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​New Photos Emerge Of A Cannibal Tribe In Indonesia That Has No Idea The Rest Of The World Exists

​New Photos Emerge Of A Cannibal Tribe In Indonesia That Has No Idea The Rest Of The World Exists

The tribe build treehouses and eat bugs as part of their day-to-day lives.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day routine of modern life that you forget there's a whole other world out there.

Imagine, then, what it was like for the Korowai tribe of West Papau, who were seemingly unaware that other people existed until the 1970s.

Now, thanks to some stunning photographs and this amazing video of the tribe that have recently been uncovered, we know they exist, too.

Credit: BBC Teach

There are said to be around 3,000 members of the Korowai, who are also known as the Kolufo, living in gigantic treehouses on the Indonesian island. Oh, and they're reported to still practice cannibalism.

Cannibal Tribe Treehouses
Cannibal Tribe Treehouses
Cannibal Tribe
Cannibal Tribe

Credit: Media Drum World

That, like any decently prepared meal, should be taken with a pinch of salt, though, as anthropologists have suggested that clans who have had frequent contact with outsiders no longer eat them.

In fact, it's suspected that some clans just perpetuate the myth that cannibalism is still an active practice to encourage tourism. Which, if you really think about, doesn't seem like the most logical move. Still, looking at those incredible treehouses, it's probably worth taking the risk.

They are, however, definitely hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists who, in addition to excellent hunting and fishing skills, also carry out shifting cultivation.

Documented contact with members of the Korowai was first made in 1974, on an expedition made by anthropologists Peter Van Arsdale, geographer Robert Mitton and community developer Mark (Dennis) Grundhoefer.

But it was in 2000, when photographer Eric Baccega visited the tribe during an expedition, that these phenomenal shots, which have only just come to light, were taken.

Cannibal tribe
Cannibal tribe
Cannibal Tribe climbing
Cannibal Tribe climbing

Credit: Media Drum World

Not only do they show the incredible structures the Korowai live in, which put every childhood treehouse to shame, but they reveal some of the tribe's traditional (non-human) meals, such as, err, the larvae of a beetle known as the sago palm weevil. It's looks juicy and nutritious, but we'll probably pass.

Maggots
Maggots

Credit: Media Drum World

There are also photos of Korowai hunters searching for food in the rainforest, the nets Korowai women use to carry their babies around and a group of Korowai men building a house on top of a 25-metre-high tree.

How do they get up there, you're wondering? They just cut ladders into the trunks of the trees. Clearly, fear of heights is something that doesn't bother them.

Since 1980, some Korowai have apparently moved into new villages, but these photographs offer a fascinating insight into a world so far removed from our own that it's hard to believe they still live the way they do. Really puts things into perspective, doesn't it?

Featured Image Credit: Media Drum World

Topics: world