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

Carl Hoffman (Goodreads Author)

3.64 · Rating details · 4,668 ratings · 691 reviews

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

Despite exhaustive searches, no trace of Rockefeller was ever found. Soon after his disappearance, rumors surfaced that he'd bee ...more

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Hardcover, 322 pages

Published March 18th 2014 by William Morrow

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Start your review of Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art

Aug 09, 2017 Jenny rated it really liked it

This is a fascinating read on so many levels. First is the story of the Rockefeller’s and their wealth along with their commitment to philanthropy and the arts. Second is Michaels journey to acquire artifacts that leads to his demise. Brilliant job by the author to recreate Michael’s journey to try and solve the mystery into Michaels death. Another one sit reads.

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Mar 27, 2014 Mel rated it really liked it

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

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, bo From one island to another; ten thousand miles away, but tens of thousands of years apart...'Safe Return Doubtful'

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, careful alignment with objectivity, but the story itself is unimaginably fascinating and drives you forward smoothly over any little bumps.

***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.
...more

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Feb 15, 2014 Jen rated it it was ok

Shelves: firstreads

The redeeming parts of this book were too few and far between to warrant more than two stars. And two is generous, believe me.

I'm upset for the poor Rockefeller family (bet that's the only time you'll hear that). Just because they're huge doesn't mean their personal sorrows can be made public in such a sensational way, for the profit of another. They indicated they wanted nothing to do with this project and that they preferred to focus on the official cause of disappearance and death of Michael ...more

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Jul 21, 2017 Montzalee Wittmann rated it liked it

Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art by Carl Hoffman is an interesting book. I enjoyed the parts about Rockefeller but there is a lot that is not about him and just about other things and seems to ramble. Parts of that was interesting but some was boring. I thought the very opening about how Michael "might" have died was a bit disrespectful because no one knows how he died and to speculate in such a gruesome detail was unneces ...more

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Jun 08, 2019 Daren rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, south-east-asia, usa-author, travel, history, papua-new-guinea

Hoffman's book tells not only of Michael Rockefeller's disappearance in Netherlands New Guinea (now Irian Jaya, or West Papua, a part of Indonesia), but also the authors two visits to the same area in his research.

Michael Rockefeller had spent a lot of time in the Asmat area of Dutch New Guinea, with a guide / translator attempting to purchase 'stone age artifacts' from the towns in the region. Those items he succeeded in purchasing are part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as a pa Hoffman's book tells not only of Michael Rockefeller's disappearance in Netherlands New Guinea (now Irian Jaya, or West Papua, a part of Indonesia), but also the authors two visits to the same area in his research.

Michael Rockefeller had spent a lot of time in the Asmat area of Dutch New Guinea, with a guide / translator attempting to purchase 'stone age artifacts' from the towns in the region. Those items he succeeded in purchasing are part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as a part of the Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection.

It was in 1961 that Rockefeller and Dutch anthropologist Rene Wassing and two native guides were making their way along the coast in the 40 foot canoe Rockefeller had bought from the natives, when it capsized. Both men were unharmed, and the guides immediately swam for shore to raise help. Almost two days later, Rockefeller determined that he could swim to shore, as they began to doubt a rescue was underway. Wassing argued against this action, and remained with the capsized boat to be rescued some time shortly after. Rockefeller was not seen again.

The political situation at the time was messy. The Dutch were under pressure for Dutch New Guinea to become a part of Indonesia. The Dutch had commenced a propaganda drive to emphasise how much the natives benefited from Dutch rule - that they were steadily becoming Christian, that headhunting had ceased, and education and health were improving. America had a neutral stance, and the disappearance of a high profile American was considered by Dutch leaders as an opportunity to gain good international press if things were to work out positively. They suppressed as much as possible any rumours and stories about Rockefeller reaching shore. They promoted the view that he was drowned or taken by sharks or crocodiles.

As so anyone who stepped out of line with the official report, such as Father Hurbertus van Peij and Father Cornelius van Kessel were removed from Dutch New Guinea, and their reports to their superiors were also suppressed.

In this book the chapter titles are dates (month and year), and do jump around a little, but generally maintain their two timelines - Rockefeller's 1957 - 1961, and Hoffmans in 2012.

Hoffman gives a good account of the facts known and is pretty clear where he speculates. My only criticism of the book is it does become quite repetitive - because Hoffman is continually hearing stories all along the same lines - and continues to tell us them from each source. The other aspect which makes it a little confusing is something beyond the authors control, but many of the place names, and peoples names are similar and this creates a little confusion. Asmat is the region and the tribe, and Agat (a town), Amates ( a guides name), and a bunch of other places and people. Starting with B, were are not much better off, towns named Baiyuan, Biwar Lautv & Betjew, tribesemen named Bif, Ber, Bere and Bese!

So, is there an outcome, solid evidence, a confession? That would be telling, but if you are not troubled by spoilers, the Wikipedia entry for Michael Rockefeller describes the outcome of Hoffmans book.
Enjoyable at 3.5 stars, rounded down. ...more

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Jan 24, 2015 Mikey B. rated it really liked it

Shelves: biography, anthropology, exploration

This is definitely an interesting story of Michael Rockefeller, son of the very wealthy Nelson Rockefeller.

