The porpoise is a nuisance to the Culina fisherman, because they steal the fish out of the nets, and often tear the nets doing it. So when Aude saw a porpoise surface quite near his net, he hit the water with his paddle in an attempt to scare it off. Suddenly he said, “I think I just caught the porpoise in my net.” He began to check closer, and seeing that he really had, he became exasperated. At first, I was trying to figure out why he was so upset. “Just let it loose”, I thought. As it turns out, the porpoise is much more than a nuisance–it’s an “untouchable”.
Raimundo and another man who was there fishing, laughed and said as if already knowing what Aude’s response would be, “Deekuh-tahee”, “Let it loose.” “Oh, no I won’t! My kids–I don’t want my kids to get sick, you let it loose!” “No,” the other guy responded, “I don’t want sickness for me or my kids, either!” Finally, Aude said, “Zeh-zee, tee-ah, deekuh-tahee!” “Jeff, you untie it!” So Raimundo paddled me over to the net, and I was preparing to try to untie this baby porpoise from the net, when Raimundo stepped in from behind and broke his paddle on the poor porpoise’s head, killing it instantly. It may have made un-snagging the porpoise easier, but I was hoping to return the little guy to his mother, alive.
The Culinas live in bondage to so many taboos.They aren’t near as worried about their sins of adultery, stealing, lying, etc., as they are of the “sins” of: touching an “unclean” animal like a porpoise; doing physical work before one’s newborn child’s umbilical cord falls off; or sleeping in close proximity to one’s spouse–one might become emaciated–and many, many, more.
They, like that little porpoise caught in the net, are caught in Satan’s net, in bondage to sin, and the day is coming when they will be judged, not for whether they handled a porpoise or not, but for their evil works. They need to believe in the Savior, Jesus, to rescue them out of the “net” of sin. May we soon be able to communicate the Gospel message clearly.