen als Willkommensgruß – das gehört hier noch immer zu jedem Besuch. Bei Wanderungen und Fahrten durchs Landesinnere erhascht man immer wieder atemberaubende Ausblicke auf die Küste. Dort, wo es Tauchreviere gibt, die noch als Geheimtipp gehandelt werden. Hinunter auf die Bucht von Kalabahi, der Inselhauptstadt und deren quirliger Markt ein besonderes Spektakel bietet: die Popcorn-Kanone.


Lembata


Lamalera, eines der letzten Walfängerdörfer Indonesiens auf Lembata, - dort, wo die Fischer wie seit Hunderten von Jahren mit ihren Booten hinausfahren und die Wale mit Harpunen erlegen. Beiderseits ein Kampf ums Überleben. Wendige kleine Segelboote, ohne Eisennägel gebaut und Stolz einer jeden Fischer-Familie. Der Schamane reibt nach der Fertigstellung eines neuen Bootes den Bootskörper noch immer mit Hühnerblut ein, doch zur Eröffnung der Walfangsaison im Mai hält heute ein katholischer Priester die Messe im Dorf ab.



Sumba


Die Kultur Sumbas besticht mit spektakulären Ritualen, riesigen megalithischen Grabstätten, ungewöhnlich spitz zulaufenden Hausdächern und wunderschönen „Ikat“-Textilien. Noch heute sind mehr als 50 % der Bevölkerung Animisten und Anhänger des Ahnenkultes.
Der grüne und fruchtbare Westen Sumbas beeindruckt durch Architektur und megalithische Traditionen, während der trockene und karge Osten durch seine berühmten Textilien und die ausdrucksstarken Tänze besticht. 
Sumba ist etwa 300 km lang und 80 km breit und in zwei Distrikte aufgeteilt.
Die frühere „Sandelholzinsel“ exportiert heute hauptsächlich Pferde und Wasserbüffel, besonders nach Java.



Flores


Bunte Kraterseen, grüne Schluchten und Peitschenkämpfe – die Vielfalt der Insel lässt bei einer Rundreise keine Langeweile aufkommen.
Die Manggarai im Westen besuchen und Zeuge werden von rituellen Peitschenkämpfen, in denen auch mal Blut fließt. Es wird nicht nur die Geschicklichkeit und Stärke der kämpfenden Männer getestet, vielmehr ist das vergossene Blut eine Opfergabe an die Ahnen um sie milde zu stimmen. Ein wichtiger Teil von Zeremonien der Fruchtbarkeit, wie das Erntedank-Fest oder Hochzeiten.

Die Ahnenhäuser der Ngada im Südwesten auf sich wirken lassen. Rituelle Steinsetzungen und über Jahrhunderte unveränderte Architektur gehören dazu.
Und dann natürlich die kurze Wanderung vom Parkplatz zum wohl imposantesten Naturschauspiel von Flores: die drei farbigen Kraterseen von Kelimutu. Stets haben sie 3 verschiedene Farben und beim nächsten Besuch sehen sie vielleicht statt türkis weiß und statt braun rot aus... Lassen Sie sich überraschen! 

Flores ist eine lang gestreckte, zerklüftete Insel mit Vulkanen, grünen Schluchten, schönen Bergseen, Savannen und saftiggrünen Bergwäldern. Die 1,4 Millionen Einwohner gehören zahlreichen ethnischen Gruppen an. Wanderungen von Dorf zu Dorf durch dichte Bambuswälder, vorbei an intensiv riechenden Nelkenbäumen und dicht behangenen Cashewnussbäumen, oder hinauf in die Kiefernwälder der Berge. Flores ist ein großartiges Naturerlebnis.

Viele Korallenriffe bieten erstklassige Tauchmöglichkeiten z.B. im beliebten Tauchgebiet um Maumere mit den vorgelagerten Inseln oder im Westen an den Komodo Nationalpark angrenzend.


