Cannibalism - Tribe

I have never, ever been accused of being a fussy eater,

but this sago is so dry, it saps all the moisture from your mouth.

And I just really find it hard to eat. I’d rather eat bats,

locusts, lizards, whatever it is they bring to me –

I’d be happy to eat those things but this stuff…

I’ve asked to see how the men make their pipes.

They are using the sharp teeth on a rodent’s jawbone to cut the bamboo.

Smoking is the number one social activity.

So to get accepted here my lungs are getting quite a hammering.

Bomari offers me a puff, but he hasn’t put a filter in.

I’ve been in the community nearly a week now,

and my hosts are intrigued by some of my possessions.

In particular a guidebook to Papua.

With no mirrors, the Kombai will seldom see their own faces,

so the flip-out screen on my camera is a thing of wonder.

Although the Kombai don't have what we would call a varied diet,

pall and sago are not the only things on the menu.

Today we’re out fishing. First Bomari constructs a dam to slow the flow of water.

Then we beat the toxic juices out of a bundle of root.

The poison asphyxiates the fish so they float to the surface where they can be easily caught.

Not much of a catch, but I’m pretty proud of that.

They’re pretty slippery things.

The Kombai seem to lead such easy lives.

When they’re hungry, they go and find food. The rest of the time,

they relax together. I find it hard to equate these laid-back people

with a practice that is such a taboo in our society: cannibalism.

There are many reasons why cannibalism has been found within cultures around the world –

from simple hunger to honoring your dead.

While there has been very little research into the Kombai way of life,

studies of neighboring tribes suggest that cannibalism here is a form of tribal punishment.