---
product_id: 199654
title: "Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art"
price: "€ 51.53"
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region: Cyprus
---

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

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Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art [Hoffman, Carl] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art

Review: Brilliant Investigative Reporting Brings Convincing Closure to this Mystery - Carl Hoffman does a commendable job of first party research in an attempt to uncover the truth around the disappearance and death of Michael Rockefeller in 1961 off New Guinea. Rockefeller, grandson of John D. and son of then NY Governor Nelson Rockefeller, was exploring the native Asmat tribe and their "primitive" art in New Guinea. While traveling on a catamaran with a Dutch colleague and two native guides, the boat capsized in rough water 10-15 miles from shore. The two guides bailed and while his Dutch colleague remained on a piece of flotsam, Michael emptied two gas cans to use as flotation devices and swam off in the warm waters of the Arafura Sea to shore. An intense search ensued with the Dutch colonial authorities, Australia and the US. Ultimately the official cause of death was ruled a drowning but questions always persisted. New Guinea had some of the most remote territory in the world, many native tribes had minimal to no contact with anything modern and some tribes practiced "headhunting" or in other words were cannibals. Did Michael really drown? Was he eaten by a shark? or did he wind eaten by a native tribe? Hoffman's research uncovered many primary sources never seen or reviewed by the Rockefeller family, spent significant time with local tribes and conversed with Dutch missionaries who were present when Michael disappeared. While nothing is certain and there is no "smoking gun", the preponderance of the evidence he uncovers leads one to conclude that Michael did make it to shore only to be killed and eaten by a native tribe. Hoffman delves into ancient animosities and strife among native tribes, clashes of local tribes with Dutch administrators and missionaries and the convergence of western culture and religion with native spiritual and animistic beliefs. All in all, Hoffman's persistence and willingness to immerse himself on the trail, wherever it would lead, provides sufficient conclusive to this story, not to mention and entertaining read. I read Hoffman's previous book, "Lunatic Express", and it is clear he has the personal fortitude to go to the ends of the earth in some physically and mentally tough environments, whether for excitement, a good story or both. "Savage Harvest" is a great follow up book, a bit more focused, albeit a little less entertaining than "Lunatic Express". The toil he put in to research this story is quite commendable and makes me appreciate the efforts of his labor even more.
Review: A deep analysis of Rockefeller's disappearance - but misses on Asmat culture - The author excelled at providing readers with an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of Rockefeller's life, interest in art, travels in Asmat, and his final moments. However, I felt the author could have done a better job of analyzing Asmat culture and how it ultimately played into the life and death of Michael Rockefeller. If I could re-title this book it would simply be, "Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art", as I felt this was the strongest focus while there were several inter spliced stories within this book of which the author touched on but never really spent time and energy analyzing in-depth. Overall, four stars, as the book is entertaining, informative, and reflects the author's comprehensive research of Rockefeller's disappearance. What I did enjoy about this book is that it interwove several themes and cultures into one story. Cannibalism, colonialism, and the Rockefeller family's quest for greatness all play into Michael Rockefeller's disappearance. The author also effectively described how drastically Asmat culture had changed in the 50 years since Michael's disappearance, and also how it had not changed. The ways in which it had not changed were the most fascinating for me. I thought the author also did a great job of describing Asmat culture in a fair and objective way without the "white man's burden" nor a blind belief in cultural relativism clouding the descriptions. The author deftly described Dutch/European colonial culture, Asmat in the 1960s, Asmat in the 2000s, the Rockefeller dynasty, and how each of these cultures clashed through Michael's travels and disappearance. I appreciated how the author included extensive personal interviews with people involved in Michael's travels and with the Asmat. The author made a clear and convincing case, backed up with evidence, pointing to the reason's and causes behind Michael's demise. However, this "tale" was perhaps too broad and touched on quite a lot of themes, but treats each theme and historical event as a single event in a cause and effect sequence. I would have liked the book more if the author stuck with one (or perhaps two ) theme - Asmat culture, cannibalism, colonialism, bringing religion to the Asmat, Globalization comes to Asmat, Indonesia's control of Asmat etc. and described that theme and how it contributed to Michael's demise. I think the strongest case for this would be how the author describes the Asmat's infatuation with balance. Or, on a related note, how the Asmat live in extremes. Why are they this way? The author spent quite a lot of real estate discussing cannibalism, but never brings in his own or academia's reasoning for the practice. I felt like the author would begin to go into a deeper analysis - but then would stop, change direction, and move onto another theme. Overall, four stars, an entertaining, informative, and well researched book. It convincingly traces the life, travels, and disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, but it could have been focused better around a deeper analysis or explanation of Asmat culture.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,244,556 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,256 in Traveler & Explorer Biographies #3,181 in Murder & Mayhem True Accounts #8,070 in Memoirs (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars (1,588) |
| Dimensions  | 6 x 1.09 x 9 inches |
| Edition  | First Edition |
| ISBN-10  | 0062116150 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0062116154 |
| Item Weight  | 1.14 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 336 pages |
| Publication date  | March 18, 2014 |
| Publisher  | William Morrow |