Sumbawa / Bima


Die Einheimischen nennen den westlichen Teil ihrer Insel „Sumbawa“, während der Ostteil als „Bima“ bezeichnet wird. Obwohl der Islam hier dominiert, sind traditioneller Glauben, Sitten und Gebräuche (Adat) noch ungebrochen stark.

Sumbawa ist vulkanischen Ursprungs und die Eruption des Vulkans Tambora im Jahr 1815 war der stärkste Vulkanausbruch in den letzten 10.000 Jahren. Bis nach Europa waren die Auswirkungen zu spüren. Sehr ländlich geprägt und kaum auf Touristen eingestellt, muss man sich auf manche Unzulänglichkeiten einstellen, will man Sumbawa / Bima bereisen. Belohnt wird man mit einmaligen Einblicken in das Inselleben das durchaus seinen besonderen Charme hat, nicht zuletzt durch die Gastfreundschaft der Menschen. Sumbawa Besar ist eine malerische Stadt, mit seinen Pferdekutschen, dem bunten Markt, dem Sultanspalast. 

In Bima lockt ein Besuch des Hafens, in dem oft stattlichen Schoner liegen, die in ihrem hölzernen Bauch Waren in den Osten dieser Inselwelt transportieren. Auch der Besuch des Marktes ist fast schon ein „Muss“. Und wer noch Muße hat, der wandert zum Grabmal des ersten Sultans von Bima. Von dort oben hat man einen ausgezeichneten Blick über die Stadt.

Waerebo Traditional Village - Manggarai -Flores island

Waerebo Traditional Village - Manggarai -Flores island, ein Album auf Flickr.

Photo Leonardus Nyoman
Flores Exotic Tours

Beauty and the East

Beauty and the East

Anett Keller, WEEKENDER | Wed, 11/30/2011 3:15 PM |

Flores offers mountain tours, beaches and coral reefs, as well as a rich local culture reflected in the brilliant colors and varied patterns of traditional woven fabrics.

My daughter is bursting with excitement as she points out the car window. “Mom, look at that! The world is so big here!”

She’s absolutely right. We have just come from Java, one of the most densely populated regions of the world, and arrived in what appears to be another universe. Now and then, we encounter a village of simple wooden houses. Now and then, a pig runs across the street, or a few goats, whose bleating follows soon after. Apart from these “interruptions”, our view wanders along the road to the endless green of rice fields and forests, hills and volcanoes.

Most of the tourists to Flores arrive by plane at Labuanbajo, on the island’s westernmost tip, and go no further east, seeking only to see the famous Komodo dragons or maybe go diving. Yet the less well-known beauty of the island itself is well worth discovering.

We want to get to know Flores, named so evocatively by Portuguese sailors, and helping us is Leonardus Nyoman, or Leo, an experienced guide and owner of Flores Exotic Tours. Ruteng, the capital of Manggarai Regency, is our first stop. For hours we bump along a road that assumes the somewhat pretentious title of the Trans-Flores Highway. This is a tour that the eyes enjoy much more than the stomach, as the trail switches back and forth through ridges and breathtaking scenery.

Wherever we look, our eyes are assaulted by the bright green splendor of terraced fields – as Leo explains, “The area around Ruteng is also called ‘the rice bowl of Flores’.”

This fertile area is also one of the largest coffee-growing regions in Indonesia. Ruteng, a bustling town with a pleasantly cool climate, is the perfect starting point for hiking tours into the countryside and for treks up the 2,400-meter-high volcano Mt. Ranaka or to the lake Rana Mese, whose bottom is visible through its crystal-clear waters.

Since 2003, Ruteng has had yet another attraction. That was the year Australian scientists discovered in the Liang Bua cave, about 15 kilometers north of the city, the skeleton of an early human being who was no taller than 100 centimeters. Known as Homo floresiensis – and dubbed “the hobbit” – this hominid lived around 18,000 years ago and is now the smallest known member of the genus Homo, which includes Homo erectus and Homo sapiens (i.e., us). The stalactite cave and the stories Leo tells us about the discovery, which helped write history, make us marvel as we imagine the world in those prehistoric days.

