The origins of kite flying are lost in the mists of time, folklore and myth, but historians think that kites have been around for at least two or three thousand years. Kites still fascinate us today.
Kites may have originated in Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia where leaf kites have been traditionally used to fish. A single fisherman paddles out in his boat and flies the kite high above the water. From the kite a line drops pulling a lure made of spider web through the surface of the water. The shadow of the kite resembles a large feeding bird and the lure resembles a small flying fish which attracts the tasty, small-mouthed needlefish which strikes the lure and becomes tangled in the web. The fisherman reels in the line, removes the fish and relaunches the kite. A good fisherman can catch many fish using one kite and lure.
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