It tells how Michael, like his father, became interested in primitive art. But he wanted to go one step further – to go to the source. In this case the source was New Guinea – at that time (1961) a Dutch colony, but it was soon to become part of Indonesia. The complexity of this territorial transfer, and how it was to impact the search for Michael Rockefeller, is well explained in the book ...more

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Dec 31, 2014 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read2015, worldlit2015, biography-memoir, location-new-guinea, travel, around-the-world, location-west-papua

The World's Literature, a group in Goodreads, is reading books from Southeast Asia and Oceania in 2015. This book isn't on the official list but after reading Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea by Kira Salak, I didn't want that to be my only experience with New Guinea. I made a long list of potential reads and this book seemed to be the most recent.

I expected a sensationalized account of Michael Rockefeller, who died on a trip back to New Guinea in 1961. Instead I found a The World's Literature, a group in Goodreads, is reading books from Southeast Asia and Oceania in 2015. This book isn't on the official list but after reading Four Corners: A Journey into the Heart of Papua New Guinea by Kira Salak, I didn't want that to be my only experience with New Guinea. I made a long list of potential reads and this book seemed to be the most recent.

I expected a sensationalized account of Michael Rockefeller, who died on a trip back to New Guinea in 1961. Instead I found an impeccably researched account, shedding light on questions that have been unanswered for decades. While Carl Hoffman can't claim he knows the answer for absolute certain, he makes a good case for the possibility that Michael was killed and probably eaten by cannibals. Many of the pieces of information were part of the Dutch government record, which were uncovered and translated by a research assistant. From that work came connections to people related to the events in New Guinea in the 1960s, or their widows and descendents, people both native to the area or people working there as priests. Interviewing these people was illuminating, and revealed some details that had been deliberately kept silent so many years ago.

Carl Hoffman also took two trips to visit the Asmat. One trip was frustrating and didn't yield the information he was hoping, and he feared he had been too forceful, too demanding, too Western. He returned to spend a week sleeping in the open wooden house in the center of a village, a guest of a man who was likely at the events that could have surrounded Michael Rockefeller's death. Hoffman tries to push down his own assumptions, his own culture, and to see events from the perspective of the Asmat warriors, with their circular sense of time, warrior identities, and reactions to outsiders. For a journalist, he does a pretty decent job at forging the beginnings of an insider perspective more common for longer term researchers.

This book is intrinsically linked to most of the rest of the books I intend to read before my month of New Guinea is out. I have already looked through the volume of Michael Rockefeller photographs of the Dani people, which he took to support the work of Robert Gardner and Peter Matthiessen, both who also wrote books about this time, sometimes utilizing Rockefeller's photographs. Robert Gardner also made a film during that time. I also have The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?, which is a more recent look at the Dani people.

This is long enough already but I have so many pages marked in this book! I guess New Guinea, both sides of it, hasn't quite left me since sinking its teeth into me in 1995. Perhaps I will come back and incorporate more thoughts at a future date.

ETA: "In a world without photographs or television or recorded anything, the Asmat are wonderful storytellers, expressive and dramatic with their voices and bodies, their stories full of the chopping of heads and the shooting of arrows and the driving home of spears. When Kokai talked about canoes or paddling, he'd bend forward and spread his arms wide, become a canoe gliding over the sea, a canoe I could see. Once he imitated a fruit bat: he scrunched up and made a creepy face, exposing his teeth, screeching holding his hands like he was clinging, and he was the bat - I could see it hanging upside down in a tree." (248) ...more

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Jan 08, 2020 JD rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

The positives of this book is it's good historical detail of the former Dutch New Guinea region and the Asmat tribes that lives there, and of young Michael Rockerfeller's missions to collect primitive art from them during the early 1960's and his subsequent disappearance. The negatives are that it gets very repetitive after less than half of the book, the author gives himself into a lot of speculation as to how Rockefeller met his end with no hard evidence and that he gets very critical of how t ...more

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Aug 13, 2019 Joy D rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, oceania, art, memoir, zck, history, reviewed, mystery, non-fiction, adventure

Part memoir, part biography, this non-fiction delves into the mystery of the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, son of Nelson Rockefeller, in 1961. At age 23, Michael had just graduated from Harvard. He traveled to what was then Netherlands New Guinea (now part of Indonesian Papua) to film a documentary and collect artifacts for his father’s Museum of Primitive Art. Michael and his colleague, René Wassing, were crossing the mouth of a turbulent river in a catamaran on the Arafura sea off the Part memoir, part biography, this non-fiction delves into the mystery of the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, son of Nelson Rockefeller, in 1961. At age 23, Michael had just graduated from Harvard. He traveled to what was then Netherlands New Guinea (now part of Indonesian Papua) to film a documentary and collect artifacts for his father’s Museum of Primitive Art. Michael and his colleague, René Wassing, were crossing the mouth of a turbulent river in a catamaran on the Arafura sea off the southwest coast of New Guinea when the boat capsized. Michael thought he could make it to shore to get help, so he swam away and was never seen again. His companion stayed with the boat and was rescued the next day. An extensive search was conducted by the authorities, but nothing substantial was found, and eventually they declared Michael had drowned. Rumors began to spread that he made it to shore but was killed by the men from the nearby village of Otsjanep. The Asmat had practiced headhunting and cannibalism, which was thought to have been eradicated due to the influence of Catholic missionaries and colonial authorities. The author decided to retrace Michael’s steps and search for evidence to solve the mystery surrounding his death.

