I don't think so, but it is said that the Kolowai people in Indonesia are one of the few tribes that still keep the cannibalism custom. So, are they really cannibals? If so, why do they eat people? An American journalist ventured into the Koroway tribe, which regarded outsiders as demons, to explore the truth of the Koroway people eating people.
The custom of cannibalism prevailed in prehistoric times. In some isolated South Pacific cultures, this custom continued until the19th century, especially in Fiji. It is said that the Korowai people are one of the few tribes that still retain the custom of cannibalism. It is said that some Korowai people will kill and eat the wizard they call "Kahawa". According to the most optimistic estimate, there are almost 4000 Coloway people at present. At present, they still live in traditional tree nests, with dozens of people in groups, and the tree nests are scattered in open spaces deep in the jungle.
Our journey begins in Bali. There, the six of us flew across banda sea to Papua. After a short stay, we flew to Jayapura. We were greeted by 46-year-old Mr. Ken Barron, who came from Sumatra. He came to Papua to explore alone 16 years ago, and visited the Korowai tribe for the first time in 1993. In contact, he gradually became familiar with the local culture, including some of its languages.
Next, we flew from Jayapura to Wamena in the southwest. Shortly after we arrived, a tall and strong young man from Crowe came to visit us. He talked to us in Indonesian. I introduce myself as bolles. Two years ago, out of curiosity to see the world outside the tree nest, he rode away from Yaneram. He said he wanted to go home, but no one could take him back. He also said that a tour guide who came back from his hometown told him that his father became upset because of his son's disappearance and burned his tree nest twice. We heard this and told him we could take him back.
Early the next morning, eight of us boarded a chartered flight, which will take us to Janelam, a Koroway settlement on the edge of the "border" of Koroway. After 90 minutes, our plane lowered its altitude and flew low along the winding Nde Lamka Po River. Bolles looked down intently, and he soon found a tree nest deep in the jungle below. The tree nest is built on a tree high above the ground, which can be said to be incredibly high, just like a huge bird's nest. Bolles gave us a grateful hug, and tears rolled down his cheeks.
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We trudged through the rain forest, where giant spiders, poisonous snakes and deadly poisonous bacteria often appeared. As night fell, we finally came to a village founded by Dutch missionaries. When we stumbled into the village, a group of coroway children with all kinds of beads around their necks ran over and giggled at us. I noticed that there were no old people in the village. Kembalon said that tribal conflicts often occur among the Coloway people, and various diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, elephantiasis and anemia also threaten their lives at all times, resulting in their short life span. But the Korowai people know nothing about the deadly bacteria that breed in the jungle. They believe that the mysterious death phenomenon must be caused by a wizard "Kehawa" who became a human.
After dinner, bolles came into my cabin and told me why Korowai people killed and ate their tribal partners. Barron of Kyoto Electronics Industry Co., Ltd. of Japan acted as our translator. Bolles said, "Kehakhwa" will come to a person's home disguised as a relative or friend, "steal" his or her internal organs while he or she is asleep, and then replace the "eaten" internal organs with ashes, and this person will be completely unaware. Then, Kehawa will shoot a magic arrow through the victim's heart. Victims usually whisper the names of people dressed as "Kehakhwa" to their relatives before they die. This person may live in a tree nest with the victim or may come from another tree nest. When a tribal member dies because of the invasion of "Kehawa", his male relatives and friends will catch and kill this "Kehawa" and then eat him.
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The next day, we walked all the way, from sunrise to sunset, and finally came to Ya Favras, another village with a row of tall huts built by Dutch missionaries. In the evening, Barron of Kyoto Electronic Industry Co., Ltd. of Japan took me to an open hut, and two men came to us from the darkness. One of them was wearing shorts, the other was naked, and only a leaf covered his private parts. Barron of Kyoto Electronics Industry Co., Ltd. of Japan told me in a low voice that the latter is the most famous "Kehawa" killer named Kirijili. Kirigiri brought a bow and some barbed arrows. His eyes were cold and his lips kept twitching. He came to us quietly, just like a shadow.
