And it seems that just a little more – and all the doubts inspired by the incredible and terrible rumors about the bloodthirstiness of the Asmat people will vanish completely. But do not be in a hurry to follow your first impressions. They may kill you with a pleasant smile – and then solemnly eat you together.
A dangerous tribe
The Asmat are the most famous cannibals of New Guinea. They usually live in small villages near rivers and always not far from the sea. There are now about 70,000 of them. But this number is enough to terrify the entire surrounding world. The Papuans have a special culture, extremely cruel and incomprehensible to normal people. The Asmat, for example, have long been considered ruthless headhunters. For them, the hunt is a bloody ritual with centuries-old dark traditions, in which everyone, from a child to decrepit old men and women, must taste human flesh. It is frightening to realize that until recently cannibalism was almost the only way for the Asmat to satisfy their hunger. Sometimes they do not abandon this monstrous habit even today.
Their own rules
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It should be added that the Asmat are extremely vengeful – and nurse their grievances for years. So that at some fine moment they may brutally deal with the one who wronged them. It looks monstrous, but the Asmat kept the severed head of an enemy as a relic, as a symbol of vengeance. The rest of the foe’s body, of course, went to the cannibals’ feast.
Let us note (not for the faint of heart!) that the Asmat women often used the empty skulls as cooking pots, in which they boiled food from the remains of the unfortunate victims. In this case, according to the Papuans’ beliefs, all the strength of the enemies passed directly to them alone.
In 1958, the Dutchman Max Lapré – the governor of Western Guinea – decided to put an end to the Asmat’s barbaric customs in one blow. And he found nothing better to do than kill five members of the cannibal tribe. They had «made a name» for themselves with their incredible bloodthirstiness and defiance. And, hand on heart, one could honestly say that these headhunters were simply sadists.
A terrible revenge
Unfortunately, the Asmat were not in the least frightened. The intimidating effect that the governor had counted on so heavily only sowed malice in the souls of the Papuans. And they were already plotting revenge against the «white man».
As often happens, innocent people fell under the hot hand of the enraged Papuans. To his own misfortune (already for the second time), Michael Rockefeller – the son of the richest man on the planet – found himself in Western Guinea. According to his companions, the quiet and modest Michael was a passionate lover of the exotic. In the spring of 1961, he made his way through the jungle for the first time to one of the Asmat villages. Mike Rockefeller would be very glad to make their acquaintance and took dozens of photographs in which his new friends posed proudly.
In November 1961, he returned to Western Guinea once again. Michael Rockefeller decided on a desperate venture: to reach the first Papuan settlement by river on a homemade catamaran. But here misfortune befell him. The catamaran capsized, Michael’s companions managed to make it to shore. And he was carried out to sea. According to some accounts, the exhausted Michael was pulled out by the Asmat. And he became the victim of the cannibals’ terrible ritual, by which they thus avenged the governor for the execution of their fellow tribesmen.
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