This book touches on a fascinating combination of anthropology, art, spiritual beliefs, cultural dissonance, history, political coverups, the dynamics of power, and the gruesome specter of cannibalism. It shifts narratives between Michael’s trip in 1961 and the author’s trip in 2012. It relates the history of the territorial dispute regarding Netherlands New Guinea and the political tensions between the Dutch and Indonesian governments, which impacted Rockefeller’s disappearance. The greatest strength of this book may also be its greatest weakness. Hoffman is a journalist, and his research is based on solid reporting techniques, and an analysis of interviews, historical documents, letters, and journals. He seeks out the “big picture,” but as a journalist, it seems he could not resist the temptation to insert a sensationalistic and graphic depiction of what “could” have happened to Michael. The writing style is uneven, at times choppy and other times eloquent. The author traveled twice to the region, once with an American journalist’s approach of asking direct questions and expecting direct answers, and the second time with a more nuanced perspective of gaining an understanding of the Asmat people by living among them and recognizing their complexities. The book brings up thought-provoking questions about the accumulation of artifacts without understanding of the meaning behind them, and of attempting to judge the past based on modern viewpoints.

Hoffman makes a good case for his interpretation of events. He sheds light on the culture of the Asmat people and puts it in context of the time and place and leaves it to the reader to render a verdict. This book will appeal to those that enjoy unsolved mysteries, world history, or cultural anthropology. ...more

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Apr 22, 2014 Grace Tjan rated it liked it

Shelves: 2014, indonesia, ebook

What I learned from this book (in no particular order):

1. Don't mess with cannibals, even supposedly reformed ones, especially if they have a particularly bloody creation myth that they insist on reenacting in real life.

“DESOIPITSJ WAS OLDER and unable to hunt, so Biwiripitsj had to do all the work. One day the boy brought home a wild pig. He cut off the head and thrust a cassowary bone dagger into its throat, pinning the head to the floor. “Bah, a pig’s head is but a pig’s head,” said Desoipit ...more

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Mar 13, 2014 Carolyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, rereading

It was late at night when an Asmat man came to our shelter. He carried a sack and proudly opened it to show us his greatest treasure; a human enemy skull which he claimed to have inherited it from his father. It was in 1996, exactly 15 years to the day since Michael Rockefeller disappeared in the same area which added to the creepy atmosphere.

Michael was in the Asmat region to collect wood carvings for the Museum of Primitive Art, which his father, Nelson Rockefeller had opened in New York. The It was late at night when an Asmat man came to our shelter. He carried a sack and proudly opened it to show us his greatest treasure; a human enemy skull which he claimed to have inherited it from his father. It was in 1996, exactly 15 years to the day since Michael Rockefeller disappeared in the same area which added to the creepy atmosphere.

Michael was in the Asmat region to collect wood carvings for the Museum of Primitive Art, which his father, Nelson Rockefeller had opened in New York. The Asmat art work is symbolic of warfare, headhunting and ancestor worship, producing superbly designed shields, canoes, and sculpted figures. The former head hunters and cannibals lived in constant fear of spirits and ghosts were known to have slept with human skulls for pillows to protect them from evil spirits.

It was widely believed that Michael drowned during a 6.5 to 10 mile swim. The boat he was on was swept out from a river to open sea and capsized. It was also noted that the Asmat had never killed a white man, although they waged frequent wars between villages, and those killed in battle were beheaded and cannibalized. A huge search found no trace of him and it seemed the mystery would never be solved. The conclusion was death by drowning.

Carl Hoffman is an award winning travel journalist. He has travelled on assignment to more than 70 countries for National Geographic, Smithsonian, Outside and many other magazines.

This is a terrific book. Hoffman visited the Asmat several times in 2012, learned the Indonesian language in order to communicate. He examined hundreds of pages of documents, letters, telegrams and photos from the time around Michael's disappearance, many of which were not known to exist, especially after so many years. Remarkably he was able to interview a priest and a patrol officer who were still alive 50 years after the event. He also befriended and lived with a sullen tribesman who remembered what led up to the disappearance. Hoffman includes pages of footnotes and bibliography.

What his research reveals is a massive coverup by the Dutch government, and the Catholic Church. The Asmat kept secrets, fearing the wrath of their gods, the Christian church and the police and military.

