SUMBA (Dutch Soemba), also known as Sandalwood, one of the Lesser Sunda islands, Dutch East Indies; area 4,600 sq.m.
Sumba forms part of the residency of Timor. The island is dominated by heights of from 2,200 to over 3,00o ft. Several bays on the north coast give good anchorage, the best being that of Waingapu. The rivers, mostly unnavigable, are of importance for agriculture. A fertile soil and a fairly good rainfall (average 63.7 in. annually) help to produce good forests, grazing ground and food crops. The forests yield sandalwood (giving rise to the old name for the island), dye-woods, wax and wild cinnamon. On the grazing grounds are bred some of the finest horses in Netherlands India—the sandalwood breed—and fine cattle (Ongole), both figuring largely as exports, whilst rice is raised on sawahs and ladangs, and maize, coffee, tobacco, coconuts, vegetables and fruit are grown; copra being exported. The pop. (1930) is consisting, apart from the indigenous Sumbanese, of people from Flores, Savu and Rotti. The Sumbanese are a Malayo-Papuan people of good physique. Except in the interior, where clothing is far more primitive, the sarong and baju are generally worn by women, and sometimes by men. Both sexes are fond of ornaments.
They cultivate the soil, fish, mostly in rivers, not being a sea-lov ing race, collect forest products, edible birds' nests and turtles, make fishing-nets and plait baskets. There are workers in copper
and iron, whilst the women weave, spin and dye, and make pot tery. The natives are largely pagan (there are some Mohamme dan), and make offerings on stone altars. A particular breed of horses is held sacred. The Sumbanese enjoy feasts, music and dancing. Marriage is by dowry and polygamy is fairly common amongst the upper classes. There is no written form of the Sum banese language, which is allied to that of Savu. Sumba has numerous megalithic monuments. The assistant resident lives in Waingapu (pop. 1,622), and vessels of the Royal Packet Naviga tion Company call.
The sandalwood of Sumba attracted attention to the island in the 17th century, when Sumba appears to have been a tributary of the state of Bima, in Sumbawa. Later Sumba became inde pendent of Sumbawa, and treaties were concluded in 1756 with the Dutch. Between 1856 and 1874, new treaties were made, but there have been frequent difficulties with the natives, due to piracy and slave raids. The trouble continued and in 1901 the Dutch were compelled to land troops. Most of the chiefs of the tribes are now bound by the "short declaration," but there were disturbances in Sumba (Lamboja), necessitating a Dutch armed force as recently as (E. E. L.)