A video filmed in the village of Lamalera, in East Nusa Tenggara province, is gaining popularity on Indonesian social media. Some have already dubbed it “Avatar, Indonesian-style”.
The footage shows local children carefree in the ocean with a real whale. The mammal, about 20 metres long, shows no aggression. Teenagers swim around it, sit on its back and even slide off the giant whale as if it were a waterslide.
The clip was posted by a travel blogger and went viral almost instantly. Commenters are divided: some are convinced the whale was killed during a hunt and the children are playing with the catch. This version may be backed up by the fact that Lamalera has been known for whaling for many years. It is one of the last places on the planet where whaling is not banned.
They do not use modern vessels or harpoon guns here: men head out into the ocean in wooden peledang boats built without a single nail, and the decisive strike is delivered by the Lama Fa — a brave jumper who, with a bamboo harpoon in his hands, leaps from the bow straight onto the giant’s back.
This hunt is seen not as a commercial business but as a sacred ritual and a matter of survival, so whale meat is never sold for export. Instead, it is shared among all residents or bartered for vegetables with neighbouring tribes.
Lamalera’s whalers follow a strict code of honour: they never target calves or pregnant females, and before the season begins they always receive a Catholic priest’s blessing, curiously blended with ancient animist rituals.
However, most witnesses and local residents say the mammal in the video is alive. According to them, whales regularly migrate through this area and often approach the shore out of curiosity. The animal may see the children climbing onto it as a good way to get rid of barnacles and parasites stuck to its body.
Even though the sight is truly impressive, whales are still wild animals and can be dangerous. Sudden movements can stress them and trigger an attack.
As for dead whales that are sometimes washed ashore on Indonesian islands, it’s best not to go near them — they are a real biological bomb. After death, bacteria inside the carcass actively produce methane. Thick skin and a layer of fat act like the walls of a pressure cooker, trapping enormous gas pressure. In the sun, the giant swells up, turning into a projectile ready to explode from the slightest cut. One bang — and tonnes of rotten entrails fly tens of metres. See a “bloated” whale? Stay well away: it’s deadly dangerous and smells horrific!
Sources: procal.co
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