Hoffman's description of the region is extremely well done and vividly written.. He describes the difficulty in getting there and how hard it is to journey between settlements. There are no roads, motorized vehicles or even bicycles because the area is so muddy and swampy. This is the largest alluvial swamp in the world. When he met the man who was supposed to be his first guide and asked how many tourists go there, he replied 'Many'......'Maybe 4'.

Hoffman describes tramping through deep mud, and in villages it was necessary to use wooden walkways above the marsh, sometimes with broken or missing planks.Paths were often a slippery log placed over the mud.

I think it is indisputable that the 50 year old mystery has finally been solved, and people involved in the event named. A remarkable piece of journalism, involving travel to a remote region and little known tribal people, exhausting research, history and the solution to a mystery. Very readable. ...more

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Feb 15, 2014 Annie Witt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: first-reads, favorites

"Savage Harvest" is about much more than Michael Rockerfeller's disappearance in 1961. This book is brilliant and contains elements of exploration, self-analyzing, anthropology, and politics.

From the beginning I could not put the book down. The book begins with a graphic account of a man being killed and ritually eaten by other men captivates the reader to know more. I was drawn into wanting to know more about the Asmat and how they live in a world profoundly different from the one occupied by a ...more

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Apr 20, 2014 Ms.pegasus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anyone interested in primitive art or anthropology

Shelves: nonfiction, art-history, history

The official pronouncement was: Missing. Presumed drowned.

That's how the general public might remember Michael Rockefeller, who vanished off the coast of Dutch New Guinea on November 19, 1961. Why should we care about an event that happened over 50 years ago? There's a sensational element, of course. Michael was the son of Nelson Rockefeller, the governor of New York. There was also a disturbing element, that there were still places in the latter half of the 20th century that could swallow up a ...more

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May 31, 2014 Jeanette rated it it was amazing

Superb detail. Ethnography? More a fantastic and clearly noted progression to "try" and I say "try" in parentheses purposely, to seat the reader in a Asmat jeu worldview of reality. For any human with electricity or farmed food, that probably is not possible. Although it doesn't hold the level of studied definition parley as a "Blackberry Winter" or definitions of more current Anthropology, it does start to bridge the gap between hunter-gatherer awareness and human post-farming /domesticated ani Superb detail. Ethnography? More a fantastic and clearly noted progression to "try" and I say "try" in parentheses purposely, to seat the reader in a Asmat jeu worldview of reality. For any human with electricity or farmed food, that probably is not possible. Although it doesn't hold the level of studied definition parley as a "Blackberry Winter" or definitions of more current Anthropology, it does start to bridge the gap between hunter-gatherer awareness and human post-farming /domesticated animal history. Somehow too it carries the sense of the emotional side of that change more accurately in the methods of time flip and group meeting that the author does use here.

This is not just about Michael Rockefeller's outcome at all. And I do hope that the aspect of celeb interest pulls readers to pick this one up. As this book pries open, just a crack, the door to another way of being homo sapiens- one based in the "we" and the tribe. And how ironic that the same brand of hubris still reigns throughout and regardless- in every interpretation of what "happened" to Michael. And in every age of the 50 plus years in between, as well. In the interpreted observer, as well as in the observed- it isn't just the words that have more than two or three meanings. And how those assumptions of "the other" are based upon such complex cultural perceptions and some of those most powerful are experienced only in the wordless.

This could be a powerful discussion book too. Fodder galore for the argument that all taboos can be rationalized as good or even needed under specific or commonly shared cultural norms of acceptance.

Seventeen tenses in their language, sago every meal, and changing your name to your enemy's and becoming him! Complex issues tied within each glance- and mystic secrets far beyond mere appearance.

This book raises base questions upon the human condition and for me it was such a page turner that I could not put it down. I am sure that other readers that are not fans of or students within Anthropology or Cognitive Psychology interests may find the book less enthralling than I did. It's far more than a tale of Michael Rockefeller or proof of his fate.
...more

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Apr 03, 2015 Jason rated it it was ok

Shelves: voyages, investigative-reporting

How exactly does one delineate the merits of a book where the general theme is one which is so steeped in the issues of cannibalism and savagery at the same time? Herein lies the crux of describing "Savage Harvest." I don't really know where to begin but suffice to say not only did the story draw me in, but it fascinated and greatly disturbed me at the same time. As sickened as I felt by parts of it, it made me just press on further - I HAD to find out just what the full story behind the disappe How exactly does one delineate the merits of a book where the general theme is one which is so steeped in the issues of cannibalism and savagery at the same time? Herein lies the crux of describing "Savage Harvest." I don't really know where to begin but suffice to say not only did the story draw me in, but it fascinated and greatly disturbed me at the same time. As sickened as I felt by parts of it, it made me just press on further - I HAD to find out just what the full story behind the disappearance of Michael C. Rockefeller - an American mystery for so many years as it turned out - was.

