Lamakera

Lamakera is a village in Indonesia. It was known for being the place where the most manta rays are killed.[1] It was featured in the 2015 documentary film, Racing Extinction.[2]

Lamakera in 1904.

In 1520, the Portuguese established a trading post at Lamakera as a transit harbor between Maluku and Portuguese Malacca.

Location

Lamakera is located on the east tip of Solor Island, an island in the Pacific Ocean. The village used to rely on marine resources because it had no farm. Lamakera was situated in a manta ray hotspot, and so was responsible for one-third of the global catch.[3] Lamakera used to hunt baleen whales.[4]

Across the strait is the island of Lembata, where the village of Lamalera also hunts from the deep sea trenches of the Savu Sea, particularly known for its hunting of the sperm whale from small open boats. This is allowed under International Whaling Commission regulations around aboriginal whaling but conservationists worry that commercial whaling is also done. [5] Lamalera and Lamakera are the last two remaining Indonesian whaling communities.

Tourism

As part of the documentary film Racing Extinction, the cast members convinced the village to start the tourism industry. Despite the film's release in 2015, CITES has listed all manta ray species in 2013.[6]

Indonesia has made it illegal to harm a manta ray. The village has turned all of its fishing boats into whale watching boats.[7]

Demographics

Most of the island, especially the east, practice the Islamic religion.[8]

References
  1. "Save Animals". Racing Extinction. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  2. "A Manta Fishing Village's Transformation in 'Racing Extinction'". WildAid. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
  3. "Seacology | Lamakera". www.seacology.org. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  4. Barnes, R. H. (1996). "Lamakera, Solor. Ethnographic Notes on a Muslim Whaling Village of Eastern Indonesia". Anthropos. 91 (1/3): 75–88. JSTOR 40465273.
  5. Lamera whaling
  6. "Sharks and manta rays | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  7. "Whale tales, tourism and Lamakera - Wicked Diving". Wicked Diving. 2015-01-31. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  8. "Lamakera Kampung Peradaban, Menteri Agama Minta Salurkan Rahmat Kebajikan" (in Indonesian). Bali News Network. 7 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2019.

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