are presented with food and drink. It is believed that the spirits partake of the essence of these offerings. The Bromo volcano is considered one of the most sacred places. If it erupts, they believe that their god is very angry. The Tenggerese give food offerings to the gods. Sajenan is presented to the guardian deities by the priest in formal liturgy. For different occasions foods are offered as Sajenan. For instance, during weddings a cone of rice, Tumpeng Walagara, is offered. It is considered to be a source of blessing for the couple and the whole village. Suguhan are offered by ordinary Tengger Hindus to their ancestral spirits. Tamping are food offerings to evil spirits to ward off bad luck and typically consist of meat, rice and bananas wrapped up in leaves and put at places such as cemeteries, bridges, and road intersections. The priests are called Dukun or Resi Pujangga; they play a middle role in their religious worship. They are believed to possess spiritual knowledge of the gods and the spirits called Ilmu, which they carefully guard from ordinary Tenggers. Priesthood is hereditary and generally passes down from father to son. Each village has only one of these priests, with three assistants — Legen, Sepuh, and Dandan. In the past few decades, due to overpopulation in Madura, many Madurese settlers exploited the Tenggerese land by clearing some of their nature reserves and converting 2-3% (up to 10,000) of the Tenggerese to Islam in the process — particularly those in the more accessible areas in the lowlands just outside the Tengger range. Because of this Islamic missionary activity, the remaining Hindu Tenggerese asked the Balinese Hindus for help by reforming their culture and religion closer to the Balinese. The Indonesian government declared the Tengger mountains as the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru national park and declared that any more logging in this area is an illegal act, therefore protecting the Tenggerese from further disruption.Tengger in Indonesia Hinduism: 85,500 (95%) Islam: 3,600 (4%) Christianity (Protestant): 900 (1%) Lifestyle The Tenggerese are basically either agriculturalists or nomadic herders. The agriculturalists generally live on the lower altitudes, while the nomads live on the higher altitudes, riding on small horses. Festivals Yadnya Kasada The main festival of the Tenggerese is the Yadnya Kasada, which lasts about a month. On the 14th day of the Kasada, the Tenggerese go to Poten Bromo and ask for blessing from