Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Cannibalism in Indonesia

Sumanto (born in Purbalingga on March 3, 1972) was an Indonesian cannibal who comes from Purbalingga, Central Java. In early 2003, he stole the corpse of a grandmother who had just buried, and then ate because they believe this will give him supernatural powers. Sumanto belief based on mystical beliefs of local and expert opinion that Sumanto mental disorders.
He was sentenced to prison for 5 years but was released to coincide Eid Day 2006 (October 24) after a few times to get remission. Now he's rumored to be in a boarding school.

Poeple
The Korowai of Papua, Indonesia may be the only tribe left in the world to practice ritual cannibalism. It is said that they kill and eat members of their tribe that have been convicted of witchcraft, although this may just be a ploy to attract tourists. Apparently the brain is most tasty part of the victim’s body and is eaten raw while still warm. Korowai houses are built high on stilts. It is thought that this design evolved through a need for protection, owing to the once rampant practice of cannibalism on the island. Members of the Fore tribe, who live on the opposite side of the island to the Korowai in what is now Papua New Guinea, are thought to have contracted the degenerative brain disorder Kuru (also known as laughing sickness) through the ritual consumption of their own dead tribesmen.The Korowai, also called the Kolufo, are a people of southeastern Papua (i.e., the southeastern part of the western part of New Guinea). Their numbers are very roughly estimated at about 3,000. Until the 1970s, they were unaware of the existence of any people besides themselves and some immediately neighboring villages. Only a few of them have become literate thus far.
The Korowai have been reported to practice ritual cannibalism up to the present day. Anthropologists suspect that cannibalism is no longer practiced by the Korowai clans that have had frequent contact with outsiders. Recent reports suggest that certain clans have been coaxed into encouraging tourism by perpetuating the myth that it is still an active practice.In 2006, the television show 60 Minutes claimed that when someone in Korowai society is convicted of being a khakhua (secret witch doctor) he or she is tried, and if convicted he or she is tortured, executed, and eaten. Other unverified claims were made that the brain is usually eaten immediately, while still warm, and that pregnant women and children don't participate in the cannibal act.
The distinctive high stilt architecture of the Korowai houses, well above levels of flood-water levels is a form of defensive fortification- to disrupt rival clans from capturing people (especially women and children) for slavery or to be eaten in cannibalism. The height and girth of the commonly ironwood stilts also serves to protect the house from attacking arson – to set the huts alight and smoke out the hiding inhabitants.


source:
http://tempointeraktif.com
http://weirdworm.com
http://mediaranahjaya.blogspot.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org

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