Tribes who do not know civilization. The life of the wild tribes of the planet in the modern world

Mikhail Ikhonsky| Jul 12, 2018

Living in huts built from straw and animal skins, obtaining food through gathering and hunting, lack of basic hygienic conditions, cannibalism and self-mutilation... Illustration for a history textbook or historical film? No - reality.

Despite the fact that for the majority of the world's population, modernity is associated with advanced technologies and maximum comfortable conditions existence, there are still corners of the planet where people live almost as if under a primitive communal system. They believe in spirits and worship the forces of nature, honor the customs of their ancestors and wage a constant struggle for survival.

Asia

The vast steppes and highlands of Asia are some of the most inaccessible places for a seemingly omnipresent civilization. Therefore, it is here that many tribes and nationalities live, almost completely isolated from the world, and therefore living almost the same as their distant ancestors.

A large ethnic group whose ancestors were Turkic, Mongolian, Indo-Iranian tribes and the Huns, who inhabited lands from Siberia to Black Sea coast. They live mainly in the Mongolian province of Bayan-Olgi (Elgi).

These people appeared on the territory of Mongolia as a result of large-scale resettlement in the 19th century. Today, representatives of the ethnic group live almost the same way as their ancestors did several centuries ago - they graze cattle, hunt with the help of tamed eagles, manually tan animal skins and sew clothes from them, believe in evil and good spirits and listen to shamans.

Eagle hunters are highly respected among the people. The skill of training noble birds is passed down from generation to generation. And once a year, thousands of people gather for the Golden Eagle Festival, where best hunters They demonstrate their art together with their pets. This festival traditionally marks the beginning of the hunting season.

Mustang

Mustang or Lo is a high-mountain kingdom in the Himalayas, whose inhabitants still do not know anything about electricity, televisions and telephones. They don't even have warm clothes, despite quite harsh climate. They still believe that the Earth is flat, and they consider the most effective treatment to be the expulsion of evil spirits from a person.

Due to inaccessibility (to get to Mustang you need to go through seven passes, overcome several mountain streams and pass deep gorges), civilization has not penetrated into the kingdom and people here still live according to the laws of their ancient ancestors.

Polyandry is common in Mustang. Moreover, one woman can most often be the wife of several brothers.

The religion of the kingdom is early Buddhism.

The king rules the country, but greatest influence used by local monks - lamas, who manage all the most important aspects of life: from the timing of sowing and harvesting to the method of burying the dead.

Tsaatani

Literally, the name of the people is translated as “those who own deer.” Representatives of the nationality call themselves the “people of the reindeer” spirit.

The Tsaatans live in the Darkhad Basin in Mongolia. The population is a little over 40 families. As the name implies, they are engaged in reindeer herding. For them, reindeer serve as transport, a method of transporting goods, and a source of food. At the same time, they do not eat deer meat, but only eat what is made from reindeer milk (milk, cheese, butter).

Sometimes the Tsaatan diet includes meat obtained by hunting wild animals. They hunt with crossbows or WWII rifles. Moreover, due to the difficulty of obtaining cartridges for firearms, crossbows remain a priority.

The Tsaatans practice shamanism.

Rabari

The nomadic people of western India, according to legend, created by the goddess Parvati herself to look after camels and other animals. It is assumed that the Rabari originally lived on the Iranian plateau, and about 1 thousand years ago they moved to India.

The main occupation of Rabari men is herding cattle, while women manage the household and do handicrafts. Local embroidery is especially famous.

Rabaris live in small villages consisting of one or two-room houses without any amenities. But the interior design of the home is a real work of art, in which women fully demonstrate their love for jewelry.

Ladakhi

An ancient Indian people living in the Indus Valley in the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir. Their main activity is agriculture. Everyone is involved in growing crops - from the youngest members of the family to the elderly.

Ladakhis have a rich culture whose history dates back more than a thousand years. During the “non-working” months, when the weather does not allow activities agriculture, they devote to all kinds of holidays and rituals.

Among other ancient customs, the people have preserved fraternal polyandry - the system family relations, when one woman simultaneously becomes the wife of all the brothers in the family.

The people inhabiting the “roof of the world.” Its population is more than 5 million people, living according to their own traditions and customs. Traditionally, Tibetans are divided into several categories: sedentary farmers, semi-sedentary farmers-pastoralists and pastoral nomads. Depending on their group affiliation, their clothing, housing, and entire way of life may differ.

Various crafts were also widely developed among the Tibetans, and local medicine based on herbs, minerals and other gifts of nature became famous throughout the world.

Scientists consider the nomadic Qiang tribes to be the ancestors of the Tibetans. The people consider themselves the descendants of the monkey god and the witch.

