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.