NTB Inventories Heritage Following Sade Village Fire

RRI.CO.ID, Central Lombok - The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Provincial Administration, through its Cultural Agency, has launched a comprehensive inventory of surviving artifacts and intangible cultural elements following a destructive fire at the iconic Sade Traditional Village (Kampung Adat Sade) in Central Lombok Regency.

Inspecting the site on Sunday, August 23, 2026, Head of the NTB Cultural Agency Muhamad Ihwan said that the assessment focuses on cataloging remaining physical heritage, such as traditional Sasak weaving equipment and clay pottery, while systematically documenting the village's oral histories, folklore, and communal traditions. Following the inventory, provincial authorities will collaborate with the Cultural Preservation Center, the Central Lombok Regency Administration, and local tribal elders to draft a comprehensive reconstruction master plan.

Coming just months after a similar fire affected the Bayan Traditional Village, the incident has prompted provincial officials to mandate early warning systems, fire mitigation equipment, and emergency training across all traditional villages in NTB, alongside creating digital records and physical replicas of vital cultural tools.

Provincial cultural directors and heritage preservation boards emphasized that post-disaster recovery must combine physical reconstruction with emergency mitigation frameworks to protect vulnerable indigenous sites. Head of the NTB Cultural Agency Muhamad Ihwan outlined the multi-stage recovery strategy for the internationally recognized site.

"The most critical step is saving cultural artifacts, including the living stories and traditions of local residents, we are bringing together the local community as the true owners of this culture to collectively ensure that Sade Traditional Village does not lose its identity," Ihwan said in Central Lombok on Sunday, August 23, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He further underscored the urgent need for structural disaster readiness across all indigenous settlements in the province.

"All traditional villages in West Nusa Tenggara must be equipped with proper firefighting systems or early warning systems, every indigenous village needs designated personnel trained specifically in disaster mitigation and heritage preservation," he added. ***