Drukpa

Group related peoples, the total number of which is about 2.5 thousand people. They live in the Himalayan ranges in Bhutan.

The main occupations of the Drukpas are agriculture and animal husbandry. In this case, the first is carried out using the simplest tools. Farming is mainly done by women. In addition, the people trade the products of their activities with neighboring countries.

The language and customs of the Drukpas are different from those of their neighbors and have remained unchanged for many hundreds of years.

Far North

Another region of the world where, due to harsh weather conditions, civilization and progress penetrate very, very slowly, allowing local residents preserve their traditions, customs and way of life.

Chukchi

Currently, the number of this people numbers just over 15 thousand representatives. Moreover, their habitat extends from the Bering Sea to the river. Indigirka, from the Arctic Ocean to the river. Anadyr.

There are two main groups of people: the tundra and coastal Chukchi. The former are engaged in nomadic reindeer herding, the latter – commercial hunting for seals, seals, walruses and whales. Moreover, for hunting in Lately The Chukchi prefer to use firearms.

Despite the fact that some attributes of modern civilization have reached here (the same weapons), for the most part the life of the Chukchi has remained the same as it was hundreds of years ago. Their cultural traditions and even religion - the Chuchkas profess animism and believe in various spirits, to whom they turn for help in solving difficult life situations.

Nenets

They live on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The main activity is reindeer herding, sometimes fishing.

Nomadic reindeer herders live in tents with minimal amenities. Almost the only evidence of civilization in modern plagues are portable power stations used to illuminate the home (previously they were lit exclusively by the hearth and small man-made lamps).

The Nenets wear traditional fur clothing, which is sewn by women and used various decorations, also made by hand.

They believe in divine spirits, use idols for worship and make sacrifices to the gods, seeking their blessings and protection.

Africa

Despite the fact that Africa is considered the cradle of modern man and the fact that its territories have been studied and explored for many hundreds of years, it is here that the most a large number of original tribes. Many of these tribes still live almost in the Stone Age, knowing nothing not only about modern technologies, but also about basic amenities.

Maasai

A fairly numerous people leading a semi-nomadic lifestyle in Kenya and Tanzania. The main activity is cattle breeding. At the same time, the most important thing for a local man is to become a real warrior who will not be afraid even of a lion. Previously, such a need arose in connection with the need to protect their herds from attacks on them by neighboring tribes, but today it is more a tribute to the traditions of their ancestors.

Himba

A tribe of shepherds living in one of the harshest regions of the planet - the deserts of Namibia. Main value for members of the tribe - their livestock.

The Himba live in several scattered settlements, each of which forms a circle, with a cattle pen in the center.

They feed mainly on what cows, sheep and goats give them. In order to diversify the diet, women of the tribe collect various herbs or fields of corn and millet are planted around the village.

The tribe's beliefs revolve around animals and fire worship.

Despite numerous attempts by Christian missionaries and local authorities, the Himba continue to live according to the laws bequeathed by their ancestors, making do with what nature and their own craft give them.

The closest relatives of the Maasai lead the life of nomadic pastoralists. They live in the north of Kenya and to this day sacredly honor the traditions and customs of their ancestors, avoiding any influences of modern civilization.

The Samburu live in collapsible manyattas made from hides and clay. They surround their settlements with prickly fences, which can also be disassembled into separate sections during relocation.

A tribe that has received the title of “most bloodthirsty” in Africa. And all because they very zealously protect their territories from outsiders, using weapons without hesitation.

The Mursi live in the area between the Omo and Mago rivers, in southwestern Ethiopia.

By occupation, the Mursi are cattle breeders. But to diversify the diet, some cereal crops are also grown. Not so long ago, one of the favorite pastimes of the men of the tribe was hunting, but due to the creation of protected areas, hunting grounds were greatly reduced.

The calling card of the tribe is women with ceramic circles inserted into their lower lips.

Dasanech

Following the example of their primitive ancestors, the Dasanech are engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding. Much less common among them are fishermen, hunters and gatherers - these types of activities are not held in high esteem among members of the tribe.

The Dasanech live in the Omo River Valley and are considered the indigenous population of southwestern Ethiopia.

Hamer

They live in the Omo River Valley. The number of the tribe is about 50 thousand representatives. Hamer are excellent shepherds and livestock breeders. Cattle breeding is considered the main activity of the men of the tribe. Women, in turn, grow corn, sorghum, and pumpkin.

According to local customs, men get married quite late - after 30 years, but girls get married at the age of 17. At the same time, polygamy is common in the tribe.

The Hamer are pagans, worship the forces of nature and do not recognize other religions.

