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On plastic, we need local concern
Governments tend to resort to a top-down approach through international treaties, legislation and regulations, which turn out to be unenforceable in many parts of the world due to a lack of sanctions imposed on offenders. In the fight against plastic, strengthening local concerns is more effective than any top-down approach.
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Men in Lamalera village, Lembata regency, hunt for the whale using harpoon. (shutterstock.com/Carlos Amarillo/File)
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amalera village in East Nusa Tenggara has been prominent for traditional whale hunting, a suspense-packed action between May and July that has for decades attracted tourists from near and far. Few would know, however, the centuries-old ritual has shaped a local culture that will contribute much to the country’s fight against marine debris, particularly plastics.
Long before the government called for concerted efforts to combat plastic waste, the Lamalera people have for generations learned how to keep their sea clean. In the current context, they deem plastics as modern trash that will damage their marine environment.
The local tradition, called ola nu', perceives the sea as a sacred mother. The sea has the ability to nurture, protect and provide life to villagers who depend on it. In return, the local people try to keep the sea happy by not sullying it with trash, including plastic waste. The locals respect their sea and accept its bounty.
While hunting for whales, the sanctity of the sea must be kept intact. Hunting itself is considered a sacred activity, as the people take gifts from their sacred mother. That’s the reason why Lamalera people stick to traditional equipment.
No plastic is involved in the hunting, to be precise. They use harpoons made of bamboo and ropes woven from Gebang leaf and hibiscus tree bark.
The tradition demands all Lamalera whale hunters to obey the rules. If any of the whalers, for example, breaks the customs there will be consequences. He might get tangled in the rope or be squeezed between the whale and tena (wooden boat).
In 1973, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as cited by the anthropologist Robert Barnes, sent a whaling ship and a Norwegian whaler to modernize the hunt in Lamalera, located 190 kilometers north of the provincial capital of Kupang.
