Throughout centuries, generations of fisherwomen from Rodrigues Island have practiced the traditional métier of piqueuse ourite, octopus spearing, which was then a warrant of self-sufficiency, emancipation and social prestige. With the avenue of major economic and climatic changes in the past years, the métier alongside its stoical self-reliant way of life, is at stake. SEC ROUGE, a creole term for an optimal dry tide to fish octopus, was an omen of prosperous catch for the elders. Today a “dry-red” tide is a rarity; a mirage-image of precarious times for the few remaining fisherwomen who are still struggling to practice their métier.
