There is something about the question raised by Michael Behar in Ouside
Magazine’s February issue that pulls you in. It really gets the gears in your head to turning and your curiousity at its peak.
“Would you pay to see tribes who have never laid eyes on an outsider?”
Well, are there REALLY any exisiting stoneage like tribes that have not made contact with
the modern man? From the looks of Woolford’s trekking company,
Papua Adventures, First Contact expedition’s puts you right in the
jungle in search of uncontacted native tribes who have never seen outsiders. So what happens on these
expeditions? A LOT. For one, another question is raised – how real is the first contact or is it all some
sort of freak show done up by the locals of West Papua, Indonesia?
“Nobody speaks. Then all hell breaks loose. There’s hysterical screaming and shouting. It’s the
natives.”
Behar weaves an interesting
story surrounding the details of a guide he has lost faith in, the dangers of first contact with the
bow-and-arrow toting, ready-to-kill mentality of the natives, and some notes on what anthropologists have to say about
his unusual and costly exploration in search of tribal people. I could go on about this one, but I’m going to leave the
rest up to you. Great Read!