Human Sacrifice

Authorities are notified of a man having been ritualistically killed in a highlands village in remote New Guinea. Australian and New Guinean police, and a doctor, set out on foot to investigate. The case then takes a bizarre turn when the murderer seeks a reward for his actions. This episode is a case from the archives of the APJ – a 1972 article concentrating on the strange phenomenon known as ‘cargo cults’ and how they emerged in some Pacific Island communities who were keen to enrich...