Flores' village keeps up whaling tradition

Flores' village keeps up whaling tradition

By Yacob Herin

LARANTUKA, East Flores (JP): Excited cries of baleo ring out
along the Lamalera coastline as children and adults point to the
spot where a whale has surfaced, its presence heralded by a
fountain of seawater sprayed high in the air.

Fishermen, who have waited for hours for this moment, push
their boats out to sea to begin the hunt. The men chant hilibe
(give chase) as they shove the vessel into the water, the
rhythmic cry building to a fever pitch in their quest to catch
the whale.

Lamalera is the only whaling village on the island of South
Lembata in East Nusa Tenggara. With a population of 3,500 and
situated on a rocky outpost, it can be reached in six hours by
motor boat from Larantuka.

Whaling has been the livelihood for villagers for centuries.
They go to sea in a traditional boat known as the paledang and
their harpoon is the tempuling, a knife that forks out in blades
of 12 to 15 centimeters long. The knife is attached to a bamboo
pole measuring seven to eight meters.

A fisherman perches at the bow of the ship until the whale
appears within three or four meters. He then leaps on the animal
and stabs it vigorously. The whale thrashes violently through
the water, churning up waves as though bringing the sea to
boiling point. It is dangerous but the fishermen must take the
risk. Locals tell how a wounded whale once towed a boat all the
way to West Australian waters.

The whaling season, which falls between May and October, is
known locally as Tahun Lewa.

Bene Koten of the information service of East Nusa Tenggara's
State Museum said it is unclear when the tradition started. The
East Nusa Tenggara administration puts 1566, when the Portuguese
arrived in the nearby Solor Islands, as the date of the first
whaling activities.

After the Portuguese discovery, the area became known to the
world and Western Europeans have continued to come to the area.

A series of articles by Max Weber, published in a French daily
under the title A Whaling Village In Eastern Indonesia, brought
interested foreign tourists in recent years, Bene said.

The village maintains its customs and special ceremonies are
held before setting sail. The time at sea can be as long as six
months but the capture of a whale is just reward for the crew.

The event is cause for huge celebration in the village. The
whale is divided and each fisherman takes a segment home to his
family. Wives dice the meat and pieces are left in the sun to be
dried. The rest is traded with other villages for food staples of
corn, yams and bananas.

Whale meat keeps for months and its uses are varied. The oil
is poured into a bottle with a wick, ready to be ignited, and is
hung on the wall. Villagers have long used whale oil to light
their homes and stubbornly refuse to give up the practice, even
though electrification has come to the island.

The fishermen catch between 15 to 20 whales annually. They say
they are not endangering the whale population. "We catch them in
a traditional way which will preserve their existence," said one
fisherman.

Another fisherman said the practice is an important link to
the past. "If they are an endangered species, why do they return
to this location every year? Whaling is an annual activity which
dates back centuries. We are only continuing the tradition of our
forefathers."

Tourist

Many foreign tourists, most from Japan and Western European
countries, come to the area to see the whaling.

Almost every year, Japan's NHK and a French television station
arrive to film the activities. Villager Abel Beding said the
visitors stayed for three or four months and sometimes ventured
out to sea to watch the hunt

Fishermen's lore says an undertow guides the whales back to
the area year after year. A more scientific possibility is that
ocean temperatures cause the animals to swim near the surface
during the season.

Lamalera villagers are proud their traditional ways attract
tourists but they have yet to capitalize on its potential
economic gains.

Michael Laba, 45, said he had no plans to make as much money
as possible from marketing the whaling to tourists. He said it
was more important that foreigners return to their homelands with
positive memories of Lamalera.

Not every villager agrees with Michael. Many villagers have
started to make souvenirs, including cotton shawls, sarongs, and
tablecloths. They also offer whaling excursions to tourists for
Rp 15,000 per person per trip.

Others have opened lodgings. Abel Beding charges Rp 5,000 per
night for a spartan room. Snacks and souvenirs are available;
miniature boats sell for Rp 100,000 each, while traditional woven
fabrics made of homespun cotton thread and local dyes are
available for Rp 200,000 to Rp 300,000. A village woman said she
can earn as much as Rp 500,000 from selling souvenirs during the
whaling season

Tourist facilities are still primitive. There are no public
bathing or toilet facilities and the village lacks fresh water
and electricity. Despite the lack of material comforts, the
excitement of the traditional whale hunts of Lamalera draws
tourists each year.