129-YEAR OLD MAN CLAIMS HIS LONGEVITY IS DUE TO CANNIBALISM
World News Daily Report
January 26th, 2015 | by Barbara Johnson
Gembogl| A tribal man from the hinterland of Papua New-Guinea named Akaro-Muru, claims to be the oldest man alive in the world today at 129 years old. Even more surprising, the elder of the Omo Masalai tribe adds that his incredible longevity is due to the ritual cannibalism still practised by his tribe on a regular basis.
The old warrior is held in high esteem by other tribesmen, bearing the title of tultul, an honorific position awarded to retired war chiefs. Even the other elders of the Omo Masalai tribe claim that he was already an old man when they were children, but no one really knows his age.
Akaro-Muru himself isn’t even capable of counting up to 129, but like many warriors of the Omo Masalai clan, he owns a morbid necklace made of human teeth which allows him to record his age. Since he became a warrior at the age of 12, he collected a tooth from every victim that the tribe sacrificed during an eerie cannibalistic ritual that takes place once a year. The tribal elder’s necklace holds an impressive 117 teeth, which suggests he could be 129 years old.
Akaro-Muru’s necklace was analyzed by scientists, and many of the teeth have been confirmed to be more than 100 years old.
Living deep in the jungle in the northern part of the Chimbu (or Simbu) province, many members the Omo Masalai tribe still practise ritual cannibalism on a regular basis. They believe that by eating their enemies, they can absorb a form of vital energy known as mana, which strengthens them. This type of ritual is mostly hidden from authorities but is still practised today in many areas of the Papuan hinterland.
“Mana is what keeps me alive and strong” says the tribal elder. “Every time I eat human flesh, I can feel the energy flow through my body and I feel young again. It is better than any of the White man’s medicine… it is magic!”
The Omo Masalai were feared headhunters when the first missionaries arrived in the region, and still wear their traditional body paintings for ceremonies. These paintings were designed to scare their enemies and earned them the nickname “skeleton tribe”.
Most medical experts disagree with Akaro-Muru’s theory however, claiming there are no known positive effects to cannibalism, but many possible negative side effects. This includes an increase in risks of Prion diseases like kuru and Creutzfeld-Jacob disease. In the early 20th century, a kuru epidemic did indeed devastate the Fore, a tribe of cannibals in the eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea, and the epidemic was linked to a Fore ritual of feasting on the brains of the dead.
Akaro-Muru’s necklace was analyzed by scientists, and many of the teeth have been confirmed to be more than 100 years old.
“Mana is what keeps me alive and strong” says the tribal elder. “Every time I eat human flesh, I can feel the energy flow through my body and I feel young again. It is better than any of the White man’s medicine… it is magic!”
The Omo Masalai were feared headhunters when the first missionaries arrived in the region, and still wear their traditional body paintings for ceremonies. These paintings were designed to scare their enemies and earned them the nickname “skeleton tribe”.
