The crew waiting under the thatch roofed sheds housing the old boats

 

The Indonesian whale hunter village, Lamalera Rain mostly exists in the prayers of Christian people of Lamalera. The rocky mountains surrounding the village where a thousand people live ; is not suitable for breeding animals; no vegetables and fruits can survive in the bare, burnt-out ground. There is only the sea, and its fruits to survive: little fish, manta, bottlenose dolphin and the fervently hoped whale.

It has been so for hundred years. It used to happen the same way: a man, with a long wangee cane in his hand, jumping at bag from the whale-boat, made of wood, and no metal, at all. Sometimes, the 10-15 meters long mammal wins, the crew dies, and the little boat is sunk. But hunt is a need.

 

The hunter’s wives are travelling to Lewoleba the nearest city where they are selling goods. Between the cities there's only 60 km distance, but it is more than 6 hours journey because the road is bad.

A hunter praying with his family. The village people are Roman Catholic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A woman sitting down during the prayer service in the church.

After the early Morning Prayer, the men sail out to open-sea, straining every nerve all day long, desperate for food. In spite of the difficulties they are facing, they sent back the modern boats that were donated to them by the FAO, UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. After only a short period of use with twenty-thirty whale-kills in a week, it caused a serious case of conscience for them. Earlier, they hunted this amount in a year. The whalers were frightened: what happens if sea would run out of whales? They felt responsibility, unlike the owners of the huge whaleboats, who are responsible for murdering lots of thousands whales a year.

Each boat has to be dragged, every day the men go out from the shed to the flood line.

 

 

 

The crew rows the boat out for more than 1 hours, shouting

 

 

 

 

 

 

At sea, looking for the whale, locally known as Ikan Paus, the

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Industrial whaling” is the reason of the reduced world stock of whales - 90 percent down in the last hundred years - in spite of the International Whaling Commission’s efforts and the international prohibition of whale hunting. Although these regulations do not apply to Lamalera - because they hunt for everyday living and not for trading purposes - they blame themselves for the dying out of whales . They offended the spirit of big mammal somehow, they think, and that’s why they hardly capture whales anymore.

 

Harpoon with an iron hook, at the end of a long stick. The hunter keeps hand an own made cigarette.

 

 

 

Hunter is watching the sea and preparing the hunt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No catching at noon. The fishermen take a rest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Belief is stronger than anything in this part of the world, so they dont think about the tsunami that happened just one year before, causing death of hundred-thousands, and sweeping changes in nature and climate. And they dont care for opinions, which say, that tsunami has probably changed the itinerary of whales, and they disappear from this area.

 

Harpoonist at work. The job is the most prestige work in the village.

When the boat gets closer, the harpoonist knocks down the dolphin with his club.

Fisherman is returning to Lamalera with the prey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memorabelia of the village are witnesses of successful hunting, happened not so long ago: at the door of the village you are welcome by a whale-carving figure while in the main square, next to a monumental whale skull old men are consulting. Motives of mammal decorate the uniform of students and the handmade carpets, as well. The fence is made of whale ribs, of course. Just because they dont have refrigerator, meal of whale is dried on stings, strained between houses, and after early darkness, the (whale) blubber is crepitating in lamps. But less and less lamps light in windows. Many of lamalerian people leave the traditional village, in hope of finding a better and safer way of living. In these days, some fish boats float off, with the number of crew just enough, and necessary, but it would never be the same again, like it was before. Whales keep away from Lamalera, maybe, forever.

 

Fish skin hanging out to dry because no electricity to use fridge.

The main beach of Lamalera, the Whale Hunters Village, on the south coast of Lembata at full moon.