## Images

![Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512XlgAmrTL.jpg)
![Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51EZxpKBK+L.jpg)
![Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art - Image 3](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71VnUCvQrGL.jpg)
![Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art - Image 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91cuEDma6WL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Brilliant Investigative Reporting Brings Convincing Closure to this Mystery
*by W***O on January 6, 2015*

Carl Hoffman does a commendable job of first party research in an attempt to uncover the truth around the disappearance and death of Michael Rockefeller in 1961 off New Guinea. Rockefeller, grandson of John D. and son of then NY Governor Nelson Rockefeller, was exploring the native Asmat tribe and their "primitive" art in New Guinea. While traveling on a catamaran with a Dutch colleague and two native guides, the boat capsized in rough water 10-15 miles from shore. The two guides bailed and while his Dutch colleague remained on a piece of flotsam, Michael emptied two gas cans to use as flotation devices and swam off in the warm waters of the Arafura Sea to shore. An intense search ensued with the Dutch colonial authorities, Australia and the US. Ultimately the official cause of death was ruled a drowning but questions always persisted. New Guinea had some of the most remote territory in the world, many native tribes had minimal to no contact with anything modern and some tribes practiced "headhunting" or in other words were cannibals. Did Michael really drown? Was he eaten by a shark? or did he wind eaten by a native tribe? Hoffman's research uncovered many primary sources never seen or reviewed by the Rockefeller family, spent significant time with local tribes and conversed with Dutch missionaries who were present when Michael disappeared. While nothing is certain and there is no "smoking gun", the preponderance of the evidence he uncovers leads one to conclude that Michael did make it to shore only to be killed and eaten by a native tribe. Hoffman delves into ancient animosities and strife among native tribes, clashes of local tribes with Dutch administrators and missionaries and the convergence of western culture and religion with native spiritual and animistic beliefs. All in all, Hoffman's persistence and willingness to immerse himself on the trail, wherever it would lead, provides sufficient conclusive to this story, not to mention and entertaining read. I read Hoffman's previous book, "Lunatic Express", and it is clear he has the personal fortitude to go to the ends of the earth in some physically and mentally tough environments, whether for excitement, a good story or both. "Savage Harvest" is a great follow up book, a bit more focused, albeit a little less entertaining than "Lunatic Express". The toil he put in to research this story is quite commendable and makes me appreciate the efforts of his labor even more.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A deep analysis of Rockefeller's disappearance - but misses on Asmat culture
*by N***N on October 20, 2014*

The author excelled at providing readers with an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of Rockefeller's life, interest in art, travels in Asmat, and his final moments. However, I felt the author could have done a better job of analyzing Asmat culture and how it ultimately played into the life and death of Michael Rockefeller. If I could re-title this book it would simply be, "Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art", as I felt this was the strongest focus while there were several inter spliced stories within this book of which the author touched on but never really spent time and energy analyzing in-depth. Overall, four stars, as the book is entertaining, informative, and reflects the author's comprehensive research of Rockefeller's disappearance. What I did enjoy about this book is that it interwove several themes and cultures into one story. Cannibalism, colonialism, and the Rockefeller family's quest for greatness all play into Michael Rockefeller's disappearance. The author also effectively described how drastically Asmat culture had changed in the 50 years since Michael's disappearance, and also how it had not changed. The ways in which it had not changed were the most fascinating for me. I thought the author also did a great job of describing Asmat culture in a fair and objective way without the "white man's burden" nor a blind belief in cultural relativism clouding the descriptions. The author deftly described Dutch/European colonial culture, Asmat in the 1960s, Asmat in the 2000s, the Rockefeller dynasty, and how each of these cultures clashed through Michael's travels and disappearance. I appreciated how the author included extensive personal interviews with people involved in Michael's travels and with the Asmat. The author made a clear and convincing case, backed up with evidence, pointing to the reason's and causes behind Michael's demise. However, this "tale" was perhaps too broad and touched on quite a lot of themes, but treats each theme and historical event as a single event in a cause and effect sequence. I would have liked the book more if the author stuck with one (or perhaps two ) theme - Asmat culture, cannibalism, colonialism, bringing religion to the Asmat, Globalization comes to Asmat, Indonesia's control of Asmat etc. and described that theme and how it contributed to Michael's demise. I think the strongest case for this would be how the author describes the Asmat's infatuation with balance. Or, on a related note, how the Asmat live in extremes. Why are they this way? The author spent quite a lot of real estate discussing cannibalism, but never brings in his own or academia's reasoning for the practice. I felt like the author would begin to go into a deeper analysis - but then would stop, change direction, and move onto another theme. Overall, four stars, an entertaining, informative, and well researched book. It convincingly traces the life, travels, and disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, but it could have been focused better around a deeper analysis or explanation of Asmat culture.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
*by H***R on March 21, 2015*

It's an easy read, full of interesting background history of rich and famous New Yorkers, and how they build their empires with siblings exploring the world. Very good book!

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*Last updated: 2026-03-05*