Residents of Kolonga in Tonga have been able to remove the jawbone and teeth of a dead whale that washed up on their shore this afternoon, March 22.
The whale, of unknown species, had probably been dead for some time before washing ashore.
Photos obtained by Kaniva News show a barefoot man standing by the dead mammal while another person is inside trying to cut the jawbone.
There is blood in the sea around the whale.
In the photograph, dozens of onlookers, including a Police officer, watch while the men try to remove the bones.
Read more: Dead whale washes up on Kolonga beach
It was not clear who owned the jaw and the teeth and whether the meat was in good enough condition to be consumed.
Normally when stranded whales wash ashore in Tonga, villagers will butcher the carcasses and share the meat.
In the past bones and teeth were significant for Tongan carvers who used them to make works of art, ornamental sculptures and fishhooks.
Whale meat was a delicacy in Tonga and the incident in Kolonga today recalled the tradition of whale butchering.
Old people recall how they enjoyed going to sea to catch whales and bring them home and cook them for the family.
Villagers could identify a home where whale meat has been cooked from a distance because of the strong smell.
In the past whale meat was also sold in the fish market in the capital Nukuʻalofa and when whale hunters arrived in the capital’s harbours the news was announced on the radio.
People from the countryside would travel to Nukuʻalofa to buy whale meat.
After Tonga banned whale hunting in 1978, the practice, which brought villagers together when they shared the meat no longer existed.
The main points
- Residents of Kolonga in Tonga have been able to remove the jawbone and teeth of a dead whale that washed up on their shore this afternoon, March 22.
- Photos obtained by Kaniva News show a barefoot man standing by the dead mammal while another person is inside trying to cut the jawbone.
- Normally when stranded whales wash ashore in Tonga, villagers will butcher the carcasses and share the meat.
- In the past bones and teeth were significant for Tongan carvers who used them to make works of art, ornamental sculptures and fishhooks.
