Poisoned Arrows: An Investigative Journey Through Indonesia

Poisoned Arrows: An Investigative Journey Through Indonesia (1989) is a powerful and eye-opening 249-page hardcover book by acclaimed journalist George Monbiot. This groundbreaking work chronicles Monbiot’s daring and covert expedition into West Papua, an area under tight Indonesian government control and off-limits to most outsiders.

Using forged documents and accompanied by photographer Adrian Arbib, Monbiot ventured deep into the region’s jungles and mountains to document firsthand the impact of Indonesian transmigration policies and military oppression on indigenous Papuan communities. His journey exposes how these policies disrupt traditional ways of life, displace native populations, and degrade the fragile environment.

Monbiot’s vivid and immersive writing captures the complex relationship between people, land, and power in this remote part of the world. He provides detailed ethnographic observations of tribal societies, their rituals, and their resilience in the face of cultural erosion. The book also highlights the environmental consequences of forced migration and economic exploitation.

Part travelogue, part anthropological study, and part investigative report, Poisoned Arrows is praised for its balance of passionate advocacy and careful, well-researched journalism. Critics have applauded Monbiot’s courage, storytelling, and refusal to sensationalize. The book brought international attention to the plight of West Papua’s indigenous peoples and remains a seminal text in environmental and human rights literature.

This 1989 Michael Joseph hardcover edition is a must-read for those interested in global indigenous struggles, environmental justice, and courageous journalism.