The 29 people, who appeared in court this week charged with murder and cannibalism, were part of a 1,000-strong group formed to combat errant sorcerers who The National newspaper said had begun charging exorbitant fees.
The cost of a witch doctor revealing a cause of death or casting out an evil spirit was usually 1,000 kina ($475) cash, plus a pig and a bag of rice, but some were also demanding sex as payment.
"It's against our traditional ethics and morals for a sorcerer to have intercourse with a man's wife or teenage daughter," said one local cult leader in the Tangi area, inland from Madang province on PNG's northeast coast.
"That was the main cause of frustration that led to the forming of a group to hunt down sorcerers."
"We ate their brains raw and took body parts such as livers, hearts, penis and others back to the hausman (traditional men's houses) for our chief trainers to create other powers for the members to use," one of those arrested said.
Cult members believe by eating witch doctors' organs, they would attain supernatural powers and literally become bullet-proof.
Madang Police Commander Anthony Wagambie said that 4 of the 7 victims were likely murdered last week, but there were no remains to prove this. He added, "They're probably all eaten up."
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2 comments:
Jesus! Now, there's a place I now hope to never go. They might see my cell phone and think I'm talking to some spirits. I'm actually curious and would love to visit these types of ancient tribes, but I prefer to have my body parts where they are. Not made into soup!!
^ I couldn't be paid enough to go to Papua New Guinea!
And to all the people that said over the years that cannibalism in Papua New Guinea was just a staged hoax, I say HA!
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