Tribal warfare has reportedly taken the lives of more than 30 people due to a Monday massacre that took place on an island part of Papua New Guinea.
The killings derive from disputes between the two tribal sects known as the Kulumata and Kuboma peoples that inhabit the island known as “the island of love,” according to news.com.au.
The massacre is considered the worst tribal warfare on the island ever recorded.
Tensions between the two tribes heightened after a man from the Kuboma sect was allegedly murdered after a fight that took place at a soccer game, The Guardian reported.
In response, Kuboma villagers reportedly proceeded to destroy yam farms on the Kulumata side. (RELATED: Pumpkin Patch Fire Engulfs Texas Family Farm In Flames, Destroys 73 Vehicles)
As Kulumata villagers sought to inform local authorities of the yam damage, the group encountered Kuboma people and an altercation broke out, according to the Guardian.
The island where the carnage took place is called Kiriwina, which is located within Papua New Guinea’s Milne Bay Province.
Despite the recent developments of the violent tribal turmoil, the island is typically known as “the island of love.” Kiriwina is the largest island of the Trobriand Islands, which are collectively known as the “islands of love.”
The Trobriand island chain attained the nickname for its culturally lax approach to sexuality in society at large, news.com.au noted. Sex is seen as an integral piece to cordial social relations.
🚨 La violencia nace de una vieja disputa entre dos equipos de fútbol locales de la isla de Kiriwina que estalló este año antes de las elecciones generales del país.https://t.co/BAibisxEsL
— Excélsior (@Excelsior) October 26, 2022
30 dead after massacre on Papua New Guinea’s ‘island of love’ after tribal warfare#massacre #crime 📍#Kiriwina #PapuaNewGuinea #NewsUpdate
Read more: https://t.co/nZ7lzC2FIN pic.twitter.com/XZqVCOkDpu
— International Crisis Room 360 (@ICR360) October 27, 2022
Furthermore, sexual relations among the youth are encouraged by the islanders at a young age compared to the standards of the Western world. Teenage inhabitants of the island are even granted their own designated huts in each village set aside for copulation, which are called bukumatulas, according to news.com.au. (RELATED: Kelly Ripa Admits To Having Sex Pretty Much Everywhere)
While the infighting between villages on the island is quite commonplace, the violence typically halts for a period of time after a villager on either side is killed as opposed to it being carried on, an anonymous villager told the Guardian.