No one knows for sure just how the actual events of Michael's disappearance occurred, however Hoffman has him dying by the second chapter! This leaves the rest of the book to give the reader a TON of backstory, primarily on the Asmat tribe. This was/is a South Seas group of uncultured savages that were/are so notoriously primitive that Michael felt so compelled as to visit the area in order to procure rare artwork to display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the venerable American cultural institution that the Rockefeller family founded and Michael's father Nelson was heavily involved with. Details are so intricately plotted to set up the individual events that led to the infamous disappearance/murder of November, 1961.

Michael Rockefeller was somebody that as I read more on I cared about. I was greatly pained at the fact that his life was taken so senselessly and yet all too soon; denying the world the opportunity and great privilege of knowing in one way or another a young man who had the potential to give us all so much more with his life than just leaving a legacy of wondering just how his last moments on Earth played themselves out.

If anything, I'd like to return to the Met sometime myself to see the actual Asmat artifacts that in one way or another are now forever perpetually linked to Michael Rockefeller. By doing this, I believe I can have sort off a communion with one who appeared to be an extraordinary unique individual who left us much, much too soon.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2014.
...more

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Apr 23, 2014 Paula rated it liked it

Shelves: audio-book, adventure-expedition, read-in-2014, non-fiction, cultural, published-2014

I've been listening to a lot of nonfiction while commuting in 2014. I find that nonfiction isn't distracting while driving. Surprisingly, I have gotten a lot of joy out of listening to audiobooks which I didn't expect.

Disappointing, however, I couldn't get engaged in Savage Harvest till the last of the CD's. Then the cultural story and Michael Rockefeller all came together.

Here are some exceptional nonfiction I have listened to this year that I would highly recommend:

5 Days at Memorial
A House i ...more

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May 27, 2014 Chris Witkowski rated it it was ok

I was drawn to this book, the author's attempt to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, the son of Nelson Rockefeller, then governor of New York State, because of the close connection the events recounted in the book had to my family. It was at my youngest brother's Christening party, on November 19, 1961, that my father, who was press secretary to Rockefeller, received a phone call summoning him to Rocky's side, to begin a journey to Papua, New Guinea, to searc I was drawn to this book, the author's attempt to solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, the son of Nelson Rockefeller, then governor of New York State, because of the close connection the events recounted in the book had to my family. It was at my youngest brother's Christening party, on November 19, 1961, that my father, who was press secretary to Rockefeller, received a phone call summoning him to Rocky's side, to begin a journey to Papua, New Guinea, to search for the missing 23 year old. I plunged into the non-fiction account, holding my breath in hopes of a mention, or a photo, of my father. Instead, I got just " Rockefeller's trusted aides" as the author pieces together the intriguing, sad, disturbing and ultimately deadly tale of young Michael's dreams of acquiring the art of the Asmat, a savage, almost prehistoric clan, who practiced headhunting on a regular basis.

It is clear that Hoffman did his homework here, tracking down scores of documents, letters, photos, and conducting face to face interviews with the New Guinea natives, even living for several weeks among them. He never got conclusive evidence, however, of the facts that most people assume regarding Michael's death, namely that he was savagely murdered and cannibalized. In fact, it seemed clear from the start, that this was the fate of Rockefeller, but due to intricate political maneuverings between the Dutch and the Indonesians regarding the ownership and control of New Guinea, the story was kept a closely guarded secret. And certainly the Rockefeller family would have a ghastly time comprehending that their young son and sibling could have met such a fate.

The book is interesting, for sure, but was quite repetitive, and in the beginning I became quickly weary of hearing just how privileged young Michael was, and that his quest was most likely that of a young man in search of his father's approval. That may very well have been the case, but how many times did the author have to say it? And so much of the story of Michael's final journey is gone over again and again, that I felt my mind becoming numb to it. And still, I am somewhat confused by the political ramification of it all. But this much I'm sure of - Carl Hoffman gets huge credits for perseverance - he wanted to crack this "cold case" and he went to drastic lengths to do it. That it isn't 100% certain is frustrating, but then again, how much of life is certain? ...more

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Sep 27, 2016 Samantha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: unsolved-mystery

FINALLY!!! One of the greatest unsolved mysteries explored and analyzed. And it turns out, one of the most widely held beliefs is most likely true; Michael was most likely killed by the natives.

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Dec 27, 2014 Leah Polcar rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2015, 2015-popsugar-challenge, into-the-heart-of-darkness, non-fiction

The story is amazing, the telling of it is not. I felt as if Hoffman just could not decide on a thesis: is this about Asmat culture? Primitive art? Hoffman's travelogue? Michael Rockefeller's death? Colonial rule? There is a little bit about all these things and with the exception of presenting a compelling case to explain Rockefeller's disappearance in 1961 and the exposition of his feelings about "the primitive" (i.e. indigenous peoples) and how off-putting it is to swim in a river with poop f ...more

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Nov 30, 2014 Jamie rated it it was ok

I wanted to like this book. I really did. The book seemed interesting on first glance: Searching for Michael Rockefeller, grandson of famous Rockefeller, who was lost in New Guinea. However, the book read much more like a thesis and/or dissertation than actual novel. The author was very heavy handed in his assumptions and conclusions of how Michael met his end. After reading the book and Hoffman's hypotheses, I am not convinced that Michael did not drown (which would favor the Rockefeller's conc ...more

