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Indonesia - Lembata - Lamalera - Whale Hunters

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Lamalera seems to remain largely unaffected from ongoing modernization. The culture of fine teamwork and a system of sharing and exchanging sea harvest is well preserved as in medieval times. The Lamalerans live the most simple life a modern person could imagine. Usually, a family of six shares only 30-40 m2 plus some yard. Under the eaves of each hovel and within the yards, blackened bits of whale meat or pale yellow cuts of manta ray hang out to parch. Their furniture involves a couple of plastic chairs they will stitch together again when falling apart. Cupboards I have seen rarely - There wouldn’t be much stuff to store anyway. When you witness how a young boy is mixing coffee into his rice from yesterday, so that it’s not too dry to eat, may slightly change your perceptions of what you’ve thought is a simple life. A local credit union opened in town 2 years ago, offering loans for villagers to pay for modern needs like petrol, electricity bills and their children’s education. Ever since many villagers have already learned that loans cause other problems, and stay away from the debt trap. A few bad catches, they confess, and they would fall behind on their payments and slide deeper into deficit. It puts unhealthy pressure on them while catching fish. Thus they prefer to earn little, step by step, it lets them sleep better.
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The clans inhabiting the tiny village of Lamalera, on the sunbaked Lembata island (Nusa Tenggara Timur Province) have been spearing and landing sperm whales by hand for at least six centuries. Despite the ongoing economic and religous transition, the society of this tiny village has not lost a single bit of their pride nor their identity.

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Indonesia-Lembata-Lamalera-19.jpg
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Claudio Sieber
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Lamalera seems to remain largely unaffected from ongoing modernization. The culture of fine teamwork and a system of sharing and exchanging sea harvest is well preserved as in medieval times. The Lamalerans live the most simple life a modern person could imagine. Usually, a family of six shares only 30-40 m2 plus some yard. Under the eaves of each hovel and within the yards, blackened bits of whale meat or pale yellow cuts of manta ray hang out to parch. Their furniture involves a couple of plastic chairs they will stitch together again when falling apart. Cupboards I have seen rarely - There wouldn’t be much stuff to store anyway. When you witness how a young boy is mixing coffee into his rice from yesterday, so that it’s not too dry to eat, may slightly change your perceptions of what you’ve thought is a simple life. A local credit union opened in town 2 years ago, offering loans for villagers to pay for modern needs like petrol, electricity bills and their children’s education. Ever since many villagers have already learned that loans cause other problems, and stay away from the debt trap. A few bad catches, they confess, and they would fall behind on their payments and slide deeper into deficit. It puts unhealthy pressure on them while catching fish. Thus they prefer to earn little, step by step, it lets them sleep better.<br /> ___<br /> <br /> The clans inhabiting the tiny village of Lamalera, on the sunbaked Lembata island (Nusa Tenggara Timur Province) have been spearing and landing sperm whales by hand for at least six centuries. Despite the ongoing economic and religous transition, the society of this tiny village has not lost a single bit of their pride nor their identity.