islands of Sumba and Sumbawa, the death toll reached 180.Interactive map showing major earthquakes in East Nusa Tenggara between 1970 and 2005 (requires Flash Player) Society The population is 89,327 at the 2020 Census. The society still performs traditional animistic beliefs, known as Djingi Tiu. Dutch missionaries introduced Protestantism which remains on the islands today. The Savunese have a traditional greeting, done by pressing one's nose (at the same time) to another person's nose at an encounter. It is used in all meetings among Savu's people and on major ceremonies, and serves a similar purpose to a formal handshake in modern western culture, and indeed is often used in conjunction with one, similar to the Hongi in New Zealand. Administration The group of three islands was formed (in 2008) into the Sabu Raijua Regency within East Nusa Tenggara province. Agriculture Savunese culture is ecologically fitting for such an arid environment. The traditional clan agreements on land control and water distribution ensure that the land is carefully managed and not overexploited. Their gardens form a well structured ecology, emulating a tropical forest with diverse species of trees and shade plants. Agricultural production on Savu includes corn, rice, roots, beans, livestock (meat/milk), and seaweed, which was introduced by Japanese interests, in the early 1990s. Pigs, goats, and chickens are commonplace in the villages. Those farmers who depend on mixed-crop gardens or on mung bean fields are generally better able to manage during times of poor rain, but are seemingly less successful when the rains are good. Corn, as a single crop, remains the predominant staple on Savu, though most farmers try to plant several different fields to increase their chances of at least one successful harvest. Cotton is the main crop on Rai Jua, where the standard of living is below that of Savu. It is used to make traditional textiles. Corn is planted in late November, December, or early January and harvested from February through March; rice and mung beans are planted later, usually in January, after soils are well saturated with rain. In El Niño years, farmers are frequently misled by initial rains, which offer promise, but then cease. Most farmers keep some seed reserves if they are forced to plant a second time during the wet season. Rarely do farmers have sufficient seed reserves for a third attempt at planting, and by the time such a third planting seems