A video shared on Instagram by user @mood.jakarta shows a scene that has captured public interest.
The footage shows children in Lamalera Village, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), playing and swimming with a whale. In the clip, they appear unafraid and, at times, sit on the whale’s body as it moves through the water.
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The video includes scenes of local children in the sea, interacting with the large marine animal without visible hesitation.
One commenter on the post, j_ipunk_w, said: “Maybe Avatar 2 was inspired by them.” Another viewer, faridlatulaf, wrote: “Nature and all its inhabitants are being friendly.”
Lamalera is a coastal community that has long relied on the sea for livelihood and cultural practices.
According to Detiknews, the village, located on Lembata Island in Nusa Tenggara Timur, is known for its traditional whale-hunting practices that have been passed down over generations. These customs form part of the local economy and cultural heritage.
The interaction in the video is not described as part of the hunting tradition itself but reflects the everyday life of a community closely connected to the sea.
The post has attracted widespread attention online, with many social media users sharing and commenting on the unusual footage.
Similar Viral Footage from Eastern Indonesia
The Lamalera clip follows another viral video from earlier in 2024. That footage showed children in the waters of Misool, Raja Ampat in Southwest Papua, swimming with and even riding on the back of a large whale.
The Raja Ampat video was uploaded to TikTok by the account @.juliano19_. In that clip, a narrator said: “Guess how long it is? We see these children playing, even though it’s the open ocean, the whale is tame.
Only in the strait on this island does this whale appear, and the children can play with it.” Several children were shown standing or laughing on the whale’s back. These scenes drew significant public engagement and were widely shared.
