The Boyd Massacre occurred in December 1809 when Maori residents of the port of Whangaroa in northern New Zealand killed and ate between 66 and 70 Europeans. This is believed to be the highest number of Europeans killed by Maori in a single event in New Zealand, and the incident is also one of the bloodiest cases of cannibalism on record. The massacre is believed to have been in retaliation for the whipping of a young Maori chief by the crew of the Boyd sailboat.
In retribution, European whalers attacked Chief Te Pahi's pa island some 60 km to the southeast, possibly mistakenly believing that he ordered the killings. Between 16 and 60 Maori and one European were killed in the clash. News of the events delayed the first missionary visits to the country and caused the number of dispatch visits to drop to “next to nothing” in the coming years.
The Boyd massacre has gone down in history as one of the bloodiest acts of cannibalism in recent human history. In it, 66 crew members of a ship were killed and cannibalized in Whangaroa.
The Boyd was a brig ship that left Sydney Harbor in Australia in October 1809, carrying 70 passengers and crew to the port of Whangaroa on New Zealand's northern island.
George, who was the son of the Maori chief from Whangaroa, had agreed to pay for the boat's transfer to his homeland by working on the boat. Once the journey began, George refused to obey orders, turning to his noble background and health problems. As punishment for his disobedience he was whipped, facts that he did not hesitate to tell his father upon his arrival in Whangaroa in December 1809.
Three days after the Boyd's arrival, the Maori invited Captain Thompson to follow their canoes in search of kauri wood.
When the ships were beyond the Boyd's sight, the Maori attacked the foreigners and killed them with clubs and axes. Later, some Maori took the clothes of the victims and disguised themselves, while the rest moved the bodies to the city to devour them.
