Into the Crocodile Nest

Benedict Allen set off for New Guinea with a twofold aim: to contact the remote peoples of the island, and to learn for himself how to live in harmony with nature from them. His quest led him through one of the strangest series of adventures recorded by any modern traveller.

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Benedict Allen set off for New Guinea with a twofold aim: to contact the remote peoples of the island, and from them to learn for himself how to live in harmony with nature. His quest led him through one of the strangest series of adventures recorded by any modern traveller. A witchdoctor's prediction led Benedict to seek a community who would allow him to take part in the traditional initiation rites by which the tribes boys enter manhood. At Kandengai his request was granted: Benedict was accepted into a Sepik tribe and became one of the few white men ever permitted to learn the age-old secrets of the spirit house - the "crocodile nest".