It began at the Community Center
These characters were having photos taken at 10:22AM, before ceremonies commenced.
Later in the day they were sharing some of their black oil with uniformed policemen.
The festivities wouldn't start until afternoon but, we arrived plenty early.
That way, it's possible to capture some pictures, without a crowd scene, moving around.
Kijimuna, gladly posed in front of the fish and, I got the village office in the background.
My camera, says it was 10:26AM so, I think the village clock is a minute slow.
A closer look at the fish, reveals seashells were used in constructing its teeth.
The fish, is some sort of shrine, carried throughout the day in processions.
It was 10:35AM when this photo was taken and, I'd still have lots of time on my hands.
It's always better to arrive way too early than, way to late for these festivals.
At 12:31PM, I caught these beauties, posing under a white tent.
After they let me photograph them, I blew them a kiss.
And, all four of them, blew kisses back at me. What sweethearts !
By 1:15PM the tent was surrounded with a crowd of a few hundred people.
The fish would, soon become targets for, a woman with a spear.
It was 1:19PM when the first fish was stabbed and, the woman danced around with it.
The ceremonies in the tent are performed for a noro (priestess) present for the event.
After the second fish gets harpooned, they might get carved up and eaten.
Satisfied with the images, I had captured, it was time to move on down the road.
I was afraid, my religious appearance could cause them to offer me some of the fish.
Cows or pigs, taste much better to me so, I weaved my way back out of the crowd.
Climbing to the top of a concrete wall, I got in position to capture the parade to the sea.
There weren't any hamburger joints along the way so, my stomach started growling.
By the time the procession showed up, it was 1:49PM and, I was ready to shoot them.
The parade, passed me and, I had to hurry to catch them leaving the island.
It was 2:09PM when they began to wade out to an rock outcropping in the sea.
Rusty, had wadded to the rock, in advance of the procession and, gotten in a good position.
Facing towards the east, prayers and offerings were made by the participants.
Octopus was served along with plenty of local spirits.
A bed of coral and seashells served as a table, to ensure no bottles, accidentally got tipped.
This photo was taken at 2:49PM and, people drank, danced and sang songs for awhile.
From the rock, Rusty captured the scene as the parade wound their way back to Henza Island.
This scene took place at 3:27PM and festivities would continue where the event started.
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