Beary's of Beejadi

The Beary fishermen dwell in a littoral world between the bengre and the sea. The bengre is a (barrier) spit of sand dunes and troughs that have formed and continue to be present due to the tides from the ocean and the intertidal wetlands and backwaters. Between waters, their livelihoods depend on shallow water fishing, working collectively for the daily catch in the early mornings.

Waking at 4am, they step out to see the sea, what is going on, reading the waves, the sounds of the waves, the wind, and stars. If the conditions are favourable of the sea that is not rough, they take out the large net, their wooden boat and ancient oars, and old railway sleepers, and wooden poles. They have different nets for different fish. When they go out to sea, they first fasten one end of the long composite of nets with small floats tied along one side at intervals, made of cork. Once secured to the dune, at the high tide like (a shifting line), they group up working between the sand and the sea - one group into the boat to take the net out, moving in a way through the waves, then about 100 feet out they turn moving parallel to beach along the waves (a dangerous move as the boat can topple) to re-turn towards the beach, like a U-shape. Those on land keep the net taught, side-stepping together in rhythm with each other and the movement of the net, to move the net slowly towards where the boat is about to come ashore. Both groups move together, simultaneously, to gather the catch.

Once ashore, all the men together gather up the net and its catch, washing the catch as it nears the beach. The catch is sorted after is has been shaken off the net, and subsequently sorted and arranged on a cloth higher up the beach bear the dune ridge. If the catch is a good one, it will provide for all the families that day and have some left to take to the market. While this is going on, the others gather up the net, folding it over onto two logs held up on shoulders; as they walk along the net lying along the littoral. And the third group begins to move the boat up and over the lower high tide line and over the dune ridge. As the others complete their part, they join the moving of the boat, singing in rhythm in Beary, to the rhythm of their movements. The railway sleepers, sometimes one or two, are used to help push the boat over and not get stuck in the sand as it moves up the dune. By 8am, they're done fishing for the day - only to wake the next morning to do it all over again.

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