Dimas Mbaha Konda Lura, 11, plays in the sea as he waits for his father, Ndelu Ndaha, to go fishing at Puru Kambera beach

On Indonesia’s Sumba island, traditional woven textiles often include motifs of animals, such as the area’s famed sandalwood breed of horses

But in the village of Hamba Praing, scores of horses and cattle have died in recent years as extreme drought withered the grass, leaving bones and carcasses scattered over the scrubby landscape

East Sumba, about 1,200 miles (2,000km) east of Jakarta, last year reportedly had 249 days in a row without rain. Some experts blamed climate change for more frequent drought-inducing weather patterns

‘Nowadays we no longer plant things,’ said one farmer, Thomas Tay Ranjawali, 52, pictured having dinner with his family, referring to the peanut and corn crops traditionally grown by villagers

As well as trying to keep his animals alive, the father of six is now learning how to weave, a practice normally reserved for women, to get extra funds for food

Ranjawali’s wife, Maria Babang Noti, also a weaver, pours water into jerrycans as she prepares dinner outside her house in Hamba Praing

Noti holds her nine-month-old grandson, Zigy Umbu Awat, while she weaves

Sumba is in Indonesia’s third poorest province, East Nusa Tenggara, which is also the driest region of the archipelago

The country’s meteorology agency said conditions were being made more extreme by the strongest Indian Ocean dipole – the difference in sea temperatures across the ocean – in a century, which can cause drier weather in south-east Asia and Australia

As the drought ravages the village, Ranjawali and his wife are forgoing seeds to buy more yarn for the lengthy process of weaving intricate pieces. Pictured is payment they received from a customer

Another farmer, Ndelu Ndaha, 49, photographed with his family in one of the fields, now spends more time trying to catch fish

Ndaha carries his net through the sea as he heads out to fish from Puru Kambera beach

Eighteen of Ndaha’s horses and seven cows recently died, and to keep the remaining animals alive, grass had to be brought in from other villages

Ndaha’s son Dimas grills some fish

Noti at Atma La Kanatang, her weaving house, at dusk

Hand weaving a traditional Sumba Ikat textile

Kalara Ata Jenji, Ndaha’s wife, rests with her granddaughter on the sand as he goes fishing

Dimas and his cousin Simon Kopa Laki Jawa, eight, bathe one of their horses on a fishing trip at Puru Kambera beach. ‘The horses easily get ill. They don’t have anything in their stomach. Every year, there are always deaths,’ said Ndaha

Noti’s son Andreas Windi Mbaku Rawa, 27, and his children take a rest at the weaving house

‘The increase of temperatures in Indonesia is proof of global warming,’ said the meteorology agency Supari, noting that Sumba was one of the most vulnerable areas