« Kalabahi | Main | Xing to Pantar Island »
June 26, 2005
New Paddler - Adam from Kalabahi, Alor
DAY: 13
LOCATION: Kalabahi - Alor
NAUTICAL MILES TODAY:
NAUTICAL MILES TOTAL TRIP: 104
LATITUDE :
LONGITUDE:
Yesterday we visited some local people in the village of Tak Pala. They live a traditional lifestyle outside the progress of modern technology and we were lucky to spend a little time with them. One of the highlights was our guide Adi playing a Moko drum that we'd heard and read about so much. Thousands have been recovered buried in the ground all over the island and their original remains a mystery. One theory has it that they were brought from India and/or China as trade items around 300 years before Christ. Once here they were perhaps buried by people to prevent other waring tribes from taking them. Made of brass and beautifully decorated with lifeforce symbols such as tigers, deer and trees, they're quite valuable (some over 50 million rupiah - $500US) and even today form an important part of a bride's dowry.
Another highlight of the visit was meeting Adam, a local tribe member who will be taking the place of Ina to paddle the big double canoe as far as Larantuka or Maumere in eastern Alor where April will hopefully take over when she arrives in a little over a week. Adam is a teacher as well as a woodcarver and fisherman. He doesn't speak English, and our Bahasa is still very limited, so it will be a learning experience for all of us!
Part of the reason for delaying one more day until tomorrow morning (tuesday) is to allow time to visit some schools here in Kalabahi with Adam, presenting the expedition and in particular this section to Flores that Adam will be doing with us. We hope these schools can then follow the progress of their community member via this blog.
Our intention is also to connect with schools throughout Indonesia via the UNESCO radio communications network centred in Jakarta. Taking daily updates from this blog they will be able to update schools without internet access of our progress. We believe Adam will be a great cultural ambassador not only for his people on Alor to the rest of Indonesia, but for the people of Indonesia to the rest of the world. We welcome him and are privileged that he will be part of our team!
Posted on June 26, 2005 11:52 PM