Irish influencer faces backlash over Papua cannibal-tribe video

An Irish social media influencer sparked a wave of criticism after posting video this month that showed him and a small group approaching a remote indigenous community in Papua, the Indonesian half of New Guinea, offering packets of salt before retreating when members of the group pointed bows and arrows and rejected the gift. The footage, posted by Dara Tah and viewed millions of times, captured a tense encounter in which Tah labeled the people a "cannibal tribe," then pulled back when their reception turned hostile.

The clip begins with Tah and several tourists, accompanied by a local guide identified as Demi, traveling in a wooden boat along a river as men in traditional dress gather on the bank. A tourist in the boat says, "I think they're pointing bows and arrows at us, bro." Tah waves and attempts to show peace, then produces packets of salt and offers some to a man who tastes it and spits it out. "Oh God, he doesn't look like he likes that," Tah says on the recording. As the boat retreats, the guide tells the group, "We have to move. We're not welcome. It's really dangerous." Tah captioned the post, "Deep in the jungle of Papua... Just tried to make contact with a...