Kontu Shark Callers

At Kontu and a handful of other villages on the west coast of New Ireland, men practise shark calling: paddling out alone in an outrigger, shaking a rattle of coconut shells underwater to draw a shark, then working it toward a loop of rope and wood held over the side, into which the shark is manoeuvred and taken. The practice is bound up with ritual preparation, prohibitions before going out and inherited rights, and callers describe a relationship with particular sharks rather than simple hunting. The number who still do it is small and falling, and the season runs roughly October to March. Villages receive visitors by arrangement, and demonstrations rather than actual calling are what most see.

What you actually see

• The rattle - the coconut shell instrument used to call.
• The outrigger and noose - the canoe and the loop the shark is taken in.
• The ritual preparation - the prohibitions and observances before going out.
• The village - the west coast settlements where the practice survives.

When to go

October to March is the calling season, when the sea on the west coast is calm enough; outside it the practice stops. Visits must be arranged in advance through Kavieng or with the villages.

Honest expectations

Very few men still practise and an actual catch is unlikely to be witnessed; what visitors usually see is a demonstration. The practice involves killing sharks, which some visitors will not want to support. Arrangements and fees are negotiated. The west coast road is rough.

Nearby

Kavieng lies north; the west coast runs south from the villages.