Bana (Benna)

The closest neighbors are Hamer. Researchers believe that these tribes were once one, but many centuries ago they separated. The Bana lead a semi-nomadic lifestyle. Among the especially valuable men's occupations- beekeeping. Representatives of the tribe not only eat honey themselves, but also sell it, exchanging it for tools that they cannot make on their own.

Caro

The habitat of this tribe is adjacent to the habitat of the Bana and Hamer. Today there are only just over a thousand Karo representatives. Previously, their main activity was raising goats, but due to the spread of the tsetse fly, the scourge of any livestock, the Karo had to almost completely retrain as farmers.

Another activity is fishing. Moreover, they do it in a very unusual and in an original way- using long pointed sticks.

Arbore (erbore)

Another inhabitants of the river valley. Omo numbering about 4.5 thousand people. The Erbore are highly respected by their neighbors - priests of other tribes often turn to them for help, since according to legend, even the devil himself could not defeat this tribe.

Members of the tribe are engaged in livestock breeding and trade. In between work, they dance and sing, believing that dancing and singing eliminate negative energy.

The Arbore call their supreme deity Vak, and the wealth of a family is measured by the number of livestock.

Oceania

An exotic corner of the planet where you can easily travel back to the times of primitive people. This is where not just savages live, who do not know and do not obey the laws of civilization, but real cannibals.

Hooley

A Papuan people who have lived in the Southern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea for over a thousand years. In terms of numbers, it is one of the largest in the region. The name of the tribe translates as “people in wigs,” and its calling card is the faces of men painted with bright paint to intimidate the enemy.

They strongly adhere to animistic beliefs and make sacrifices to the spirits of their ancestors in an attempt to appease them.

The men of the tribe spend almost all their time hunting, while the women are engaged in farming, gardening and collecting gifts of nature.

Yali

One of the peoples for whom human meat is still considered a favorite delicacy. Trying to fight this habit local authorities, however, the prohibitions of civilization are not able to completely eliminate the thousand-year-old laws of our ancestors. True, as a result of the work carried out by Christian missionaries in the last hundreds of years, the Yali stopped eating the meat of white people.

They place their homes on mountain ridges for protection from neighboring tribes. Food is cooked directly on hot stones lying on the ground.

The main occupations are hunting and farming. Yali also have domestic animals, including chickens and pigs. The latter, by the way, are very popular - because of them, it may even begin real war between neighboring tribes.

Korowai

Another Papuan tribe that, on occasion, will not refuse to eat human flesh. Korowai build their homes in trees, and their main activities are hunting, fishing and gathering. At the same time, they hunt with the most primitive tools.

They never maintained contact with the surrounding peoples, which contributed to the preservation of their way of life the same as hundreds of years ago.

Polygamy is common in the tribe.

The Korowai believe in the possibility of communication with the afterlife and revere their sorcerers. However, if trouble happens, then the same sorcerer is necessarily blamed for it and the unfortunate person is simply eaten. “Communication” with spirits is facilitated by smoking narcotic herbs, which, by the way, is one of the reasons short duration The average lifespan of a Korowai is 30 years.

They are often called "clay people" or "mud people." And all because it is the custom of the tribe to cover themselves with white clay and wear clay masks to scare away enemies. At the same time, the tribe is quite harmless, unlike its neighbors in the region.

Currently, the village of Asaro is the small town of Goroka.

Until relatively recently (almost until the middle of the last century), Europeans knew nothing about this tribe, and the tribe, accordingly, had no contact with modern civilization.

Kalam

Residents of the mountain village of Simbay. Getting here is not easy, which was the reason for the isolated development of the people and their preservation of the traditions and customs of their ancient ancestors.

The men of the tribe spend most of their time hunting, while the women farm and gather wild fruits, roots and herbs.

Relationships in the tribe are friendly and strong - the Kalamas live alone big family, in which mutual assistance and mutual assistance are developed.

Maori

Indigenous people of New Zealand. Despite the fact that the Maori have been in close contact with civilization for a long time, they manage to preserve many of their original traditions and customs.

An indelible impression on tourists is made by Maori dances and their tattoos, which serve as a pedigree and to indicate the status of their bearer.

Dani

They live in the mountainous areas of Western New Guinea, Papua province. They are engaged in hunting, gathering, herding and trading.

On high level Dani also have agriculture, in which irrigation is skillfully used. Like most tribes in the region, they often enter into military conflicts with their neighbors, but at the same time, unlike many, they do not eat human meat.

The tribute burial ritual is unique - the bodies are smoked and stored for hundreds of years. Moreover, if a man dies in the family, then his female relatives must cut off the phalanx of their finger.

Ni-Vanuatu

They inhabit the state of Vanuatu, located in the Pacific Ocean. Previously, the tribe was considered one of the most ferocious among its neighbors; ritual cannibalism was practiced in it.

