Savage Harvest by Carl Hoffman

In March of 1961, Michael Rockefeller, privileged son of Nelson Rockefeller,  arrived in a remote section of then Dutch New Guinea to gather articles of primitive art from the Asmat region.  The Asmat people lived in an almost Stone Age culture.  Their only form of transportation were 12 inch wide canoes they hand carved to ply the swampy rivers along the coast.  Houses were pole structures with palm frond roofs.  Their wildly painted bodies were pierced through the nose.  Food came mostly from the sago palm or the river.  They were hunter gatherers - and they were cannibals.  In November of 1961, on an excursion for more artifacts, Michael Rockefeller's boat capsized.  His friend stayed with the boat and was eventually rescued.  Michael tried to swim for shore.  What happened next is widely disputed.  Officially he drowned.  In 2012, Hoffman follows the documents, interviews and the Asmat stories to an entirely different conclusion.  As fascinating as that story is, I found the questions Hoffman raises about culture much more interesting.  He explores how much we can really know about any people so different from ourselves.  Is it possible to see them through their lens or must we always try to understand them in the context of our own life?  It is a troubling story about a place that is as much other as a place can be.  What is our responsibility to places and people like this?  Can we explore and strive to understand without exploiting?  Can we accept a society based on ritual revenge or are we "called" to "save" it?  I could hardly put this book down.  I am so sad that I read this too late for this years book club list.  For sure next year.