Savage Harvest

A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art

By: Carl Hoffman

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

The mysterious disappearance of Michael Rockefeller in remote New Guinea in 1961 has kept the world, and even Michael's powerful, influential family, guessing for years. Now, Carl Hoffman uncovers startling new evidence that finally tells the full, astonishing story.

On November 21, 1961, Michael C. Rockefeller, the 23-year-old son of New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, vanished off the coast of southwest New Guinea when his catamaran capsized while crossing a turbulent river mouth. He was on an expedition to collect art for the Museum of Primitive Art, which his father had founded in 1957, and his expedition partner - who stayed with the boat and was later rescued - shared Michael's final words as he swam for help: "I think I can make it."

Despite exhaustive searches, no trace of Rockefeller was ever found. Soon after his disappearance, rumors surfaced that he'd been killed and ceremonially eaten by the local Asmat - a native tribe of warriors whose complex culture was built around sacred, reciprocal violence, head hunting, and ritual cannibalism. The Dutch government and the Rockefeller family denied the story, and Michael's death was officially ruled a drowning. Yet doubts lingered. Sensational rumors and stories circulated, fueling speculation and intrigue for decades. The real story has long waited to be told - until now.

Retracing Rockefeller's steps, award-winning journalist Carl Hoffman traveled to the jungles of New Guinea, immersing himself in a world of headhunters and cannibals, secret spirits and customs, and getting to know generations of Asmat. Through exhaustive archival research, he uncovered never-before-seen original documents and located witnesses willing to speak publically after 50 years.

In Savage Harvest he finally solves this decades-old mystery and illuminates a culture transformed by years of colonial rule, whose people continue to be shaped by ancient customs and lore. Combining history, art, colonialism, adventure, and ethnography, Savage Harvest is a mesmerizing whodunit, and a fascinating portrait of the clash between two civilizations that resulted in the death of one of America's richest and most powerful scions.

©2014 Carl Hoffman (P)2014 HarperCollinsPublishers

'Safe Return Doubtful'

From one island to another; ten thousand miles away, but tens of thousands of years apart...

I had a mental image at the start of Hoffman's novel: the privileged Rockefeller, a poster boy for REI, standing ankle deep in the swamp mud, surrounded by his equipment bearing entourage; pockets bulging with credit cards and currency, a million dollar smile, and those ubiquitous thick framed black glasses. Gazing back at him, the stone age Asmat people, smeared with ash and mud, bone-pierced septums, bare bodies bejeweld with the skulls and bones of small animals. Progressing from that freeze frame image, a gigantic round boulder suddenly rolling in Rockefeller's direction, the sounds of phhfftt, phhfftt, phhfftt, would have seemed perfectly in order, I was tensed for the attack. No one, including Spielberg himself, could have told this outrageous tale more vibrantly; so eloquently orchestrating the facts and myths to shed some light on the human condition, as well as the mystery.

Hoffman, a travel journalist and contributing author/editor for National Geographic and Smithsonian, said in an interview that his goal in writing this book was not to solve the mystery of Michael Rockefeller. He wrote: “I [the author] hungered to see a humanity before the Bible, before the Koran, before Christian guilt and shame, before clothes and knives and forks.” By immersing himself in the Asmat culture, Hoffman came to understand far beyond clues, mythology, and hoaxes, what might have happened to Rockefeller, and fundamentally, why.

The book has been on my mind for a couple of weeks now. I've tried to figure out from which angle to approach a review. It's so much more than *just* the tale of Michael Rockefeller's disappearance -- which alone could rank among Into Thin Air, Kon Tiki, The Right Stuff, The Perfect Storm. Savage Harvest is back-stage access to an amazing story, a travel pass to trek along with a great story teller/ traveler and a public figure that was an avid adventurer on a quest. It is a revealing excursion through a political history, and an education of an ancient people with a complex spiritual system based on the conception of a dualistic, balanced cosmos...whose village was currently feeling very unbalanced and at odds with the modern concepts imposed on them. "The last great unexplored land," a remote island -- that was until as late as 1953, still practicing the ritual of head-hunting and cannibalism. Hoffman gives his readers a multi-faceted gem that has been crafted with skill and intelligence.

