The Korowai Cannibals

Venturing deep into Korowai territory, where very few (if any) outsiders had traveled before, Paul Raffaele got to know the Korowai people with the help of his guide, Kembaren. Raffaele explains that khakua killings have declined over time but Kembaren states, "many khakhua are murdered and eaten each year."

What are khakhuas? "The khakhua is a male witch, a creature that disguises itself as a close friend or family member of its chosen victim. Once the victim is asleep, the creature begins to devour his innards and slowly kill that person. If the tribesman whispers a name on his dying breath, he’s telling those he leaves behind the name of the khakhua who devoured him." (knowledgenuts.com)

Then, the tribe go after and kill the named "khakhua." They eat him out of revenge, since they believe he ate one of their people from the inside out. Only males are named as khakhuas but even children are capable of being named, though they aren't eaten until puberty. Only small children and pregnant women don't take part in cannibalism.(jpdutilleux.com)

Paul Raffaele noticed on his journey that there were no elderly tribesmen. Kembaren told him that people rarely live to middle age because of how susceptible they are to diseases. These diseases are also responsible for what Kembaren describes as "the khakhua complex: the Korowai have no knowledge of the deadly germs that infest their jungles, and so believe that mysterious deaths must be caused by khakhua." (smithsonianmag.com)

Raffaele spoke to a tribesman named Boas about the khakhua killings. He asked him if they ate people for any other reasons. "Of course not," he replies, giving me a funny look. "We don't eat humans, we only eat khakhua." (smithsonianmag.com) This gives us a deep look into the mind of the Korowai people; they truly don't believe they are eating people, they believe they are eating a khakhua.

Along this remarkable voyage, he meets another member of the tribe named Bailom. He hands a khakhua skull to Raffaele and tells him the story. 2 years prior, Bailom's cousin lay dying, presumably of a disease they aren't equipped to fight. On his death bed, he gives Bailom the name of one of their people, who he claims is eating him from the inside. Bunop, the alleged khakhua, pleaded for his life and told the others he was not a khakhua, but they did not believe a dying man to be a liar. They shot Bunop with arrows until he was dead. Bailom explained how they dismembered him and then, in true khakhua tradition, they cooked him and ate him.

Bailom explaines, "revenge is part of our culture, so when the khakhua eats a person, the people eat the khakhua."