sarahlindsey's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning was epic. After that it was interesting to read about day to day life and thoughts of the people in Lamalera, but there wasn't enough of a story line to keep my interest. I skimmed a few of the chapters in the second half. The book did a good job with the commentary about the conflicts between globalization vs traditional ways being much more nuanced than I previously understood.
bookaneer's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. As an Indonesian, I am glad this book is written. There are not many books out there about Indonesia's marine communities and culture, let alone the Lamalerans in Lembata Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province. First of all, I like that the narrative is using the POVs of Lamalerans. They could be very, very detailed, from constructing the tenas (the whaling boats) to household duties. I enjoy being immersed like that. There are many types of POVs: Jon the aspiring lamafa (main harpooner), Ika his sister (I love her parts about the traditional market and bartering practice), Ignatius the old harpooner, Frans the shaman & shipwright, Bena the Katy Perry fan girl, and many more. As someone who grew up in the concrete jungle of Jakarta and part of one ethnic minority group, I feel like there are still so many facets and types of lives in my own country that are completely different from mine and considering the fact that we have more than 300 ethnic groups and 700++ languages, my own life experience is basically nothing.
Secondly, everyone who's been my GR friends knows I love the ocean and books about ocean, right? I came to this book preparing myself to be horrified about the whaling and other hunting. But yet, it was not the case. The Lamalerans respected the whales, they even call them elders, who would have the final say of a tena's seaworthy (if a tena successfully catches its first whale with zero to very minimum damage). I was shocked reading about the Western NGOs who try to force the Lamalerans to change their way of living - even though their practice is still much more sustainable compared to others, especially industrial fishing (whose strong backers might make Lamalerans a more easy target to 'convert', regardless of their globally lawful status as aboriginal subsistence hunters). The tradition and culture described in this would change your opinion if you're completely against it.
Thirdly and probably the most important, it was almost mindboggling to think about how an indigenous culture like this could survive amongst the globalized world. It is a recurring theme in the book, ranging from using motorboats instead of tenas, driftnet instead of only harpoons, opening to a global market or just stay with subsistence fishing and bartering with nearby tribes. I feel like there would be more erosion of cultures and tradition - with both positive and negative impacts- as the area is opening up in terms of available infrastructures and many expat Lamalerans bringing modernities and whatnots. It is really hard to balance but they themselves just have to find and decide for themselves the most suitable formula, not us in Jakarta, or Kupang (provincial capital), and other parties.
Is the book without fault? Only very minor ones, e.g. the author use the word 'Bahasa' for our national language, yet it is supposed to be 'Indonesian' and that 'nekat' is not a verb but an adjective. Other than those and a few others, the book is a real treasure that all should read.
Secondly, everyone who's been my GR friends knows I love the ocean and books about ocean, right? I came to this book preparing myself to be horrified about the whaling and other hunting. But yet, it was not the case. The Lamalerans respected the whales, they even call them elders, who would have the final say of a tena's seaworthy (if a tena successfully catches its first whale with zero to very minimum damage). I was shocked reading about the Western NGOs who try to force the Lamalerans to change their way of living - even though their practice is still much more sustainable compared to others, especially industrial fishing (whose strong backers might make Lamalerans a more easy target to 'convert', regardless of their globally lawful status as aboriginal subsistence hunters). The tradition and culture described in this would change your opinion if you're completely against it.
Thirdly and probably the most important, it was almost mindboggling to think about how an indigenous culture like this could survive amongst the globalized world. It is a recurring theme in the book, ranging from using motorboats instead of tenas, driftnet instead of only harpoons, opening to a global market or just stay with subsistence fishing and bartering with nearby tribes. I feel like there would be more erosion of cultures and tradition - with both positive and negative impacts- as the area is opening up in terms of available infrastructures and many expat Lamalerans bringing modernities and whatnots. It is really hard to balance but they themselves just have to find and decide for themselves the most suitable formula, not us in Jakarta, or Kupang (provincial capital), and other parties.