In the Spirit

We sweep ourselves back to the present and continue our drive eastward to Bajawa, “the traditional center” of Flores. Along the way, in Aimere, we get a glimpse of a very lively local tradition: the distilling of a spirit called moke. Twice a day, men climb the lontar palms to collect the juice running from the scored trunks. In earthenware pots and over an open fire, the moke is heated and distilled into long bamboo tubes. The “official” specification is 30 percent alcohol, which we suspect, taking our first sip, is a gross understatement.

We are here entering the region of the Ngada tribe. Although the Ngada people, like most inhabitants of Flores, now belong to the Catholic faith, they have retained their centuries-old traditions. Almost in every village, visitors will find traces of the ancient megalithic culture and shrines that symbolize masculinity (Ngadhu) and femininity (Bhaga). The village of Bena, picturesquely situated at the foot of the volcano Inerie, is a center of Ngada culture. Two rows of traditional wooden houses with elephant-grass roofs surround an area that serves as a cemetery and place of ancestral worship. This is also where the village elders – after engaging in their spiritual consultation with the ancestors – make important decisions.

As we enter the village, we witness a gathering that seems to involve the entire community, from the very youngest to the most senior. A new community center is currently under construction, for which one of the old family houses will be moved, leaving many details to be discussed. After the meeting, the families disperse and resume their places on the terraces of their houses.

The women are weaving colorful ikat. From their red-stained mouths, they spit betel-nut juice and gradually the floor in front of them turns red too. The men are busy at the construction sites. Among them, numerous children play.

“Tourism has helped Bena to gain some modest prosperity,” Leo tells us.

But, he adds, this unfortunately does not apply to all parts of the island of Flores. Despite its natural wealth, the area remains one of the poorest regions in Indonesia. Many farmers have no choice but to sell their produce to large trading companies, because local markets are insufficiently developed. These large buyers can drive down prices, leaving little profit for the producers, explains Leo. Poor educational opportunities and inadequate health care perpetuate the poverty trap.

Leo and his colleagues are trying to promote sustainable tourism in Flores. He organizes customized tours and draws his guests’ attention to environmental and social problems.

“Please don’t give money to begging villagers,” he says. “Purchasing their products will support the people of Flores in a more sustainable way.”

To this end, he and his family have established a foundation that helps dropouts from disadvantaged families to return to school.

From Bena, located almost at the southernmost tip of Flores, we cross the island toward the north. Riung Marine Park is our next destination. We set off very early in the morning for a boat trip through the “park of 17 islands”; there are actually more than 20 islands, but the name is a word play on Indonesian Independence Day – August 17. We are less interested in number games than the natural beauty the marine park has to offer.

Ontoloe, the largest of the park’s islands, is our first stop. Slowly, the boat approaches the northern mangrove-lined coast. What is that hanging in the tops of the mangroves? From afar, they look like large, dry leaves. The skipper starts clapping and shouting, and the leaves start flying – they are bats. There must be thousands. In a giant swarm they rise, the air reverberating with their humming and whistling.

The boat sails on and brings us into a realm of turquoise waters and white-sand beaches, the contrasting colors gleaming so brightly in the sunlight that we wonder whether we are dreaming. The boat stops at a deserted beach on an island called Pulau Tiga. We don our snorkeling gear and float in the shallow, warm waters, enchanted by the pristine underwater world of multicolored coral and fish.

Meanwhile, our companions have built a small fire from a few wooden sticks and serve grilled fish and rice. This is as close to paradise as it gets – or so we think at the time. Then we leave for the next island, called Rutong. The blazing midday sun beats down on a lonely, snow-white beach. Dozens of starfish dot the shallow turquoise water. A walk up a nearby hill affords a view over the perfectly curved bay below us and the sparkling sea extending along the north coast of Flores. Silently, intoxicated by the beauty of these islands and sedated by the serenity of the waves, we return to the port of Riung.

