Doug Bock ClarkThe Last Whalers

The Last Whalers is an absolutely extraordinary work. Clark’s portrayal of the Lamalerans, a hunter-gatherer tribe inhabiting a remote Indonesian island, is both fascinating and moving. He expertly shows how the Lamalerans hunt the largest carnivore in history, the sperm whale, using centuries-old technology. By having lived amongst the tribe across three years, the author is able to describe the hunts in stunning and dramatic detail, with the insight of someone intimately familiar with not only the mechanics of the process, but also the history, culture, and people of Lamalera.The stories of the Lamalerans themselves are even more gripping--from a young orphaned whaler waiting for his big break to an aging legendary harpooner struggling to understand his son’s resistance to the traditional way of life. They bravely stand up to the forces of modernization, largely refusing modern technology that would make the hunts easier and far less dangerous, and relying on bartering and gift-giving instead of paper currency. They hold on to the ways of their ancestors, believing that their tradition--however inconvenient--contains their essence, and that by giving it up, they may lose what it means for them to live.The Last Whalers reminds us to consider what we may be losing as we welcome the latest technology and conveniences with open arms. As modernization and globalization threaten the Lamaleran way of life, Clark richly illustrates how they navigate balancing tradition and progress in a way both exotic and familiar.No doubt, the ways of the Lamalerans are vanishing, as are those of thousands of other indigenous people around the world. The Last Whalers details the lives and culture of a fascinating tribe while also provoking us to contemplate where we come from and what may be lost without a conscious effort. The forces of globalization, for better or worse, are unstoppable. But The Last Whalers helps us pause to celebrate the diversity and resilience of humanity that the Lamalerans exemplify. Reading it was an incredibly moving--and much needed--journey.

A review I had read that led me to this book discussed the beauty of its writing first, the crafting of the story told, and the rare skill of description wielded by its author, and that the narrative, though incredible, and the reporting, though truly timely and exotic, was even outshined by the gifts of Doug Bock Clark.For the most part, I concur; this is a gorgeously told story by a master craftsman, but I would argue that the story itself, and most important the characters in the story are clearly what inspire the beautiful writing. This is a human story - a story about humans navigating the world around them - navigating relationships, family, expectations, traditions, opportunities, social judgements, aspirations, and change.Once I started, I wanted to be reading this tale whenever I was not, and when the final pages were all I had left, I found several reasons to stop reading simply so that it would not end. I miss the characters. I want to go back. Thank you, Mr. Clark, for taking me to Lamalera.

From what I know of early modern history, in the first few centuries after the discovery of the New World there was a distinct literary genre of missionaries who acted as proto-anthropologists by narrating the life and customs of native peoples. After the missionaries came the real anthropologists and then, more recently, the activists.Often this genre has suffered not only from exoticism but also contained a good deal of egoism. While continuing in this tradition, the author of The Last Whalers thankfully focuses on the Lamelerans and mostly crops himself out of the picture. While there is some rather mundane philosophizing about the need to preserve a diversity of cultures, most of the book deals with the personalities and mores of this fascinating sliver of humanity.Lamaleran culture revolves around the hunting of whales and so a lot of the work is devoted to blow by blow descriptions of harpooning and the ultimate slaying of these animals. Readers expecting typical anthropological data like rituals, myths and social hierarchies will be mostly disappointed.What one does get is a depiction of a tribe torn between adherence to ancestral ways and the possibilities of modernity. The extent to which one will enjoy this book will vary depending on one’s interest in primitive civilizations—particularly those which are hunter based—and the extent to which one is drawn in by the personal stories the author narrates.Personally, I thought the author has nobly contributed to a somewhat ignoble literary tradition. He has depicted a tribe still caught in a mostly prehistoric way of life without sentimentalizing their personalities or writing a hagiographic account of their way of life.Clearly, the Lamalerans have not had a major effect on world history. But the author succeeds in describing their unique culture to such an extent that a compelling case is made for the need to preserve humankind’s cultural diversity.If descriptions of far-off and completely different civilizations are to one’s liking than the Last Whalers is probably a good choice. If one is prepared for bloody hunting scenes and short shrift given to traditional cultural topics then the extraordinary actions of the author in learning the Lamaleran dialect and living among them for extensive periods will lead to a rather gripping narrative. In short, a unique contribution to ethnography that is written for the public and not just for anthropologists. Well worth reading.

If you have any interest in the themes and subjects of this book, just buy it - it's absolutely brilliant, one of the best books I've ever read. The writing is top-notch, but it's more than the writing, there's an incredibly strong foundation underneath this work yet also rare and wonderful humility and sensitivity in its rendering. And there's so much here - so very much content, wisdom, perspective, detail... It doesn't get much better. 9.8/10 and I'm a hard grader. I bought more copies to share with friends and relatives.

Great story and narrative about the author’s time with the indigenous tribe. Absolutely a rewarding read when looking to reflect on culture, what’s important in society, and what it means to have a good life. I enjoyed getting to know all of the people that Mr Clark shared with us and seeing inside a world that is hard to believe still exists to today.I will recommend this to many, many people.