Is the book without fault? Only very minor ones, e.g. the author use the word 'Bahasa' for our national language, yet it is supposed to be 'Indonesian' and that 'nekat' is not a verb but an adjective. Other than those and a few others, the book is a real treasure that all should read.
fornia's review against another edition
not,,,,,BAD per se
just never really caught my interest
just never really caught my interest
oleksandr's review against another edition
3.0
This is a non-fic about one of the last hunter-gatherers’ tribes on today’s Earth and the only one, which mainly survives of whale hunting. I read it as a part of monthly reading for December-January 2021/2022 at Non Fiction Book Club group.
The tribe of the Lamalerans (they live on the Lembata island, a remote Indonesian volcanic isle) They settled there around five centuries ago and because the land is quite poor, they cannot survive on agriculture. Therefore, they hunt the largest carnivore on Earth, the sperm whale. The book is based on studies of the author, who lived several years among the Lamalerans, and is structured around telling lives of several tribe members. A large part is about how globalization changes traditional centuries-old attitudes, how modern motors and cell phones can co-exist with belief in wizardry and keeping traditions. It should be noted, that the Lamalerans aren’t a newly discovered group, they were catholicized (while also keeping local beliefs) in the 1920s and say the names of almost all tribe members are usual for Catholics Ignatius or Jon (so they were influenced by the outside world for several generations already). However, during the last 30 years they got access to modern motors and ability to sell their catch for exports, as well as more strict rules about going to school or following other laws.
Previously, they harpoon-hunted whales on their tana (a boat with about 8-10 rowers and a harpooner), usually several at the same time, so they wound the whale and keep him by several dispersed boats, so it is unable to capsize any and run away. This made them one of the most communal cultures – only a group can hunt and deliver the whale and only whales have enough meat/fat to sustain the community in the quiet season. Seasonal work, drag-nets to catch smaller fish, including tuna, which is valued say in Japan and gives ways to improve living standards, but abandon the traditional cultures, destroys them very fast.
The book is interesting, but its way to present info as individual stories, while definitely has its merits, a little unfocused the overall picture for me.
The tribe of the Lamalerans (they live on the Lembata island, a remote Indonesian volcanic isle) They settled there around five centuries ago and because the land is quite poor, they cannot survive on agriculture. Therefore, they hunt the largest carnivore on Earth, the sperm whale. The book is based on studies of the author, who lived several years among the Lamalerans, and is structured around telling lives of several tribe members. A large part is about how globalization changes traditional centuries-old attitudes, how modern motors and cell phones can co-exist with belief in wizardry and keeping traditions. It should be noted, that the Lamalerans aren’t a newly discovered group, they were catholicized (while also keeping local beliefs) in the 1920s and say the names of almost all tribe members are usual for Catholics Ignatius or Jon (so they were influenced by the outside world for several generations already). However, during the last 30 years they got access to modern motors and ability to sell their catch for exports, as well as more strict rules about going to school or following other laws.
Previously, they harpoon-hunted whales on their tana (a boat with about 8-10 rowers and a harpooner), usually several at the same time, so they wound the whale and keep him by several dispersed boats, so it is unable to capsize any and run away. This made them one of the most communal cultures – only a group can hunt and deliver the whale and only whales have enough meat/fat to sustain the community in the quiet season. Seasonal work, drag-nets to catch smaller fish, including tuna, which is valued say in Japan and gives ways to improve living standards, but abandon the traditional cultures, destroys them very fast.
The book is interesting, but its way to present info as individual stories, while definitely has its merits, a little unfocused the overall picture for me.
saipradhanreads's review against another edition
5.0
Without romanticizing or condescending, the author shares a respectful and real feel and picture of this whale hunting tribe whose way of life stands to change at warp speed- the good, and the very bad of it.
llamalaura's review against another edition
5.0
The Lamalerans are by far the most interesting people I’ve heard or read about. I highly recommend.
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