Abstract
This book focuses on cannibalism and headhunting in the historical cultures of New Guinea. The inhabitants of the largest tropical island in the world developed an unsavory reputation as headhunters and cannibals based on the writings of explorers, colonial administrators, and missionaries.
In reality, nothing of the kind exists on the island today, and there is no longer any cultural system of headhunting or cannibalism. However, we know from archival documents and eyewitness testimony that such activity was not uncommon in the past before the colonial powers and the missionaries took it on themselves to promote alternative values.
The book is devoted to detailing the various forms cannibalism and headhunting took in New Guinea. It describes certain New Guinea cultures which became infamous for those practices