Today, representatives of the tribe do not eat human flesh, although their other customs, inherited from their ancestors, are still revered sacredly.

South America

Gaucho

Argentina's version of cowboys. Before large areas of the prairie were adapted for commercial ranching, the gauchos were a wandering people, constantly roaming the local open spaces.

Gauchos are descendants of Spaniards and women of local Indian tribes. Today, their nomadic range has sharply declined, but they still remain excellent riders and hunters.

Warani (Guarani)

The name of the tribe is translated as "people". It lives in eastern Ecuador and until the mid-20th century they had no contact with outside world.

Even in the last century, the tribe practiced eating human flesh, but after the arrival of Catholic missionaries, the Uorani try not to remember this habit.

Currently, the beliefs of the people are a mixture of Christianity and paganism. At the same time, as many years ago, the Uorani are engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, and hunting wild animals.

True, the achievements of civilization have already seeped here - today, representatives of the tribe practically do not walk naked, preferring to cover their bodies with peculiar clothes.

They don't know what a car, electricity, a hamburger or the United Nations are. They get their food by hunting and fishing, believe that the gods send rain, and do not know how to write or read. They may die from catching a cold or flu. They are a godsend for anthropologists and evolutionists, but they are becoming extinct. They are wild tribes that have preserved the way of life of their ancestors and avoid contact with the modern world.

Sometimes the meeting occurs by chance, and sometimes scientists specifically look for them. For example, on Thursday, May 29, in the Amazon jungle near the Brazilian-Peruvian border, several huts were discovered surrounded by people with bows who tried to fire at the expedition plane. IN in this case specialists from the Peruvian Center for Indian Tribal Affairs carefully flew around the jungle in search of savage settlements.

Although recently scientists rarely describe new tribes: most of them have already been discovered, and there are almost no unexplored places on Earth where they could exist.

Wild tribes live in the territory South America, Africa, Australia and Asia. According to rough estimates, there are about a hundred tribes on Earth that do not or rarely come into contact with the outside world. Many of them prefer to avoid interaction with civilization by any means, so it is quite difficult to keep an accurate record of the number of such tribes. On the other hand, tribes that willingly communicate with modern people gradually disappear or lose their identity. Their representatives gradually adopt our way of life or even go away to live “in the big world.”

Another obstacle preventing the full study of tribes is their immune system. "Modern Savages" for a long time developed in isolation from the rest of the world. The most common diseases for most people, such as a runny nose or flu, can be fatal for them. The body of savages does not have antibodies against many common infections. When the flu virus strikes a person from Paris or Mexico City, his immune system immediately recognizes the “attacker”, since it has already encountered him before. Even if a person has never had the flu, immune cells “trained” against this virus enter his body from his mother. The savage is practically defenseless against the virus. As long as his body can develop an adequate “response,” the virus may well kill him.

But recently, tribes have been forced to change their usual habitats. Development modern man new territories and deforestation where savages live, forcing them to establish new settlements. If they find themselves close to the settlements of other tribes, conflicts may arise between their representatives. And again, cross-infection with diseases typical for each tribe cannot be ruled out. Not all tribes were able to survive when faced with civilization. But some manage to maintain their numbers at a constant level and not succumb to the temptations of the “big world”.

Be that as it may, anthropologists were able to study the lifestyle of some tribes. Knowledge about their social structure, language, tools, creativity and beliefs helps scientists better understand how human development took place. In fact, every such tribe is a model ancient world, representing possible options for the evolution of culture and people's thinking.

Piraha

In the Brazilian jungle, in the valley of the Meiki River, lives the Piraha tribe. There are about two hundred people in the tribe, they exist thanks to hunting and gathering and actively resist being introduced into “society”. The Piraha have unique language features. First, there are no words for shades of color. Secondly, the Pirahã language lacks the grammatical structures necessary for the formation of indirect speech. Thirdly, the Pirahã people do not know numerals and the words “more”, “several”, “all” and “every”.

One word, but pronounced with different intonation, serves to designate the numbers “one” and “two”. It can also mean “about one” or “not very many.” Due to the lack of words for numbers, the Pirahã cannot count and cannot solve simple mathematical problems. They are unable to estimate the number of objects if there are more than three. At the same time, the Pirahã show no signs of a decline in intelligence. According to linguists and psychologists, their thinking is artificially limited by the features of language.

The Pirahã have no creation myths, and a strict taboo prohibits them from talking about things that are not part of them. own experience. Despite this, the Pirahã are quite sociable and capable of organized actions in small groups.

