Have you ever seen a fish that flies? The ones that spread their silvery white fins to glide on the ocean’s surface are sacred fish – the flying fish – to the Yami(Tao) people. The Yami(Tao) people’s lives revolve around flying fish; they have developed a complex system of traditional knowledge, encompassing religious, lifestyle, and social organizations that are profoundly impacted by flying fish. Their calendars and seasons observe the flying fish’s cycle. All because of a pact made between the Yami(Tao) people and flying fish long ago...
What are flying fish? Can they really fly? In fact, flying fish use their pectoral fins to “glide.” They rapidly beat their tail fins and then propel their bodies toward the sky. They then expand their pectoral fins and break the ocean’s surface to glide on the water, to escape from underwater predators.
Flying fish are migratory fishes that follow the ocean currents in February and March to Orchid Island. They return to the south around July and August. During that time, flying fish became the major fish around Orchid Island. The Yami(Tao) people’s “Flying Fish Season” corresponds to this cycle.
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1
Cheilopogon unicolor
2
Cheilopogon cyanopterus
3
Cheilopogon spilonotopterus
4
Cypselurus poecilopterus
