The traditional apprehension of the whale

The whaler activity began in The Azores for influence of the American whale-boats that, until the ends of the XIXth century, were coming to its waters to capture cachalots and to recruit harpooners. Later, it was turning into a form of life for many of its inhabitants, who were using canoes to oar that often, were sinking.

The sea wolves, the baleeiros, gave sustenance to many people of The Azores, and they always understood the capture of the whale as a struggle body to body: a hunt for subsistence that nothing has to do with the disproportionate massacres that this animal has suffered. The shout of whale at sight! Small crafts were going out to its search, approaching skilfully up to harpooning “to arm “the extraordinary cetacean one.

Still it is possible to find in some marine tavern some seaworthy old man who guards thousand histories to tell in his memory and who, in through the hospitable character of the islander, is ready to share with the visitor his experiences while they taste some fresh fish brought to port. Likewise there remain wide recollections of art, sculptures on bone and ivory of cachalot, the scrimshaw art.