Cinta larga

The Sinta Larga tribe also lives in Brazil. Once the number of the tribe exceeded five thousand people, but now it has decreased to one and a half thousand. The minimum social unit of the Sinta Larga is the family: a man, several of his wives and their children. They can move freely from one settlement to another, but more often they establish their own home. The Sinta Larga engage in hunting, fishing and farming. When the land where their house stands becomes less fertile or game leaves the forests, the Sinta Larga move from their place and look for new site for home.

Each Sinta Larga has several names. One thing - the “real name” - is kept secret by each member of the tribe; only the closest relatives know it. During their life, Sinta Largas receive several more names depending on their individual characteristics or important events that happened to them. Sinta Larga society is patriarchal and male polygamy is common.

The Sinta Larga have suffered greatly due to contact with the outside world. In the jungle where the tribe lives, there are many rubber trees. Rubber collectors systematically exterminated the Indians, claiming that they were interfering with their work. Later, diamond deposits were discovered in the territory where the tribe lived, and several thousand miners from all over the world rushed to develop the Sinta Larga land, which is illegal. The tribe members themselves also tried to mine diamonds. Conflicts often arose between savages and diamond lovers. In 2004, 29 miners were killed by Sinta Larga people. After that, the government allocated $810,000 to the tribe in exchange for a promise to close the mines, allow police cordons to be placed near them, and not engage in stone mining themselves.

Tribes of Nicobar and Andaman Islands

The Nicobar and Andaman Islands group is located 1,400 kilometers off the coast of India. Six primitive tribes lived in complete isolation on the remote islands: the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Shompens, Sentinelese and Negrito. After the devastating 2004 tsunami, many feared the tribes had disappeared forever. However, it later turned out that most of them, to the great joy of anthropologists, were saved.

The tribes of the Nicobar and Andaman Islands are in the Stone Age in their development. Representatives of one of them - the Negritos - are considered the most ancient inhabitants of the planet who have survived to this day. The average height of a Negrito is about 150 centimeters, and Marco Polo wrote about them as “dog-faced cannibals.”

Korubo

Cannibalism is a fairly common practice among primitive tribes. And although most of them prefer to find other sources of food, some have maintained this tradition. For example, the Korubo, who live in the western part of the Amazon Valley. The Korubo are an extremely aggressive tribe. Hunting and raids on neighboring settlements are their main means of subsistence. Korubo's weapons are heavy clubs and poison darts. The Korubo do not practice religious rites, but they have a widespread practice of killing their own children. Korubo women have equal rights with men.

Cannibals from Papua New Guinea

The most famous cannibals are, perhaps, the tribes of Papua New Guinea and Borneo. The cannibals of Borneo are cruel and indiscriminate: they eat both their enemies and tourists or old people from their tribe. The last surge in cannibalism was noted in Borneo at the end of the past - the beginning of this century. This happened when the Indonesian government tried to colonize some areas of the island.

In New Guinea, especially in its eastern part, cases of cannibalism are observed much less frequently. Of the primitive tribes living there, only three - the Yali, Vanuatu and Karafai - still practice cannibalism. The most cruel tribe is the Karafai, and the Yali and Vanuatu eat someone on rare ceremonial occasions or out of necessity. The Yali are also famous for their death festival, when the men and women of the tribe paint themselves as skeletons and try to please Death. Previously, to be sure, they killed a shaman, whose brain was eaten by the leader of the tribe.

Emergency ration

The dilemma of primitive tribes is that attempts to study them often lead to their destruction. Anthropologists and ordinary travelers find it difficult to refuse the prospect of going to stone Age. In addition, the habitat modern people is constantly expanding. Primitive tribes managed to carry their way of life through many millennia, however, it seems that in the end the savages will join the list of those who could not stand the meeting with modern man.

Surprisingly, there are still the most savage tribes of the Amazon and Africa who have managed to survive the onset of a ruthless civilization. We are here surfing the Internet, struggling to conquer thermonuclear energy and flying further into space, and these few remnants of prehistoric times lead the same way of life that was familiar to them and our ancestors a hundred thousand years ago. To completely immerse yourself in the atmosphere wildlife, it’s not enough to just read the article and look at the pictures, you need to go to Africa yourself, for example, by ordering a safari in Tanzania.

The wildest tribes of the Amazon

1. Piraha

The Pirahã tribe lives on the banks of the Mahi River. Approximately 300 Aboriginal people are engaged in gathering and hunting. This tribe was discovered by Catholic missionary Daniel Everett. He lived next to them for several years, after which he finally lost faith in God and became an atheist. His first contact with the Pirahã took place in 1977. Trying to convey the word of God to the aborigines, he began to study their language and quickly achieved success in this. But the more he immersed himself in primitive culture, the more surprised he was.
The Pirahãs have a very strange language: there is no indirect speech, words denoting colors and numerals (anything more than two is “many” for them). They did not, like us, create myths about the creation of the world, they do not have a calendar, but for all this, their intellect is no weaker than ours. The Piraha have not thought of private property, they do not have any reserves - they immediately eat the caught prey or the collected fruits, so they do not rack their brains over storage and planning for the future. Such views seem primitive to us, however, Everett came to a different conclusion. Living one day at a time and with what nature provides, the Pirahã are freed from fears for the future and all sorts of worries with which we burden our souls. That's why they are happier than us, so why do they need gods?

