Inside World of Tribes Who Still Eat Human Flesh
By tendai keith guvamombe
The notion of cannibalism, or ritualistic man-eating, belongs to the history books for many—but for some isolated communities across the globe, it remains a dark reality. Among these are the Kombai people of Papua, Indonesia, whose deeply entrenched traditions of tribal punishment continue to shock the modern world.
The Kombai’s Terrifying Justice System
The Kombai, who inhabit the remote jungle territories of southeastern Papua, are a tribe where the line between ‘spirit’ (kwai) and ‘outsider’ is terrifyingly thin.
For them, consuming human flesh is not about sustenance, but about retribution and spiritual justice.
The victims are exclusively men identified as witches—known as the Khakhua-Kumu. The Kombai believe these witches consume the souls of their victims.
To end this terror, the tribe kills and eats the Khakhua-Kumu in return, with special attention paid to the brain and stomach, where the soul is believed to reside. As one Kombai man stated, a Khakhua-Kumu who harms his family would be killed and eaten—a chilling declaration of tribal law that supersedes any modern justice system.
Global Cannibalism: Is It Still Happening?
While the Kombai are the most frequently cited example, stories of ritualistic cannibalism or its remnants persist in other regions, albeit in highly secretive or ceremonial forms.
Africa: Isolated cases and historical accounts have often linked certain practices in remote parts of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly during intense s conflict, to cannibalistic acts, though these are typically acts of extreme violence, intimidation, or desperation rather than codified tribal law.
The Civilization Clash and Human Rights
The existence of groups like the Kombai presents a massive challenge for global human rights and civilization. No significant civilization has successfully integrated with the Kombai to eradicate this practice. Their isolated territories—some reserved for spirits where no clans dare to tread—act as powerful defenses against external influence.
For a stranger to enter a clan’s territory is viewed as an existential threat, equating an ‘outsider’ (kwai) with a ‘ghost’ or ‘spirit’. This deeply ingrained fear makes external intervention incredibly dangerous and complicated, leaving human rights organizations in a difficult position as they try to balance cultural preservation with addressing extreme human rights violations.
Meanwhile, other Kombai traditions, like men inverting their penises and women piercing their noses with sago thorns or bat digits, continue to function as markers of an ancient, uncontacted culture.
India: Historically, a small Hindu sect known as the Aghori sadhus, found predominantly around burial grounds in Varanasi, have been accused of engaging in post-mortem cannibalism, consuming the flesh of floating bodies on the Ganges River as part of extreme spiritual rites. They claim this is not for pleasure, but to break taboos and achieve spiritual enlightenment.
