Oxford Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology- Sea Hunters of Indonesia Fishers and Weavers of Lamalera

Sea Hunters of Indonesia is a comprehensive study of the culture, economy, and history of Lamalera, a traditional whaling and textile-producing community in Indonesia, now becoming a major tourist attraction. R.H. Barnes offers a richly detailed and beautifully illustrated view of unique ways of life that are now under threat.



Sea Hunters of Indonesia is a comprehensive study of the coastal community of Lamalera, whose traditional ways of life make it unique. One is an unusual kind of sea-fishing: the hunting of whales, porpoises, and giant manta rays. The other is the production, by the women of the community, of remarkable fine dyed textiles. Recently these traditions have come under intense pressure from external economic influences, and the people of Lamalera are starting to move into modern occupations. The community, famous for the beauty of its setting as well as for its crafts, is now a major tourist attraction, and it may now survive only as part of the tourist industry. At this crucial point in the history of the region, R. H. Barnes offers a richly detailed and beautifully illustrated picture of the culture and economy of Lamalera, the fruit of many years' study. He records all aspects of life in Lamalera, and places it in the broader context of the past, present, and future of Indonesia as a whole.