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662 SASAK
the five tenets of Islam except for the belief in Allah with Muhammad as his
prophet.
Waktu Lima place more emphasis on Islamic tenets, including prayers five
times daily, the fast, the pilgrimage and religious tithe. While the Waktu Lima
emphasize agama (the Islamic religion), Waktu Telu values and behavior are
focused on adat (customary law), which differs somewhat in each village. This
is expressed in the Sasak saying, "lain desa, lain adaf ("different villages
have different customs"). The Waktu Lima consider adat pagan and regard
Waktu Telu as backward. The differences have repercussions on village culture
in general.
Waktu Telu give much of their attention—and allocate much of their production
not consumed in daily living—to ritual feasts, called gawe. These are held
for life-crisis events such as naming rituals, first hair cutting, circumcision, tooth
filling and death, including specified mourning ceremonies.
Waktu Telu villages are more homogeneous occupationally. So, too, are their
values. This relates in part to land ownership, as almost all Waktu Telu households
own and work small farms. Barter has been commonly used to obtain the
few goods not produced in the village. Labor for projects such as house building
or farming which require labor groups larger than the household is cooperative
or voluntary. While wage work is increasing, Waktu Telu villages still tend to
resist economic, religious and cultural influences from the outside.
Religious expenditures by household are more widespread among the Waktu
Telu. In their villages all households have ceremonial expenses, often amounting
to 30 percent or more of their income. Among Waktu Lima less than one-quarter
of the households may spend money for such purposes.
A decline in adat ceremonies seems to be occurring in some Waktu Telu
villages, not because of Islamic pressures but because of an increase in commercialization.
So, for example, even in the Waktu Telu villages where rituals
are still held for irrigated rice, a sacred crop, the abandonment of dry field rituals
can be traced to the period when dry season crops became cash crops.
Waktu Telu religion tends to be village specific. It is acquired through membership
in the village, which is acquired by birth or marriage. The land by which
one earns one's livelihood is considered a sacred trust from one's ancestors and
may not be alienated. Even rice, the major crop, is believed to be endowed with
sacred properties and may not be sold outright.
Waktu Lima are money oriented. Landless villagers sell their labor to wealthy
landlords or produce handicrafts for sale in the market. They value making a
profit, often justifying the accumulation of wealth by one of the highest Waktu
Lima ideals, making the pilgrimage to Mecca. A surprising number of Waktu
Lima have made the holy journey (20 percent of the households in one Waktu
Lima village have been able to send a member on the Haj). Most villagers admit
that they have no hope of ever saving enough to achieve the ideals of either
making the Haj or acquiring land to farm. Approximately 75 percent of the
Waktu Lima villagers are landless.