2. Sinta Larga

Lives in Brazil wild tribe Sinta Larga numbering approximately 1,500 people. It once lived in the rubber jungle, but their massive cutting down led to the fact that the Sinta Larga moved to nomadic life. They engage in hunting, fishing and collecting gifts of nature. Sinta Larga are polygamous - men have several wives. During his life, a man gradually acquires several names that characterize either his qualities or the events that happened to him; there is also a secret name that only his mother and father know.
As soon as the tribe catches all the game near the village, and the depleted land stops bearing fruit, it leaves the place and moves to a new place. During the move, the names of the Sinta Largs also change; only the “secret” name remains unchanged. Unfortunately for this small tribe, civilized people found on their lands occupying 21,000 square meters. km, rich reserves of gold, diamonds and tin. Of course, they couldn’t just leave these riches in the ground. However, the Sinta Largi turned out to be a warlike tribe, ready to defend themselves. So, in 2004, they killed 29 miners on their territory and did not suffer any punishment for this, except that they were driven into a reservation with an area of ​​2.5 million hectares.

3. Korubo

Closer to the sources of the Amazon River lives very warlike tribe korubo They make their living mainly by hunting and raiding neighboring tribes. Both men and women participate in these raids, and their weapons are clubs and poisoned darts. There is evidence that the tribe sometimes reaches the point of cannibalism.

4. Amondava

The Amondava tribe living in the jungle has no concept of time; there is no such word even in their language, as well as such concepts as “year”, “month”, etc. Linguists were discouraged by this phenomenon and are trying to understand whether it is typical and other tribes from the Amazon basin. Among the Amondawa, therefore, ages are not mentioned, and when growing up or changing his status in the tribe, the aborigine simply takes a new name. Also absent in the Amondava language are phrases that describe the process of the passage of time in spatial terms. We, for example, say “before this” (meaning not space, but time), “this incident was left behind,” but in the Amondava language there are no such constructions.

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5. Kayapo

In Brazil, in the eastern part of the Amazon basin there is a tributary of the Hengu, on the banks of which the Kayapo tribe lives. This is very mysterious tribe The population of approximately 3,000 people is engaged in the usual activities of the aborigines: fishing, hunting and gathering. The Kayapo are great experts in the knowledge of the healing properties of plants, they use some of them to treat their fellow tribesmen, and others for witchcraft. Shamans from the Kayapo tribe use herbs to treat female infertility and improve potency in men.
However, most of all they interested researchers with their legends, which tell that in the distant past they were guided by heavenly wanderers. The first Kayapo chief arrived in a kind of cocoon, drawn by a whirlwind. Some attributes from modern rituals are also consonant with these legends, for example, objects resembling aircraft and space suits. Tradition says that the leader who descended from heaven lived with the tribe for several years and then returned to heaven.

The wildest African tribes

6. Nuba

The African Nuba tribe numbers about 10,000 people. Nuba lands lie in Sudan. This is a separate community with its own language, which does not come into contact with the outside world, and therefore has so far been protected from the influence of civilization. This tribe has a very remarkable makeup ritual. Women of the tribe scar their bodies with intricate patterns, pierce their lower lip and insert quartz crystals into it.
Their mating ritual, associated with annual dances, is also interesting. During them, girls point to their favorites, placing their leg on their shoulder from behind. The happy chosen one does not see the girl’s face, but can inhale the smell of her sweat. However, such an “affair” does not have to end in a wedding; it is only permission for the groom to sneak into her parents’ house, where she lives, secretly from her parents at night. The presence of children is not a basis for recognizing the legality of a marriage. A man must live with his pets until he builds his own hut. Only then will the couple be able to sleep together legally, but for another year after the housewarming, the spouses cannot eat from the same pot.

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7. Mursi

Women from the Mursi tribe have an exotic lower lip as their calling card. It is cut for girls when they are children, and pieces of wood are inserted into the cut over time. bigger size. Finally, on the wedding day, a debi is inserted into the drooping lip - a plate made of baked clay, the diameter of which can reach up to 30 cm.
Mursi easily become drunkards and constantly carry clubs or Kalashnikovs with them, which they are not averse to using. When fights for supremacy take place within a tribe, they often end in the death of the losing side. Mursi women's bodies typically look sickly and flabby, with sagging breasts and hunched backs. They are almost devoid of hair on their heads, hiding this defect with incredibly fluffy headdresses, the material for which can be anything that comes to hand: dried fruits, branches, pieces of rough leather, someone's tails, swamp mollusks, dead insects and other carrion. It is difficult for Europeans to be near Mursi because of their unbearable smell.