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Apr 07, 2014 Andie rated it really liked it

I was in Junior High when the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller on an expedition for primitive art in New Guinea splashed all over the national media. One night at dinner my dad, who had been stationed there during World War II said, "I bet the headhunters ate him." We all laughed & my mom swatted him with a dish cloth because it was so ridiculous. Such things did not happen in 1961. However, that apparently is exactly what did happen as Carl Hoffman describes in detail in this extraordinary I was in Junior High when the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller on an expedition for primitive art in New Guinea splashed all over the national media. One night at dinner my dad, who had been stationed there during World War II said, "I bet the headhunters ate him." We all laughed & my mom swatted him with a dish cloth because it was so ridiculous. Such things did not happen in 1961. However, that apparently is exactly what did happen as Carl Hoffman describes in detail in this extraordinary book.

In 1961, Michael Rockefeller, the 23-year-old son of Nelson Rockefeller (then Governor of New York) and freshly graduated from Harvard launched an expedition to Dutch New Guinea to collect primitive art for his father's new museum. He had been there several months earlier on a Harvard Peabody Expedition that included the noted writer Peter Matthiessen, but this time he was basically on his own. As the child of extreme privilege, Rockefeller was used to everything pretty much going his way, but on this trip he, unfortunately learned otherwise.

In 1961 the area where Rockefeller was searching for artifacts was a dangerous place. Although, the Dutch put out the story for their own political reasons that headhunting and cannibalism had ended in the southern Asmat region of the country, nothing could have been further from the truth. All during the 1950's the region had been the scene of bloody internecine warfare among the Asmat with each killing leading to revenge killings in a cycle that seemingly could not be unbroken. Rockefeller, who did not speak the language proceeded with a hubris that would lead to his grisly downfall.

On November 19, 1961 he and Dutch anthropologist Renee Wasing, along with two young Asmat guides set out on an expedition to collect primitive art, moat especially the ceremonial bisj poles. They soon ran into trouble in rough seas and their catamaran capsized. The young guides went for help, but Rockefeller grew impatient & after several hours decided to swing to shore himself in defiance of every known precept of how to survive a shipwreck. Unbelievably he survived the 14-hour, 10-mile swim to shore, but once there was met by a group of Asmat warriors looking to avenge killings in their village several years before, who took their opportunity. The young guides, had, of course made it to shore, and notified the Dutch authorities who, given the importance of the man on board, launched a full-scale military rescue mission. Rene Wassing was quickly found, but Michael Rockefeller seemed to have disappeared into thin air

Now the Dutch government's worst nightmare began. They had to notify Rockefeller's family and given the fact that they were petitioning the United Nations to hold onto their colony, they also had to cover-up the more unsavory aspects of the native population. Already rumors were swirling about that Rockefeller fils had been killed and eaten by the Asmat. The Dutch had to suppress these rumors at all costs.

Nelson Rockefeller and Michael's twin sister, Mary arrived in New Guinea several days later accompanied by an entourage of press and political aides. The Dutch government officials told them a probable story about an exhaustive search reaching the conclusion that Michael had died by drowning. This story was accepted by the Rockefeller family and they returned to the United States full of praise and thanks to the Dutch officials for all their help in trying to find Michael.

Flash forward fifty years and the author, a self-professed outsider who has made his living writing about adventure is now pursuing the story. He travels to New Guinea (now part of Indonesia), immerses himself in the Asmat culture and does exhaustive work in the Dutch colonial archives to arrive at the story of what really happened. What he finds is incredible documentary proof that Rockefeller was, indeed, killed, beheaded, butchered and eaten by a group of Asmat warriors on that fateful day. These facts were specifically covered-up by the Dutch Colonial officials to further their own political ends. The Asmat, however, are not so willing to give up their secrets. Although he comes very close, no one will admit to him directly what happened on that fateful morning. But that detail hardly matters. The story is all there: the clash of the last vestiges of a prehistoric people meeting the modern world so sure of themselves and their superior culture. This is a cautionary tale.
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Jul 08, 2015 Dawn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, 2015-reads, non-fiction, wilderness, real-life-mystery, watched-the-movie-too, cultural-papua-new-guinea, history

Audiobook read by Joel Barrett.

In November 1961, Michael Rockefeller went missing in New Guinea while visiting there to bring back primitive art to his family's museum in New York. His boat capsized in the rough waters off the coast and he decided he could swim to shore. His boatmates stayed with the boat and they attached two gas cans around his waist to act as flotation devices. The boatmates were rescued within 24 hours. Michael was never seen again. Despite the Rockefeller wealth and the det Audiobook read by Joel Barrett.

In November 1961, Michael Rockefeller went missing in New Guinea while visiting there to bring back primitive art to his family's museum in New York. His boat capsized in the rough waters off the coast and he decided he could swim to shore. His boatmates stayed with the boat and they attached two gas cans around his waist to act as flotation devices. The boatmates were rescued within 24 hours. Michael was never seen again. Despite the Rockefeller wealth and the detailed search launched by the Rockefeller family in the days after Michael's disappearance, no body was ever found. Not even the gas cans that were attached to him.

