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Indonesia - Lembata - Lamalera - Whale Hunters

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Butchery - Whale Sharing - almost 2 full days of work

The sperm whale has been landed at Lamalera’s beach. It requires over a dozen men to tie up this weighty gift from „Ina Leva“. Whilst the clan is waiting for low tide, they will ostentatiously sharpen their knives. Participating crew members will be rewarded with a share based on their role; The decision of which party will get what whale part comes from the boat maker of the traditional paledang – the „Ata Molan“. He will routinely point at parts and explain how these have to be cut. Normally the cuts will be divided along strict sharing rules. Some might trade their share in nearby villages. Although an unwritten law says; you exchange whale flesh only for other foods, but never money – a few Lamalerans might sell their share to other villagers to eventually pay some bills. The whalers carve away blubber and dissect the whale to its very bits. And in all this raging tumult of blood and knifes the kids find ample of opportunities to play if not already busy washing the cuts. Childish laughing, they build small dams of sand to block the bloodstreams. All part have their own benefit and purpose. Whereas some exotic parts like a whale penis can only be used for viagra-like Chinese Medicine, the blubber (whale speck) and all innards are of greater use. Tough a whale’s blubber is very thin, some of these whales will yield you upwards of thirty gallons of oil. The major part of the oil flows out of the head, and another fair portion will be rubbed out of the blubber by the families. Thus, the most useful part of the whale is its highly inflammable oil, which serves as fire kick-starter and old-fashioned lamp oil, sometimes as cooking oil, and even as nutrition for children (a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids). The most essential part for the Lamalerans is obviously the whale meat, which in sundried slices will help many families to survive the upcoming days.

Filename
Indonesia-Lembata-Lamalera-590.jpg
Copyright
Claudio Sieber
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5662x3780 / 19.1MB
Contained in galleries
Indonesia - Lembata - Lamalera
Butchery - Whale Sharing - almost 2 full days of work<br /> <br /> The sperm whale has been landed at Lamalera’s beach. It requires over a dozen men to tie up this weighty gift from „Ina Leva“. Whilst the clan is waiting for low tide, they will ostentatiously sharpen their knives. Participating crew members will be rewarded with a share based on their role; The decision of which party will get what whale part comes from the boat maker of the traditional paledang – the „Ata Molan“. He will routinely point at parts and explain how these have to be cut. Normally the cuts will be divided along strict sharing rules. Some might trade their share in nearby villages. Although an unwritten law says; you exchange whale flesh only for other foods, but never money – a few Lamalerans might sell their share to other villagers to eventually pay some bills. The whalers carve away blubber and dissect the whale to its very bits. And in all this raging tumult of blood and knifes the kids find ample of opportunities to play if not already busy washing the cuts. Childish laughing, they build small dams of sand to block the bloodstreams. All part have their own benefit and purpose. Whereas some exotic parts like a whale penis can only be used for viagra-like Chinese Medicine, the blubber (whale speck) and all innards are of greater use. Tough a whale’s blubber is very thin, some of these whales will yield you upwards of thirty gallons of oil. The major part of the oil flows out of the head, and another fair portion will be rubbed out of the blubber by the families. Thus, the most useful part of the whale is its highly inflammable oil, which serves as fire kick-starter and old-fashioned lamp oil, sometimes as cooking oil, and even as nutrition for children (a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids). The most essential part for the Lamalerans is obviously the whale meat, which in sundried slices will help many families to survive the upcoming days.