8. Hamer (hamar)

On the eastern side of Africa's Omo Valley live the Hamer or Hamar people, numbering approximately 35,000 - 50,000 people. Along the banks of the river there are their villages, made up of huts with pointed roofs, covered with thatch or grass. The entire household is located inside the hut: a bed, a hearth, a granary and a goat pen. But only two or three wives and children live in the huts, and the head of the family always either grazes cattle or protects the tribe’s possessions from attacks by other tribes.
Dating with wives occurs very rarely, and at these rare moments, children are conceived. But even after returning to the family for a while, the men, having beaten their wives to their hearts content with long rods, are satisfied with that, and go to sleep in pits that resemble graves, and even cover themselves with earth to the point of mild asphyxia. Apparently, they like this semi-fainting state more than intimacy with their wives, and even those, to tell the truth, are not delighted with the “caresses” of their husbands and prefer to please each other. As soon as a girl develops external sexual characteristics (at about 12 years of age), she is considered ready for marriage. On the wedding day, the newly-made husband, having beaten the bride hard with a reed rod (the more scars remain on her body, the more deeply he loves), puts a silver collar around her neck, which she will wear for the rest of her life.

Most people want to get a window seat on an airplane to enjoy the views below, including take-off and landing views...

9. Bushmen

IN South Africa There is a group of tribes collectively called the Bushmen. These are people of short stature, wide cheekbones, with narrow eyes and swollen eyelids. Their skin color is difficult to determine, since in the Kalahari it is not customary to waste water on washing, but they are definitely lighter than neighboring tribes. Leading a wandering, half-starved life, the Bushmen believe in an afterlife. They have neither a tribal leader, nor a shaman, and in general there is not even a hint of social hierarchy. But the elder of the tribe enjoys authority, although he does not have privileges or material advantages.
The Bushmen surprise with their cuisine, especially “Bushman rice” - ant larvae. Young Bushmen are considered the most beautiful in Africa. But as soon as they reach puberty and give birth, they appearance changes radically: the buttocks and thighs spread sharply, and the stomach remains bloated. All this is not a consequence of dietary nutrition. To distinguish a pregnant Bushwoman from the rest of her potbellied tribesmen, she is coated with ocher or ash. And Bushmen men at 35 already look like 80-year-old men - their skin sags everywhere and becomes covered with deep wrinkles.

10. Maasai

The Maasai people are slender, tall, and they braid their hair in clever ways. They differ from other African tribes in their manner of behavior. While most tribes easily come into contact with outsiders, the Maasai, who have an innate sense of dignity, keep their distance. But these days they have become much more sociable, even agreeing to video and photography.
The Maasai number about 670,000 and live in Tanzania and Kenya in East Africa, where they engage in livestock farming. According to their beliefs, the gods entrusted the Maasai with the care and guardianship of all the cows in the world. Maasai childhood, which is the most carefree period in their lives, ends at the age of 14, culminating in an initiation ritual. Moreover, both boys and girls have it. The initiation of girls comes down to the terrible custom of circumcision of the clitoris for Europeans, but without it they cannot get married and do housework. After such a procedure, they do not feel pleasure from intimacy, so they will be faithful wives.
After initiation, boys turn into morans - young warriors. Their hair is coated with ocher and covered with a bandage, they are given a sharp spear, and something like a sword is hung on their belt. In this form, the moran should pass with his head held high for several months.

The exact number of African peoples is unknown, and ranges from five hundred to seven thousand. This is explained by the vagueness of the separation criteria, under which residents of two neighboring villages can consider themselves to be different nationalities without having any special differences. Scientists are inclined to the figure of 1-2 thousand to determine ethnic communities.

The bulk of the peoples of Africa include groups consisting of several thousand and sometimes hundreds of people, but at the same time they do not exceed 10% of the total population of this continent. As a rule, such small ethnic groups are the most savage tribes. The Mursi tribe, for example, belongs to this group.

Tribal Journeys Ep 05 The Mursi:

Living in southwestern Ethiopia, on the border with Kenya and Sudan, settled in Mago Park, the Mursi tribe is distinguished by unusually strict customs. They can rightfully be nominated for the title: the most aggressive ethnic group.

They are prone to frequent consumption of alcohol and uncontrolled use of weapons (everyone constantly carries Kalashnikov assault rifles or fighting sticks with them). In fights, they can often beat each other almost to death, trying to prove their dominance in the tribe.

