Description
Gapu or Suckerfish was once a main totem of a clan that has become extinct. It is now a subsidiary totem in some of the Maluligal (Western Torres Strait) communities.
Greatly respected by the Islanders, and believed to possess significant powers, Gapu were used widely to hunt turtle and dugong. They were kept captive for two or three days in a lagoon or in a boat half filled with seawater until the turtle or dugong were seen.
A rope made out of coconut fibres was tied to the tail of the Sucker Fish and then released into the water from a canoe where the hunters knew the animals were feeding. The Sucker Fish attached itself to the turtle or dugong, and then towed the canoe until the animal weakened and then harpooned by the hunters.