   | [double-click on each map to enlarge] Out east of Bali, in the southeastern corner of Indonesia lies the island of Sumba, famous for its megalithic culture, its boldly designed woven cloths, its chunky Sumba ponies and its spectacular pasola battles on horseback. On the south coast of Sumba is the domain of Wanukaka, occupying a rich rice-valley open on to the Indian Ocean, a self-contained world with a population of 10,000 people, with its own language and its own culture. Why this website? The purpose of this site is to present various aspects of the language and culture of Wanukaka and the neighbouring closely related area of Rua. The intention is to provide a venue for collaboration and coordination of various projects. The initial focus of the site is the Wanukaka language. A dictionary of the Wanukaka language is published here for the first time, with a collection of metaphoric couplets, the poetry of the Sumbanese. Although each of these publications contains a great deal of original material, both projects require further work. It is hoped that readers of this site familiar with Wanukaka language or visiting the valley will contribute additional words to the dictionary and correct any mistakes they may find. In particular it is hoped that Wanukakans living or studying in other parts of Indonesia will contribute to the website. To facilitate this Indonesian language pages will be developed as soon as possible.Anyone wishing to be involved in this project is encouraged to contact dr. David Mitchell by email to <david@wanukaka.com>. |