Many theories emerged including death by drowning, sharks, and alligators. The most disturbing was that he had actually made it to shore and had been killed and eaten by a cannibalistic Asmat tribe. In an area rife with conflict between the Dutch and the natives in recent years, many felt Michael was killed because he was a white man and his death avenged the death of some of their tribe who were killed a few years ago during a Dutch attack.

In 2012, Carl Hoffman followed in the steps of Michael Rockefeller to see if he could discover what really happened to him. Hoffman went to the jungles of New Guinea and immersed himself in the Asmat culture, a world of former headhunters and secret spirits and customs. He also did much archival research and uncovered hundreds of pages of never-before-seen original documents and located witnesses willing to speak publicly for the first time in 50 years.

While the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller is fascinating, some of this book was and some of it wasn't. And that really is not the fault of the author. He gives a vary detailed history of the New Guinea and the tribes and the Dutch who brought Christianity to the island. If you are interested in this topic, then you might find it interesting. I liked having a historical foundation presented about the area and events that could have had a role in Rockefeller's death and disappearance, however, I think they could have been edited down. And we really don't end up with definitive proof as to what happened to Michael. Yes, Carl Hoffman gives us an answer, but it is still not a 100%-without-any-doubt answer.

I still recommend this book for those of you who are curious about what happened to Michael. I recommend the audiobook as well. The many hard-to-pronounce names are taken care of for you. And for those of you who have Netflix- I highly, highly recommend that you watch the documentary 'The Search for Michael Rockefeller' after you read this book. It was released in 2011, before this book was written. I wonder if Hoffman watched it. In the last few minutes of the documentary, there is some very compelling video footage of an Asmat tribe a few years after Michael's disappearance. It makes you scratch your head. 3 stars. ...more

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Apr 06, 2018 Philip rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, jungle, non-fiction, southeast-asia, 4-stars

This book fits neatly onto the same bookshelf as Robert Lyman's Among the Headhunters: An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival in the Burmese Jungle and Mitchell Zuckoff's Lost in Shangri-la, with the added bonus of a genuine unsolved mystery. Plus, it provided endless backstory to the Michael Rockefeller permanent exhibit at the Met, which I remember visiting not long after it opened in the early 80's.

I'm usually leery whenever a book (or TV documentary) promises "new evidence that fina This book fits neatly onto the same bookshelf as Robert Lyman's Among the Headhunters: An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival in the Burmese Jungle and Mitchell Zuckoff's Lost in Shangri-la, with the added bonus of a genuine unsolved mystery. Plus, it provided endless backstory to the Michael Rockefeller permanent exhibit at the Met, which I remember visiting not long after it opened in the early 80's.

I'm usually leery whenever a book (or TV documentary) promises "new evidence that finally tells the full, astonishing story," and despite some of the press blurbs, Hoffman here does NOT in fact solve the mystery of Rockefeller's disappearance, although he ultimately presents a very compelling scenario. I also agree with some other reviewers that the book was overly long, and more than a bit confusing in it's bouncing back and forth between mid-20th Century Asmat history, Rockefeller's own time in Papua (ca 1960), and the present day, (a problem I also had with Lyman's Among the Headhunters). But once I got everything and everyone (see below) straightened out, this was a truly compelling story.

Whenever I listen to a book like this, I like to get the print copy as well, so that I can check out any photos (not enough here) and actually see the exotic names spelled out. This was particularly useful with this book, since its based around the competing villages of Omadesep and Otsjanep; deals with mythology based around Biwiripitsj and Desoipitsj; has Dutch cop Anton van der Wouw working with Dutch priest Wim van der Waal; and is constantly bouncing back and forth between Asmat (both a tribe and a region), Agats (a city); Amates (a guy); Atsj and Ajam (Asmat villages), the Asawets River, and a lot of other things that all begin with "A".

EXTRA BONUS POINTS: I also have to thank Hoffman for showing me that the Indonesian carving in my basement that I always thought was an Asmat shield is in fact a very large sago serving platter, (will attach a photo if I ever figure out how...). Who knew?

NEXT UP: Also just found out that our library has Hoffman's latest book, The Last Wild Men of Borneo: A True Story of Death and Treasure, which looks really interesting as well. However, I think I'm all headhunter'ed out for the moment, so will save this for my 2019 "to read" list. ...more

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Feb 13, 2015 Ed rated it it was amazing

Michael Rockefeller, 23 years old and a recent Harvard grad was New York royalty in 1961. Michael's great grandfather John D. Rockefeller was at one time the richest man in the US and his grandson, Michael's father Nelson, was Governor of New York. It was initially reported that Michael had drowned off the coast of New Guinea while attempting to source primitive art for his families' museum in Manhattan. Rumor had it that Michael actually made it to shore only to be murdered and eaten by the Azm Michael Rockefeller, 23 years old and a recent Harvard grad was New York royalty in 1961. Michael's great grandfather John D. Rockefeller was at one time the richest man in the US and his grandson, Michael's father Nelson, was Governor of New York. It was initially reported that Michael had drowned off the coast of New Guinea while attempting to source primitive art for his families' museum in Manhattan. Rumor had it that Michael actually made it to shore only to be murdered and eaten by the Azmat, a primitive tribe of headhunting cannibals. Carl Hoffman in this exhaustively researched book presents definitive evidence of the crime by actually learning the language of the Azmat and living with and interviewing the tribe for an extended period to find the truth. The Azmat elderly survivors were understandably scared of having their crime uncovered even over 50 years after the event.

