Lombok Island by M. Devnar Farros

Lombok Island

Lombok extent of one/third of the island of Sumbawa. However, residents of West Nusa Tenggara which amounted to more than three million, two-thirds live on the island of Lombok. This happens because the more fertile island of Lombok Sumbawa Island. Lombok Island residents are Sasak. They are mostly Muslim.

A.Word Origin Lombok and Sasak

Lombok and Sasak are the two names that cannot be separated. Lombok name

for the islands designation, the name for the designation Sasak tribe. Lombok

Sasak comes from; "Lombok" means "straight". Sasak is actually derived from

"sak-sak" which means "outrigger boat".

However, many people misunderstand. Lombok means "chili" that some interpret

the island of Lombok as "spicy island". Whereas chili in Sasak language is "Sebia"

B. History Origin of Name Lombok

Lombok Island since the days of the Majapahit kingdom is already well known.

This is evidenced by calls in Negarakertagama book written by MPU PRAPANCA.

Negarakertagama found also in Lombok.

Sasak legend tells that in the days of yore, Old Mataram kingdom in Central Java,

led by a king named Pramudawardhani woman who marries Pikatan Rakai. It is

said that the Empress was an expert on government, while her husband warfare

expert. His power to the west to Sumatra Island, to the east to the island of Flores.

When that many people Mataram go sailing eastward through the Java Sea using

outrigger boat.

Their goal sailing is not known for certain. Whether to expand the powers or avoid

strenuous work, because at that time Borobudur, Prambanan and Kalasan being

built by the king.

So they sailed straight to the east and landed in a port. The port was named Lombok

(straight), in memory of a long journey.

Them straight to the east. Furthermore, Lombok now not only be the name of the port

where the boat landed, but also the name of the island Lombok which later turned into

Lombok. They sailed on a boat bercadik called “sak-sak," and they be called the Sak-Sak

that means people who come by boat. Then, they blend in with the natives. At that time

, on the island of Lombok has no kingdom called the kingdom Kedarao

(perhaps now Sembalun and Sambelia)

They then established a kingdom centered in Labuhan Lombok Lombok right now.

Lombok kingdom becomes big, grown in five centuries, to be known throughout

the country, as the ports visited by the merchants of Tuban, Gresik, Makassar,

Banjarmasin, Ternate, Tidore, even Malacca. If it came to Lombok, the Malacca

buy rice, indigo, and Sepang timber.

Lombok kingdom was then defeated by the Majapahit kingdom. The king and queen

fled to the mountains and established a new kingdom Yang named Watuparang that

became known by the name of Selaparang kingdom.

When is the name Lombok turned into Lombok and name Sak-Sak turned into Sasak

is not known for certain. What is clear now known as the island of Lombok and his

tribe known as the Sasak tribe? Selaparang name already immortalized as a street

name and name of the protocol airfield in Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara province.