Table Setting

Next morning, we’re heading southward, bumping for several hours along on a dusty road. Near Ende, on the southern coast of Flores, we stop at a beach called Nanga Panda. No white sand here – it is covered by turquoise stones polished by the sea. Several men and women are gathering the stones in large sacks. The collectors sell them – for only Rp 600 per kilogram – to merchants who ship them to Bali and Surabaya, where they make their way to homeware shops for uptown tastes. From the coastal road, we get a glimpse of bizarre Gunung Meja – or Table Mountain – which looks as if a giant with some uptown taste of his own has cut off its top to be able to dine comfortably.

The road takes us uphill again, into the mountains to the village of Moni, toward our next destination, the fabled Kelimutu. In the early morning, we travel by jeep to the slopes of the volcano. The summit is a pleasant walk of about one kilometer, fortunately not requiring the stamina of a seasoned mountain climber.

As dawn begins to break, we are sitting on top of the almost 1,700-meter-high mountain, grateful for our fleece jackets and the hot coffee, brought by vendors wrapped up in their woven ikat – up here, tropical temperatures no longer prevail. And we wait: Kelimutu does not always expose itself to visitors; it is often shrouded in clouds.

“Let’s see whether the spirits of the mountain are in a good mood,” Leo says with a wink.

Apparently they are. The rising sun greets us from a clear blue sky.

Little by little, the sun illuminates the three crater lakes of Kelimutu. Before us lies the turquoise Danau Tiwu Nuamuri Koofai. Behind it is Danau Tiwu Ata Pol, chocolate-brown (at the time of our visit; it has since changed to turquoise as well). Opposite is Danau Tiwu Ata Mbupu, which almost looks like a “normal” dark-green mountain lake. Locals believe that the souls of the dead reside in these lakes – the children in the turquoise and adults in the deep green – but only as long as they have not clocked up too many sins: the brown (now turquoise) lake is reserved for the evil souls.

We marvel at the surreal colors of the lakes in the morning light. My daughter – excited by the discovery that Pop-Mie sellers also manage to climb sacred mountains – distributes the carrots meant as her early morning snack to the monkeys loitering around the lakes. May that “offering” keep the spirits of the mountain merciful. They certainly seem to be rather sensitive. Whether the news of the day is droughts or political upheaval, a change of the colors of the lakes – according to local belief – foretells changes for the people too.

By late morning, we tear ourselves away from the cool mountain air and this mystical place to hike through the surrounding villages. Jopu seems to be home to more looms than human beings. Everywhere in the village, swathes of colorful ikat are spread out. They must be a calm people – weaving is not for impatient minds. The threads are tied and dyed by hand, although over time chemical dyes have replaced their natural predecessors in many places.

We meet Stefanus Dindu, a connoisseur of traditional colors and motifs, who sells old ikat fabrics in Jopu and shares his rich knowledge about the meaning and origin of the various patterns.

In Sikka on the south coast, too, all the women seem to have dedicated themselves to weaving. Immediately upon entering the village, we are surrounded by a gang of chattering women overwhelming the visitor until a purchase is made. We buy several scarves and a sarong and turn to Sikka’s other attraction: a wooden church at least a century old. We marvel at the interior walls painted with ikat patterns. With a beautiful cemetery in view, situated between the beach and the church and lined with palm trees, we start to muse about perfect final resting places.

Our journey is approaching its end. After we cross the island – in this section only about 20 km wide – and once more head north, Maumere is our last stop. Quietly in the afternoon sun, the waters lap at the dark beach. In a little wooden boat, a clam seller displays the wealth of the sea.

