Life by the sea: (Clockwise from top) A family sitting at home in Legung Timur village in Sumenep on Madura Island; a man sitting on sand in the kitchen of his house; a woman looking after her son in a sandpit at home; people spending their afternoon in a sandpit which is available in almost every house in Legung Timur village; and a woman lying on a sand bed in her bedroom. — AP
In the northeastern tip of the country’s Madura Island, sand blankets front yards and even spills into the interior of homes.
Residents of the three coastal communities – Legung Timur, Legung Barat and Dapenda – collectively known as the sand village, believe sand brings comfort and healing.
The villages are located in a coastal area on the northeastern side of the Sumenep district in Indonesia’s East Java province.
After a day of fishing, residents can be seen spending time outside their homes, covered in sand.
Sahnawi sits on sand in the kitchen of his house in Legung Timur village in Sumenep on Madura Island, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Locals say the sand brings families and community closer together.
On a rainless afternoon, villagers lingered in their sand-covered front yards. Nearby, children played.
“At 11 or 12 at night, when it starts to get cold, we go back home,” said Pundia, who like many Indonesians goes by a single name.
A woman looks after her son in a sandpit at home in Legung Timur village in Sumenep on Madura Island, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
The practice of taking sand from the beach and bringing it home has been passed through generations, said Adnan, 55.
“My parents gave birth to me on this sand. Of course, it was cleaned up.
“Since I was little, I learnt to crawl and stand on this sand. So that’s what I know.”
Many others Adnan’s age were also born on the sand, when their mothers couldn’t reach hospitals or clinics in time.
Many homes have rooms filled with sand, which they call sand mattresses.
This is where the older generation prefers to sleep.
To keep the sand clean, residents use a round sieve made of layered mesh to filter out stones and wind-blown debris.
There are concerns that the tradition could be lost to development.
People spend their afternoon in a sandpit which is available in almost every house in Legung Timur village in Sumenep on Madura Island, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
The beach sand, which used to be pristine, is now heavily polluted with trash.
Ibnu Hajar, a cultural expert who studies life in the sand village, says coastal communities are inseparable from the sea.
He cites a Madurese proverb: “Waves are pillows and wind is blankets.” — AP
