The mysterious disappearance of Michael Rockefeller in New Guinea in 1961 has kept the world and his powerful, influential family guessing for a long time. Today, Carl Hoffman uncovers startling brand-new evidence that finally tells the entire, astonishing story.

Despite exhaustive queries, no trace of Rockefeller was ever found. Immediately after his disappearance, rumours surfaced that he’d been wiped out and ceremonially eaten by the local Asmat-a indigenous tribe of warriors whose complex culture was constructed around sacred, about Savage Harvest: AN ACCOUNT of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller’s Tragic Quest for Primitive Art reciprocal violence, mind hunting, and ritual cannibalism. The Dutch authorities as well as the Rockefeller family denied the storyplot, and Michael’s loss of life was officially ruled a drowning. However uncertainties lingered. Sensational rumours and tales circulated, fueling speculation and intrigue for decades. The real story has longer waited to become told-until now.

Retracing Rockefeller’s actions, award-winning journalist Carl Hoffman journeyed towards the jungles of New Guinea, immersing himself in a world of headhunters and cannibals, key spirits and customs, and learning generations of Asmat. Through exhaustive archival research, he uncovered never-before-seen unique documents and located witnesses willing to speak publically after fifty years.

In Savage Harvest he finally solves this decades-old mystery and illuminates a culture transformed by years of colonial guideline, whose people continue to be shaped by historic traditions and lore. Combining history, artwork, colonialism, adventure, and ethnography, Savage Harvest is usually a mesmerizing whodunit, and a remarkable portrait of the clash between two civilizations that led to the death of one of America’s richest and most powerful scions.