Our trip through the “Flower Island” was, in sum, spectacular. Those who are accustomed to the comforts of Bali might need some adjustments. Certainly, those who need luxury and the certainty of reaching destinations quickly will be pushed to their limits here. But those who prefer the straightforward friendliness of the local people and the breathtaking beauty of nature will fall in love with the flower island – and will be longing to return to the place where the world is just bigger.

Introduction to Lembata - East Nusa Tenggara

From the eastern tip of Flores there is a small chain of islands towards the east: the Solor archipelago, consisting of the islands of Solor, Adonara and Lembata (formerly Lomblen), and the Alor archipelago, formed by Pantar and Alor, These rough hilly islands are created by vulcanism, and form the continuation of the Lesser Sunda Islands. The inhabitants grow maniok, corn and do some farmery, fishing and weaving. At several opportunities they perform rituals with are related with their traditional religion. In a way it looks like the time has stood still on those islands, allthough you can still see the influences of the modern times.

When I visited Lembata for the first time, women and children ran away for that strange, red man with his strange apparatus. Taking pictures was almost impossible. As soon as I grabbed my camera, people started laughing and yelling; the victim hid because of shame or stared to the camera like a stone. ‘Have you ever been on the moon?’, was asked to me ‘Were there animals as well?’
The hard work of the missionaries and government servants didn’t leave the traditional culture as it was. The whale hunt used to start with a ritual cleansing of the skulls of the ancestors, while nowadays a mass is held on the beach by father Dupont. But many traditions and habits still live on, and that also goes for the lieetle meetings with a little tuak (palmwine).
On the irregular shaped, 1200 sq.km. island of Lembata live about 82,000 people. Most are catholic, and there are about 8,000 muslems and about 6,000 supporters of the traditional ancestral religion. Lewoleba, at the western coast is the location where one of the biggest markets of East-Indonesia is held. Big parts of the island are only inhabited by deer and wild pigs.
Little is known about the life on Lembata before the Europeans got there. The islanders do know different stories of origin; one of them tells that they came from a hole in the ground. Some residents believe that their ancestors came to this island from far and unknown places. Along the southern coast are several stone structures which represent the boats in which the ancestors arrived.
The first Europeans which set foot on the island were the Portuguese, on the look for spices. They arrived in the early 16th century, soon followed by Dominican fathers which spread catholicism.

The peninsula, dominated by the volcano Gunung Ile Ape, is the base of the Lembata people which support the traditional ancestral religion. In the koker, small temple huts on the slopes of the vulcanoes, the villagers maintain the contact with the ancestral spirits. Small sacrifices as food, cigarettes and sirih-fruits are left behind to pleasure the supernatural world. Sometimes an animal is sacrificed. The most important annual festivities in this area is Pesta Kacang, or ‘bean-festival’.

In 1990, Alor, the most remote island, was visited by 25 foreigners. Hotels with airconditioning are not to be found here, but lovers of the Indonesian culture can find their joy on Alor. The residents speak eight different dialects. You can see moko, drums especially used for the ancestors, and formed to an example of the bronze creations of the Dongson culture ( about 300 BC)
Gunung Ile Ape

The residents of the peninsula that is dominated by Gunung Ile Ape, belong to the most traditional part of Lembata. The adat houses on the slopes, in which traditionally spirits are honored, are still in use and festivities like the ‘bean-fest’ still takes place. The women make the nicest ikats of the island. The landscape is very beautifull. From Ile Ape, you cansee the big protected Teluk Waienga in the east, with deep blue water and surrounded by coconut and lontar-palmtrees.

