If you have ever watched the famous film directed by Ang Lee: “The Life of Pi“, you will surely remember the scene where Pi struggles to find food at sea. If so, you will witness a real-life version of Melanesian natives (Oceania).
Just as the natives of the Satere-Mawe tribe in the Amazon must undergo a first test to be recognized as adults and official members of their tribe by enduring the sting of hundreds of Paraponera Clavata ants, the Melanesian natives have their own rite of passage.
The difference is that the young members of the tribe must pass a test of catching sharks with their bare hands in the ocean, a “test” that challenges the will, skills, and perseverance of the Melanesians. So how do they accomplish this?
First, the challenger goes out to sea with only a dugout canoe and some simple fishing tools such as bait (fish heads), a rattle, and rope. The fisherman will shake the rattle vigorously underwater and throw pieces of fish around to lure the sharks closer.
When the sharks are near the canoe, the fisherman will use the rope (with a piece of wood tied at the end) to tightly wrap around the shark. At this point, even if the shark struggles and tries to escape, it cannot flee but will only swim around the canoe.
The fisherman will pull it closer to the canoe and then use a club to strike the shark on the head until it is dead. They also consume the shark meat and cut off its fins to trade with European merchants, as shark fins are highly valuable.
The unique method of catching sharks by hand among the natives.
