The National Geographic Orion anchors just after sunrise in Flamingo Bay. Crossing the river bar at the high tide was crucial, as we had only three meters under the keel. We have come to visit the famous Asmat culture of New Guinea. The Asmat region is located in one of the largest mangrove swamps on earth and the tidal reach extends more than 100 miles inland. Their houses are built on stilts and raised boardwalks connect the community.
The Asmat people are perhaps the most feared head hunters on Earth. They are also cannibals. Or at least they used to be. It’s hard to say for sure from what we experienced this morning, and we had no trouble believing that it still may occur today in remote areas.
Approaching the village of Syuru our fleet of Zodiacs are met by dozens of dugout long boats with hundreds of warriors paddling standing up and chanting in unison. At first they were hiding along the river bank, but after the chief signaled to them, they paddled out and surrounded us. It was an overwhelming sight, and an amazing photo opportunity.
Once on shore we gather near the long house for a ceremony that dates back centuries, and maybe even thousands of years. The Asmat people, at the time of first contact, were a stone-age culture, but they are really people of the forest, and they consider themselves the “tree people.”
The ceremony is the real deal. The war canoes gather at the river mouth, where the warriors work themselves into a frenzy before storming ashore. The warriors carry a fresh cut tree from the forest, which will be carved into a Bisj Pole, which honors the dead. Traditionally, a cycle of revenge ensues ending in the ceremonial killing (and eating) of an enemy. This is where Michael C. Rockefeller disappeared in 1961, a victim of cannibalism, being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
One thing for certain – we are glad that we are honored guests, not enemies, and the entire village came out to greet us.