Most impactful for me: The beginning of the book gives a sequence of Michael's demise, from the capsizing of the boat, to the horrific step-by-step ritual of preparing the body for consumption. But, it is Hoffman's wrap up. He concludes with an enigmatic look at another possibility -- which I will not reveal. In a few places, the book reads more like an educational piece than an adventure novel, restating facts, carefully alignment with objectivity, but the story itself is unimaginably fascinating and drives you forward smoothly over any little bumps. I have no complaints about the narrator, but I do think his voice will be a matter of preference. He neither added nor subtracted from the material.

***Perhaps you've gone to the Michael C. Rockefeller wing and seen the art of the Asmat people procured by Rockefeller (he was on his way to pick up a piece on his fatal expedition). The canoes, platters, shields carved from mangrove trees are impressive. The bisj (or bis) poles are hypnotic and eerie. The Asmat believe spirits of deceased ancestors inhabit the sacred wooden poles until their death is avenged. The symbols of the Asmat cosmology, indigenous birds, animals and insects, as well as symbolic references to headhunting, and the crowning phallic symbol, are intricately carved into the trees in cyclic rituals which accompany the death of a great warrior, headhunting raids, and as appeasement of evil spirits. You can also listen to Michael's twin sister and father talk about the pieces, their provenance: *Michael C. Rockefeller Expedition, collected 1961; Indonesia, Monu village, Unir (Undir) River region (upper); Culture: Asmat people.* And, you can hear twin sister Mary explain the thick black framed glasses her brother wore; Michael was dyslexic. All the Rockefeller money couldn't buy for Michael the artifacts, the Asmat had no need for money; they cost him chunks of tobacco, metal axes, ramen noodles, and possibly his life.

Repetitive

Overall it’s a great story and just that. It’s more a historical take on the tribe and their culture. The book could have been easily two hours shorter as I listened to the second half I was becoming impatient. “Like get on with it already.” Still very much worth the listen but can just as easily be satisfied with the story from watching a 20 minute YouTube video

A book of humanity

Being old enough to remember the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, that mystery was a great draw to pull me into this book. However it is the author's delving into the culture of this remote, complex and strange (at least to me) segment of this world's humanity that truly gripped me. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to expand their understanding of our deepest roots.

A naive adventurer and his weird fate

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. The story is interesting, involves the scion of a rich and famous family, and illustrates the folly of combining wealth and arrogance, even for the food intentions.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Savage Harvest?

Can't really say without spoiling the plot -- but it's the revelation of what probably happened to the main character.

What about Joe Barrett’s performance did you like?

Excellent pacing and voice, did not distract from the content.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Sometimes the assumptions one makes about "primitive" people may prove fatal.

great adventure

I loved being along for the ride with a delicious mix of history, geography and art to round out great adventure travel tales

Amazing!

This amazing story has everything the title promises and more: mystery, intrigue, government secrets; it is beautifully written and wonderfully narrated. Joe Barrett brings to life the language and expressions of an area of the world so vastly different than our own, seemingly with ease. Absolutely captivating, I didn't want to put it down to sleep!

Loved it!

Enjoyable and as thorough as you can be. To understand Michael's disappearance you must understand the Asmat just prior.

Few repetitive parts but solid

If you’re not familiar with mike Rockefeller’s story it’s a great entry point. Also the two documentaries it names are also really interesting as well.

Mystery and Insight

In 1961, Michael Rockefeller, the 23-year-old son of Nelson Rockefeller, disappeared on an art-collecting mission in New Guinea and was never seen again. Swimming ashore from his capsized boat in warm, smooth waters, his presumed death was officially attributed to drowning. Yet rumors persisted for decades that he was actually killed after reaching shore, dismembered and eaten by cannibals.

Fifty years later, Carl Hoffman immersed himself in the jungle and its people, and unearthed documents to build a persuasive argument that young Rockefeller did, indeed, meet his fate at the hands of cannibals. It’s an engrossing mystery. But at the same time, it is a penetrating glimpse into the world of almost any primitive culture, where time is elastic, myth trumps facts, values are upside down, and nothing is as it seems.

“Savage Harvest” is exhaustive and compelling journalism, insightful in its portrayal of a shadowy, often savage world. The bonus is another articulate, engaging read by Joe Barrett.

Excellent story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

A little tedious at times, but a very good look into the depth of an unknown culture. More than just an adventure story. A true look at the difficulties of a primitive people coming into contact with western ideals.