Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller’s Tragic Quest for Primitive Art Audiobook (Free)

The mysterious disappearance of Michael Rockefeller in New Guinea in 1961 has kept the world and his powerful, influential family guessing for years. Right now, Carl Hoffman uncovers startling new proof that finally tells the full, astonishing story.

Despite exhaustive searches, no track of Rockefeller was ever found. Soon after his disappearance, rumours surfaced that he’d been wiped out and ceremonially eaten by the neighborhood Asmat-a native tribe of warriors whose complex culture was built around sacred, about Savage Harvest: AN ACCOUNT of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller’s Tragic Search for Primitive Art reciprocal violence, head hunting, and ritual cannibalism. The Dutch authorities and the Rockefeller family members denied the storyplot, and Michael’s loss of life was officially ruled a drowning. However doubts lingered. Sensational rumors and stories circulated, fueling speculation and intrigue for many years. The real story has very long waited to become told-until now.

Retracing Rockefeller’s measures, award-winning journalist Carl Hoffman journeyed towards the jungles of New Guinea, immersing himself in a world of headhunters and cannibals, key spirits and customs, and getting to know generations of Asmat. Through exhaustive archival study, he uncovered never-before-seen primary records and located witnesses ready to speak publically after fifty years.

In Savage Harvest he finally solves this decades-old mystery and illuminates a culture transformed by many years of colonial guideline, whose people continue being shaped by ancient customs and lore. Combining history, artwork, colonialism, experience, and ethnography, Savage Harvest is definitely a mesmerizing whodunit, and a fascinating portrait of the clash between two civilizations that led to the death of 1 of America’s richest and most powerful scions.