I was admittedly more interested in the cover up than Hoffman's anthropological study of the Azmat. The cover up about the true cause of Michael's death by the Rockefeller family, the Catholic Church and the Dutch government added complex dimensions to the story. All had reasons to stonewall; the grieving Rockefeller family wanted fast closure with an easily explainable story, the Catholic Church via it's missionaries wanted to deflect blame away from the Azmat, their recent converts and the Dutch government for geopolitical reasons. The Rockefeller fortune indirectly fueled the sanitized drowning story for over 50 years until this book revealed the evidence of Michael's gruesome murder. The history of the Azmat during the Japanese occupation during World War 2 and Dutch colonial period are also discussed in detail by Hoffman.

Michael Rockefeller could have pursued any much safer activity he wanted but with the courage of youth, he accepted the awesome challenge of sourcing primitive art for his families Manhattan collection in one of the most dangerous places in the world and ultimately I think, to impress his father Nelson. I greatly admire his guts and determination. His too short, heroic life deserves the truth be told about his untimely murder and for that reason alone, I thank Carl Hoffman for this masterpiece in investigative journalism.

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Feb 28, 2014 Jan C rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library, true-crime, audio, 2014

What happened to Michael Rockefeller and why? A big story in 1961 was the disappearance of Nelson Rockefeller's son, Michael. After college, he wanted to do something on his own to make his father proud. Nelson had recently opened a Primitive Art Museum (from the book it sounds as though it has been absorbed into the Museum of Modern Art) and Michael had been placed on the Board. He heads off to New Guinea (not directly, the book goes into detail) and he is returning to a particularly savage are ...more

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Jul 26, 2019 Christopher rated it liked it

Shelves: american, non-fiction, 21st-century, audiobooks

I like books about unsolved and unsolvable mysteries. There aren't enough unknowns left in this world anymore. You can pull out your phone and figure out almost anything at any time. But you'll never know for sure what happened to Michael Rockefeller.

He was the great-grandson of that Rockefeller, the robber baron, and he travelled around the world, buying up "primitive" art from artisans in tribal societies. Much of the art he collected is now displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New Y ...more

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May 21, 2014 Carmen rated it really liked it

I just plowed through this book. It was an incredible page turner. I learned a lot about the history of New Guinea, an area that I knew nearly nothing about. Four stars because I was left with more questions than answers. What happened to the ladies? Carl Hoffman wrote nearly nothing about the women in the Asmat tribe, while giving us an incredibly detailed picture of the life of the men and their incredible spiritual world. I wish there were more pictures. Apparently Michael Rockefeller took ma ...more

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Feb 16, 2014 Esil rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book from Goodreads. This is not a book I would normally choose to read. Mostly because it's non fiction, but also because it's not a story that on its face seemed particularly compelling. But I entered the giveaway on a last minute whim, won the book and was happily surprised. The first three quarters were interesting -- providing historical background to a part of the world I know very little about. But the last quarter was particularly interesting and compelling as it got into the ...more

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May 05, 2017 Tex rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, ebook, book-calendar-rec

The very idea of cannibalism is truly foreign to most first world people. This book shares a true example that pits ultimate power and wealth (the Rockefellers ) against a primitive community in Indonesia.
There were actually a couple of factors that I had never considered in why and how this practice took place. The most intriguing one is of survival and not from positioning for strength, but in having humans be a source of fat and protein where there is little more than fruits and small fish a ...more

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Jan 19, 2018 Heather Fineisen rated it liked it

Shelves: biographies, art, mystery, 2014-bought, adventure

Michael Rockefeller went missing in 1961 while on a trip to New Guinea to collect primitive art from its original sources. Speculation is that he drowned or was a victim of cannibalism. The author goes on a journey in Rockefeller's footsteps to find out the truth but the remaining members of the tribe aren't talking. An anthropological look at the region and a Dutch and Indonesian history lesson as well as young Rockefeller' s story. ...more

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About Carl Hoffman

Carl Hoffman

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Carl Hoffman is the author of five books. The Last Wild Men of Borneo was an Amazon Best Books of 2018, a finalist in the Banff Mountain Book Competition and long listed for an Edgar Prize. Savage Harvest was a New York Times Editor’s Choice, a NY Times best seller, a Washington Post notable book of 2014, was shortlisted for an Edgar Award and has been translated into eight languages. The Lunatic ...more

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