The other person is Kirijili's brother, whose name is Byrom. Byrom takes out a man's skull from a backpack. There is a serrated hole in the forehead of this skull. Barron of Kyoto Electronics Industry Co., Ltd. of Japan pointed to the skull and said, "That's Banop, the" Kakha Chinese "who was just killed by Byron. "He split his head with a stone axe, then took out his brain and ate it." Barron of Kyoto Electronics Industry Co., Ltd. of Japan said.
Byron, pass me the skull. I don't want to touch it, but I'm afraid of offending Byrom. Facing this skull, I feel my blood almost coagulated. Byrom told me how he killed this "G Hu Hua". He said: "My cousin told me before he died that Banop was' Kaihawa' and Banop was eating him from the inside." Cam Barron translated for me word for word. "So, we caught Banop, tied him up and took him to a small river, where we shot an arrow through his heart." Byrom also said that beside a small river, he split the head of Kehakhwa with a stone axe. When he cut off the head of "Kehawa" from his body, others sang prayer songs and dismembered Banop's body. Byrom gesticulated fiercely with both hands and said, "We dug out his intestines and opened his chest. We wrapped his body organs one by one with banana leaves and distributed them to other members of the tribe. I kept my head for myself, because according to the regulations, whoever kills Kehawa will have his head. "
I later lived with Byrom for eight days, and everything he told me turned out to be true and credible. I also confirmed that Byrom was telling the truth through four other people, because they also participated in killing, dismembering and eating Banop.
I asked Byrom curiously, "What's the smell of human flesh?" He replied, "Like a young cassowary." He also said that only adults can take part in eating "Kehawa". They eat everything except bones, teeth, hair, fingernails, toenails and the genitals of the dead. Byrom said, "I like to eat all the internal organs, but I prefer to eat the brain." Kirigiri nodded and agreed.
On the way back to my residence, Barron of Kyoto Electronics Industry Co., Ltd. of Japan said to me: "A few years ago, when I tried to make friends with the Korowai people, a local told me that if we want to trust you, you must eat human flesh. Later, he gave me a piece. Although it is a bit stiff, it tastes good. "
The place where we spent the night was a small clearing with four pillars, covered with tarpaulins and open on all sides. Just after midnight, a downpour came unexpectedly and drenched us all. The cold wind made my teeth tremble. I sat helplessly on the ground, with my knees in my hands. Seeing me trembling, bolles pulled me to his side and warmed me with his body. At this moment, I suddenly realized that I was sleeping with a cannibal.
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We set out at dawn. We came to a swamp forest by canoe and tied the boat to the trunk. Bolles jumped off the boat first and walked briskly ahead to lead the way. About an hour later, we came to an open space as big as two football fields, surrounded by banana trees, with a tree nest standing in the middle, pointing to the sky, about 25 meters from the ground.
Bolles, the first to arrive, is waiting for us there. Next to him stood his father, a middle-aged coroway man with a cane belt around his waist and a leaf wrapped in his private parts. He took my hand and thanked me for bringing his son home. To welcome me, he killed a big pig. Like Superman, Byrom picked up the big pig and climbed into the hut along the sawed stake. In the hut, every corner and gap is filled with all kinds of bones left over from the past-long fish bones, huge pig chin bones, flying fox skulls and mouse bones. There is a row of hooks on the ceiling, and the bones of various animals are hung on the hooks, and there are many beautiful parrots and cassowary feathers.
Bolles' eyes lit up when we asked him if he had had "Kehakhwa" dinner. He said that he had eaten a lot of "Kehakhwa", which was better than all the other delicious foods he had eaten.
The next morning, just as we were leaving, bolles's father wanted to talk to me. His son and Barron of Kyoto Electronic Industry Co., Ltd. of Japan acted as translators. He said, "bolles told me that he was going to live in Yaneram with his younger brother, and he came back just to see me." His eyes are full of sadness. "I feel very sad that the real Crowe era is coming to an end." Bolles smiled at his father and walked to the canoe with me. He will come back to Jay Nallam with us. The yellow children's hat he is wearing seems to be a 2 1 century pass.