Refined ikat
The weavers of Ile Ape don’t use synthetic dye or prefabricated threat. They make the threat by hand or self-grown cotton and the dye is made from roots and leaves of flowers. In all villages along the coast women are working behind their weaving machines. The best fabrics are expensive, but can be very expensife if you have the best quality. They form an important part of the bridal treasure. During marriages the family of the bride gives the nice fabrics to the family of the groom.
Most villages have koker, small huts which are used as temples for the ancestors. The koker are outside the village, on the slopes of Gunung Ile Ape. Sacrifices are regularly brought, but the most important spiritual annual event is the ‘Bean Festival’, Pesta Kacang.
Bean festival
In the 1960’s the Pesta Kacang was hardly performed anymore. The ‘ban’ on regional religions is eased now and the government has become aware of the political and economical benefits of the cultural diversity. In an effort to bring back to life several local traditiona, the government stimulated the Pesta Kacang.
The ‘new’ Pesta Kacang lasts three days. In earlier times it took upto one week. In a small group the first day is spend on prayers and sacrificing the village spirites, the goodlike ancestors of the village as well as the spirits of the soil. The following two days are public. Several hundred people participate in the dances (hamang). For important guests, among foreigners, a stay for the night is arranged. The festivities take place in Lamagute (July), Mawa (August), Lawotolok (September), Jontana (October) and Lamariang (November). Under the influence of the modern time the old habits have been changed slightly. Stickfights, in which young men hit eachother on the legs, are abolished. And married women nowadays cover their breasts.
Transport
The road from Lewoleba to Mawa, along the western side of the vulcano, is reasonably good. The road from Mawa to Tokosaeng at the eastern coast is not that good and there is no public transport. Between Tokosaeng and Jontona, only motorcycles, jeeps and people walking can travel. From Jontona, the road is better; it merges with the better road just north of Lewoleba. Passenger trucks maintain connections with the villages on the peninsula. Especially on Mondays there is a lot of traffic because of the market in Lewoleba. But none of the - mostly overfull - trucks drives around the entire peninsula. During travelling you will look at a whole lot of dusty faces, unless you are in the lucky position to sit alongside the driver.
Who travels this area on foot and - where possible - by public transport, will have to get a nights stay offered by the residents of the villages. This shouldn’t be a problem; look for the kepala desa (village head) and ask permission to spend the night in the village. It’s not expensive. The dinner is local food (corn, maniok, vegetables and maybe some fish) and in the mornings there is coffee.
You can also travel on the island by rented motorbike with a driver. The easiest way to travel is by chartered jeep or bemo. These can transport more than five persons and comes along with a driver for a cheap price.
Visit to the peninsula
The road that runs towards the north from Lewoleba, passes a turn to the landing strip and leads to the ‘neck’ or Ile Ape and then follows the western shore of the island. Meanwhile, small cotton plantations can be seen, salt-panes and every once in a while a row of reo-trees, which were planted by the Dutch.
About 12 kilometers from Lewoleba is Wawala, dominated by the mosque. The road now runs over low coastal hilla; the landscape changes drastically here. All villages have small fields on the slopes, where maniok, corn, beans and nuts are grown. There are several coconut trees and the traveller can have a drink of air kelapa muda (coconut milk). On the slopes of Gunung Ile Ape, the men hunt with their dogs, and crossbows on wild pigs. In contrary to the eastern coast, the western side is no place for fishing.
In Lamagute, at the northern coast, you can see the production of ikat fabrics. Take a local guide to the koker of the village. In the most important is a bronze drum with looks like a timeglass. Most drums which were found in that region - on Lembata, Solor and mainly Alor - the copies of the old drums are of those of the Dongson culture, about 2000 years ago. They were used as merchandize and were made in the 17th and 19th century in China and mainland Jawa. The drum of Lamagute is probably an original dating from the Dongson period.

