Sumbawa people

Sumbawa or Samawa people are an ethnic group of people native to the western and central region of Sumbawa Island, which comprises West Sumbawa Regency and Sumbawa Regency. The Sumbawa people refer themselves as Tau Samawa people and their language is the Sumbawa language. Neither the Bimanese nor the Sumbawa people have alphabets of their own; they use the alphabets of the Bugis and the Malay language indifferently. The majority of the Sumbawa people practice Islam. The Sumbawa people once established their own government which became the Sumbawa Sultanate and lasted until 1931. The Sumbawa people inhabit the western part of the Sumbawa Island and about another 38 smaller islands. In the eastern borders, the Sumbawa people are closely related to the Bima people. The Sumbawa people descended from the ancient Austronesian people that came to the island thousands of years ago. In the 14th century, the western part of the Sumbawa Island is regarded as a territory dependent on the Javanese Majapahit kingdom. Later the formation of the West Sumbawa government became dependent on the Bali Kingdom. In 1650-1750, the West Sumbawa sultans themselves became possessors of lands at the nearby Lombok Island. In the 17th century, Islam was spread among the Sumbawa people. However this influence only gained significant importance in the 19th century in relation to the reforms that were carried out by the local monarch to strengthen their power after the catastrophic Tambora eruption. Thus, they have also contributed to the cultural unification of the local population. As early as the 16th century, the Sumbawa people have been known to be suppliers of valuable fragrant wood, honey, rice and horses to other countries within the Southeast Asian region. Since 1605, they were already actively trading with the Dutch. Thanks to the Dutch traders in the Sumbawa Island, the locals began to grow coffee; which then became the main export produce. In the 19th century, the governing of the Sumbawa people came under the Dutch colonies.