Description
There is a strong belief among Torres Strait islander people that it is bad luck to leave one’s pregnant wife at home while hunting dugong. On face value, this belief has a practical reason when considering the danger involved in hunting large animals on the seas and distant from the shore. The chance of losing of partner in a storm or capsizing boat or being pulled down by harpoon (warup) rope, is very real. Another reason for this belief could be that many hunters kill the slowest and most vulnerable dugong, often the pregnant or calving females. This is also thought to bring bad luck, a kind of spiritual animosity towards the unborn child of the hunter.