Scientists attribute this tribe to a mutated Negroid race, with distinctive features in the form of short stature, wide bones and crooked legs, low and tightly compressed foreheads, flattened noses and inflated short necks.

In the more public Mursi who come into contact with civilization, it is not always possible to see all these characteristic attributes, but their exotic appearance lower lip- This business card tribe.

The lower lip is cut in childhood, pieces of wood are inserted there, gradually increasing their diameter, and on the wedding day a “plate” of baked clay is inserted into it - debi (up to 30 centimeters!!). If a Mursi girl does not make such a hole in her lip, then they will give a very small ransom for her.

When the plate is pulled out, the lip hangs down in a long, round rope. Almost all Mursi have no front teeth, and their tongue is cracked and bleeding.

The second strange and terrifying decoration of Mursi women is the monista, which is made from human phalanges of fingers (nek). One person has only 28 of these bones in his hands. Each necklace costs its victims five or six tassels; for some lovers of “costume jewelry,” the monista wraps around the neck in several rows, glistening greasyly and emitting a sweetish, rotting smell of melted human fat, which is rubbed on every bone every day. The source for beads never runs low: the priestess of the tribe is ready to deprive the hands of a man who has broken the laws for almost every offense.

It is customary for this tribe to do scarification (scarring). Men can afford scarring only after the first murder of one of their enemies or ill-wishers.

Their religion, animism, deserves a longer and more shocking story.
Briefly: women are Priestesses of Death, so they give their husbands drugs and poisons every day. The High Priestess distributes antidotes, but sometimes salvation does not come to everyone. In such cases, a white cross is drawn on the widow's plate, and she becomes a very respected member of the tribe, who is not eaten after death, but is buried in the trunks of special ritual trees. Honor is due to such priestesses due to the fulfillment of the main mission - the will of the God of Death Yamda, which they were able to fulfill by destroying the physical body and freeing the highest spiritual Essence from their man.

The rest of the dead will be collectively eaten by the entire tribe. Soft tissues are boiled in a cauldron, bones are used for amulets and thrown in swamps to mark dangerous places.

What seems very wild for a European is commonplace and tradition for the Mursi.

Film: Shocking Africa. 18++ The exact name of the film is Nude Magic / Magia Nuda (Mondo Magic) 1975.

Film: In Search of Tribes of Hunters E02 Hunting in the Kalahari. San tribe.

In the modern world on Earth, every year there are fewer and fewer secluded places where civilization has not set foot. It's coming everywhere. And wild tribes are often forced to change the places of their settlements. Those of them that make contact with the civilized world are gradually disappearing. They, libor, dissolve in modern society, or simply die out.

The thing is that centuries of life in complete isolation did not allow the immune system of these people to properly develop. Their body has not learned to produce antibodies that can resist the most common infections. A common cold can be fatal for them.

Nevertheless, anthropologists continue to study wild tribes whenever possible. After all, each of them is nothing more than a model of the ancient world. Kind, possible variant human evolution.

Piahu Indians

The way of life of wild tribes generally fits within the framework of our idea of primitive people. They live mainly in polygamous families. They engage in hunting and gathering. But the way of thinking and language of some of them is capable of striking any civilized imagination.

Once upon a time, the famous anthropologist, linguist and preacher Daniel Everett went to the Amazonian Piraha tribe for scientific and missionary purposes. First of all, he was struck by the language of the Indians. It had only three vowels and seven consonants. They did not have the slightest idea about the only and plural. There were no numerals in their language at all. And why would they need them, if the Piraha didn’t even have a clue about what was more and less. It also turned out that the people of this tribe live outside of any time. Such concepts as present, past and future were alien to him. In general, the polyglot Everett had a very difficult time learning the Pirahu language.

Everett’s missionary mission was in for a big embarrassment. First, the savages asked the preacher whether he personally knew Jesus. And when they found out that he was not, they immediately lost all interest in the Gospel. And when Everett told them that God himself created man, they fell into complete bewilderment. This bewilderment could be translated something like this: “What are you doing? Isn’t he as stupid as people are?”

As a result, after visiting this tribe, the unfortunate Everett, according to him, almost turned from a convinced Christian into a complete one.

Cannibalism still exists

Some wild tribes also have cannibalism. Now cannibalism among savages is not as common as it was about a hundred years ago, but still cases of eating their own kind are not uncommon. The savages of the island of Borneo are the most successful in this matter; they are famous for their cruelty and indiscriminateness. These cannibals happily eat tourists too. Although the last outbreak of kakibalism dates back to the beginning of the last century. Now this phenomenon among wild tribes is episodic.

But in general, according to scientists, the fate of wild tribes on Earth has already been decided. In just a few decades they will finally disappear.