les , ▁and ▁established ▁that ▁Tamb ora ▁was ▁not ▁an ▁Aust ron esian ▁language , ▁as ▁would ▁be ▁expected ▁in ▁the ▁area , ▁but ▁possibly ▁a ▁language ▁isol ate , ▁or ▁perhaps ▁a ▁member ▁of ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁families ▁of ▁Pap uan ▁languages ▁found ▁ ▁or ▁more ▁to ▁the ▁east . ▁ ▁The ▁er u ption ▁is ▁captured ▁in ▁latter - day ▁fol kl ore , ▁which ▁explains ▁the ▁c ata c ly sm ▁as ▁divine ▁ret ribution . ▁A ▁local ▁r uler ▁is ▁said ▁to ▁have ▁in cur red ▁the ▁wr ath ▁of ▁Al lah ▁by ▁feed ing ▁dog ▁meat ▁to ▁a ▁ha j ji ▁and ▁killing ▁him . ▁This ▁is ▁expressed ▁in ▁a ▁poem ▁written ▁around ▁ 1 8 3 0 : ▁ ▁E cos ystem ▁▁ ▁A ▁team ▁led ▁by ▁the ▁Swiss ▁botan ist ▁Heinrich ▁Z ol ling er ▁arrived ▁on ▁S umb awa ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 7 . ▁Z ol ling er ▁sought ▁to ▁study ▁the ▁area ▁of ▁er u ption ▁and ▁its ▁effects ▁on ▁the ▁local ▁e cos ystem . ▁He ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁person ▁after ▁the ▁er u ption ▁to ▁asc end ▁the ▁sum mit , ▁which ▁was ▁still ▁covered ▁by ▁smoke . ▁As ▁Z ol ling er ▁clim bed , ▁his ▁feet ▁s ank ▁several ▁times ▁through ▁a ▁thin ▁surface ▁cr ust ▁into ▁a ▁warm ▁layer ▁of ▁pow der - like ▁sul fur . ▁Some ▁veget ation ▁had ▁reg rown , ▁including ▁trees ▁on ▁the ▁lower ▁slope . ▁A ▁Cas u arina ▁forest ▁was