Found deep in Papua Island, there is an ancient tribe that is practicing ritual cannibalism in the present day.
The Korowai tribe has existed for 65,000 years and some of its traditions, dating back 10,000 years, have stayed with them.
One of the more disturbing customs they have is cannibalism, and one brave YouTuber decided to visit the island to find out more.
Once there, he uncovered the grim reason behind this ritual.
Drew Binksy brought his 4.52 million subscribers along with him for the journey where he spoke to neighboring tribes.
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Once there, he remarked how the region was home to the ‘climax of anthropology’ and it was the ‘most diverse place on Earth’, as there are 312 different tribes speaking over 1,000 languages.
However, when trying to find the infamous Korowai tribe, Binksy revealed that his tour guide canceled on him, claiming that it was ‘too dangerous’.
So instead, he spent a few days with the Momuna tribe, the Korowai’s sister tribe.
According to Binksy, there are roughly 3,000 members of the tribe and they live deep in the Papua rainforest.
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They live in tall skilled tree houses that protect the tribe from floods, animals and even potential threats from neighboring tribes with ‘cannibalistic needs’.
Although the Momuna tribe itself doesn’t practice cannibalism, they live in fear of being targeted by the Korowai.
When Binksy asked about the taste of human flesh, the tribe members said they’d heard it’s like a 'male pig' but they didn’t know firsthand.
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An older member of the tribe described feeling 'scared' to visit other tribes in fear of being captured and eaten.
Why does the tribe eat humans?
Finding out the harrowing reason behind the Korowai’s cannibalism, Binksy said: “I learned that the Korowai don’t eat humans for enjoyment or nutrition, it is simply a form of punishment.
“Steal something? Get burned over a fire and eaten.”
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'More specifically, the Korowai believe that mysterious deaths like diseases are attributed to the Khakua, evil demons who take on human form.
“Khakua are said to disguise themselves as friends or family members in an attempt to gain the trust of the tribe so they can later kill them.
“It is Korowai tradition to perform cannibalistic rituals on anyone believed to be a Khakua so they can protect the rest of its members.”
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He went on to explain that they have a ‘revenge based justice system’.