In 1961, Michael Rockefeller, 23 years old and the son of a governor, sailed into the swamps of Netherlands New Guinea looking for art. He wanted the sacred carvings of the Asmat people. The grandest were bisj poles, ancestor carvings up to 5.8 metres tall, cut from upside-down mangrove trees. To the Asmat they were not decoration. They honored the dead, and their motifs spoke of headhunting. The Asmat believed that no death was ever an accident. Every death demanded another life in return, or the world stayed out of balance. Michael came to collect the carvings for a museum, and he collected more than 50 major pieces. He did not come home himself. By the end of that year he was gone, and the question his family asked was simple. What happened to him?
Michael Rockefeller Vanishes in New Guinea
Michael Rockefeller tied two red jerry cans to his belt on Nov. 19, 1961, and swam for shore. He was never seen again.
A Collector in the Swamps
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Michael Rockefeller go to New Guinea?
He went in 1961 to collect sacred Asmat carvings for a museum. He especially wanted bisj poles, towering ancestor carvings up to 5.8 metres tall. He collected more than 50 major pieces before he vanished.
What is the official explanation for Michael Rockefeller's death?
He was legally declared dead in 1964, with drowning as the official cause. The Dutch government marked priests' reports of a killing 'secret' and 'destroy'. His twin sister Mary has maintained that he drowned.
What did Carl Hoffman conclude about Michael Rockefeller?
Hoffman spent months in Otsjanep and reported that elders admitted a 'tourist' had been killed and that the story was kept secret for fifty years. He concluded Michael stepped into a cycle of revenge violence stemming from the 1958 killings by Dutch police.
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