Sasak

Sasak country occupies much of Lombok, east of the island of Bali. Its people lived in communities under local rulers, speaking their own language and maintaining customs distinct from those of their neighbours. Traditions attribute the spread of Islam in the sixteenth century to Sunan Prapen, a teacher from Giri in Java. Among Sasak communities the faith encountered older beliefs and ritual practices, giving rise to distinctive local forms such as Wetu Telu. In later centuries Balinese and Makassarese powers contested the island.