Headhunter Quotes

“I was on one of my world 'walkabouts.' It had taken me once more through Hong Kong, to Japan, Australia, and then Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific [one of the places I grew up]. There I found the picture of 'the Father.' It was a real, gigantic Saltwater Crocodile (whose picture is now featured on page 1 of TEETH).

From that moment, 'the Father' began to swim through the murky recesses of my mind. Imagine! I thought, men confronting the world’s largest reptile on its own turf! And what if they were stripped of their firearms, so they must face this force of nature with nothing but hand weapons and wits?

We know that neither whales nor sharks hunt individual humans for weeks on end. But, Dear Reader, crocodiles do! They are intelligent predators that choose their victims and plot their attacks. So, lost on its river, how would our heroes escape a great hunter of the Father’s magnitude? And what if these modern men must also confront the headhunters and cannibals who truly roam New Guinea?

What of tribal wars, the coming of Christianity and materialism (the phenomenon known as the 'Cargo Cult'), and the people’s introduction to 'civilization' in the form of world war? What of first contact between pristine tribal culture and the outside world? What about tribal clashes on a global scale—the hatred and enmity between America and Japan, from Pearl Harbor, to the only use in history of atomic weapons? And if the world could find peace at last, how about Johnny and Katsu?”
― Timothy James Dean, Teeth

“Do you ever consider the ground you trample on every day? She is lower than you, yet large beyond measure. You treat her like a servant, although it is by her blessing that your life prospers. Without her you will fall, without her there will be no trees and vines. Where will you find thread to cloth yourself? Or will you cover yourself with the skin of another man? Everything exists for a reason. A man is your brother, an infant is your child. Even the worth of your strength is the magnitude of someone's need.”
― Golda Mowe, Iban Dream

“See this Tualang here. It is a symbol of ever growing strength. It reminds us that the bloodline of a man is not important. His roots may be shallow, but if he were like this tree then even his weakest origin will grow into buttresses and hold him up as he reaches for the heavens.”
― Golda Mowe, Iban Dream

“Because this is the land of Sengalang Burong, and in the customs of this land the title of chief is never inherited, it is earned. No man can claim greatness from the labours of another.”
― Golda Mowe, Iban Dream