Who wants to climb the vulcano should realise that young, healthy climbers from the village take about two hours. Start before sunrise and take a hat, enough sunblick and water with you. Who wants to spend the night at the summit and doesn’t want to freeze should bring a sleeping bag as well.
East of the peninsula is Teluk Waienga. In Jontona - and also in Lamagute - you can order people to perform a traditional dance for you.
By truck, boat or on foot
The weekly market in Lewoleba is one of the biggest in Eastern Indonesia. It attracts visitors and merchands from Alor and Pantar in the west, places like Larantuka, Maumere and Ende on Flores in the west and the islands of Savu and Raija in the south. In the dry season (March through December) several thousand people flock to this market in the west of Lembata.
Most visitors come to sell and buy their food: fishermen, farmers and women from the highlands with their colorfull ikat-decorated fabrics.
They sell and buy food, clothing, spices, cattle and tools. Other visitors to there to gossip or to enjoy the atmosphere. And for the children the market place is one big playing field.
Around 4 A.M. trucks deliver the first - sleepy - passengers. Until 11 A.M. the trucks and bemo keep on driving. Throughout the day all kinds of boats with marketeers arrive and depart. Canoo’s with a diamont-shaped sail glide to their parking place. Noisy boats with engines move besides the pillared houses, pull out their engine and load their passengers on a shallow place in the water. With their merchandize on their heads, the women in colorfull sarongs walk to the shore.
Sweated farmers arrive on foot, some have a long trip behind them - on foot - of sometimes eight to ten hours. A trip with a truck is too expensife for them. They just bring a small bag of nuts, beans or tamarind with them.
A number of farmers uses the transport on Mondays to bring their harvest to Lewoleba. Kopra is the most important product, followed by green beans, nuts and tamarind. The government stimulated the cultivation of new crops, among them coffee, cashewnuts and palmsugar, so they can be bought at the market as well.
Rise of Lewoleba
In the Dutch time, Lembata was then named Lomblen, Hadakew - twenty kilometers east of Lewoleba - was the most important market place of the island. After the Second World War the small Lewoleba started to grow. In the early 1950’s the first Bajau - semi-nomadic fishermen from the island of Adonara - built pillar houses off the coast, on grounds that were flooded a part of the day. But at the end of the 1950’s there were stil wild pigs around Lewoleba and Hadakewa was still much more important.
The Indonesian government and the catholic church were at the base of the rise of Lewoleba by making the village of arts the center of their activites. Hadaweak now is a neglected provincial capital of a subdistrict.
The trade between the coastal residents and the population in the hinterlands dates back for many years. The gatherers on the beach needed corn, maniok, onions and vegetables, because the coastal area was dry and the soil was infertile. The people from the hinterlands needed proteine and fish.
Gossip between the ikat.
Most visitors of the market sell or buy small amounts: one kilo of corn, a few eggs, a handfull tobacco, one or two pineapples and a little bit of coffee. The women have spread their merchandize on a cloth. Chickens are hung by the legs, a snorring pig is tied to a rope, just in case. For the entire day, traders exchange the latest gossip, always chewing on a sirih-prune, which colors the teeth red. Some women sell homemade fabrics, which are as usual reasonably cheap. Every once in a while you can find a great ikat, often a heirloom, saved for a bridal treasury. These can be very expensive.
Traders from Savu also bring ikat; it looks like useless, but the designs from Savu are very well received among the women on the market. They trade their threads for these sarongs. Handmade cotton is popular because natural dyes maintain better than the manufactured fabrics.
The most serious trade is that in daily needs: dried fish, nuts, rice, corn, beans, maniok and kerosine. Everyone knows the price - trading level - of these goods. As soon as a sale is approved - and often before - the men drink a glass of palmwine.
Sellers of small snacks offer numerous snacks: roasted fish, sticky rice in banana-leaves, colored cookies and cake, lemonade, fresh bread, popcorn and fresh roasted peanuts.
Marriage market
For young men and women the foodstalls are the biggest attraction, but nog because of the food that is sold there.
However the market is also a place of flirting, it’s the little warungs where the young men, after a shy laugh and several flattering words, can act on more serious moves of love.
During these meetings the young men are too excited to think about the burden of a marriage: following the habits on Lembata the bridal treasure should at least contain a drum, an elephants tooth or family heirlooms. Most early romances are broken because the man, which earns his money for the wedding somewhere else, falls in love there too.