Life of wild African tribes. The wildest tribes in Africa

The exact number of African peoples is unknown, and ranges from five hundred to seven thousand. This is due to the fuzziness of the separation criteria, under which the inhabitants of two neighboring villages can identify themselves as different nationalities, without having any special differences. Scientists tend to figure 1-2 thousand to determine ethnic communities.

The main part of the peoples of Africa includes groups consisting of several thousand, and sometimes hundreds of people, but at the same time - does not exceed 10% of the total population of this continent. As a rule, such small ethnic groups are the wildest tribes. It is to this group that, for example, the Mursi tribe belongs.

Tribal Journeys Ep 05 The Mursi:

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

They are prone to frequent alcohol consumption and uncontrolled use of weapons (everyone constantly carries Kalashnikov assault rifles, or combat sticks). 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 strongly compressed foreheads, flattened noses and pumped up short necks.

In the more public, in contact with civilization, Mursi, you can not always see all these characteristic attributes, but the exotic look of their lower lip is the calling card of the 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 a very small ransom will be given for her.

When the plate is pulled out, the lip droops like a long round cord. Almost all Mursi have no front teeth, the tongue is cracked to the point of blood.

The second strange and frightening adornment of Mursi women is the monista, which are recruited from human finger phalanges (nek). One person has only 28 of these bones in their hands. Each necklace costs its victims five or six tassels, some lovers of “jewelry” monist wrap their necks in several rows, shining greasy and emitting a sweetish rotting smell of melted human fat, which every bone is rubbed daily. The source for the beads never runs out: the priestess of the tribe is ready to deprive the hands of a man who has violated the laws for almost every offense.

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

Their religion, animism, deserves a longer and more shocking story.
In short: women are Death Priestesses, so they daily give their husbands drugs and poisons. Antidotes are distributed by the High Priestess, 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 buried in the trunks of special ritual trees. Honor is given to such priestesses because of 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 are waiting for the collective eating of the whole tribe. Soft fabrics are boiled in a cauldron, bones are used for jewelry-amulets and thrown on swamps to mark dangerous places.

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

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It is quite difficult for a modern person to imagine how one can do without all the benefits of civilization to which we are accustomed. But there are still corners on our planet where tribes live, which are extremely far from civilization. They are not familiar with the latest achievements of mankind, but at the same time they feel great and are not going to make contact with the modern world. We invite you to get acquainted with some of them.

Sentinelese. This tribe lives on an island in the Indian Ocean. They fire arrows at anyone who dares to approach their territory. This tribe has absolutely no contact with other tribes, preferring to enter into intra-tribal marriages and maintain its population in the region of 400 people. Once, National Geographic employees tried to get to know them better, having previously laid out various offerings on the coast. Of all the gifts, the Sentinelese left only red buckets for themselves, everything else was thrown into the sea. Even the pigs, which were also among the offerings, they shot with a bow from afar, and buried the carcasses in the ground. It didn't even occur to them that they could be eaten. When the people, who decided that it was now possible to get to know each other, decided to approach, they were forced to take cover from the arrows and flee.

Piraha. This tribe is one of the most primitive known to mankind. The language of this tribe does not shine with diversity. It does not contain, for example, the names of various color shades, the definition of natural phenomena - the set of words is minimal. Housing is built from branches in the form of a hut, there is almost nothing from household items. They don't even have a number system. In this tribe, it is forbidden to borrow the words and traditions of foreign tribes, but they also do not have the concept of their own culture. They have no idea about the creation of the world, they do not believe anything that has not been experienced by themselves. However, they are not aggressive at all.

Loaves. This tribe was discovered quite recently, in the late 90s of the XX century. Little monkey-like men live in huts in the trees, otherwise the "sorcerers" will get them. They behave very aggressively, they let strangers in reluctantly. As pets, wild pigs are tamed, which are used on the farm as horse-drawn vehicles. Only when the pig is already old and unable to carry cargo can it be fried and eaten. Women in the tribe are considered common, but they make love only once a year, at other times women cannot be touched.

Masai. This is a tribe of born warriors and herdsmen. They do not consider it shameful to take away cattle from another tribe, since they are sure that all the cattle in the area belong to them. They are engaged in cattle breeding and hunting. While the man is dozing in the hut with a spear in his hands, his wife takes care of the rest of the household. Polygamy in the Maasai tribe is a tradition, and in our time this tradition is forced, as there are not enough men in the tribe.

Nicobar and Andaman tribes. These tribes do not disdain cannibalism. From time to time they raid each other to profit from the little man. But since they understand that such food as a person grows and is not added very quickly, recently they began to organize such raids only on a certain day - the holiday of the goddess of Death. In their free time, the men make poison arrows. To do this, they catch snakes, and stone axes are sharpened to such a state that it costs nothing to cut off a person’s head. In especially hungry times, women can even eat their children and the elderly.

Many people consider Africa to be a very beautiful continent, which is home to many tribes with interesting and sometimes quite strange traditions. Life in Africa for modern people who use mobile phones, know what drugs, nanotechnology, etc., seems primitive and absurd. But these tribes honor the memory of their ancestors, follow their advice, instructions and teachings. Today we will talk about African women and their plight.

Dance while you are young

In many tribes, there is a tradition to gather for the so-called bride gatherings. Girls who will soon be married off come to a common "bachelorette party". During it, they prepare a dowry, share their plans for the future, and undergo a virginity test. If a girl had sexual relations before marriage, she may be burned at the stake.

Girls are also tested for endurance. This is quite logical, given that African women must perform heavy physical work daily under the scorching sun. But the test takes place in a rather interesting form of disco. The girls are forced to dance and sing. The dance of African women undergoing testing lasts for 10 days. Of course, there are small breaks for sleep, but only for a couple of hours. They give only a couple of bananas to eat, which are allowed to be washed down with a few sips of water. In the evening, a large fire is lit in the center of the dance floor.

If the girl does not pass this test, she is expelled from her parental home forever. No one else will marry her, and there will be no “retake” either.

Another test is for posterity. Women who have not become pregnant for 3 years after marriage are considered inferior. At best, such an unfortunate woman is returned to her parents, but some tribes prefer to drive them out of the village.

There is an explanation for such a strange tradition. It is believed that such African women pass on their barrenness to the earth, gardens, men and animals. The consequences can even affect the neighbors of a barren woman.

But there is one tribe that treats this tradition very gently. African women of the Rundu tribe can simulate pregnancy while wearing it. After 9 months, childbirth is staged, then a newborn from a large family is adopted or adopted. At the same time, no one has the right to talk about the secret of a small child, since the leader forbids this.

African beauty

Most likely, African women have not heard about the model parameters 90 × 60 × 90. Each tribe has its own ideals of beauty. For example, in the Bantu tribe, women with a narrow and long face are considered very beautiful, and in the Akan tribe, beauties with long and even noses are especially popular.

Mendi women whiten their skin throughout their lives, using special clay for this.

They are considered very attractive on the body of which there are many scars earned not in battles, but at home. To do this, beauties specially cut their bodies, rub their wounds with ash or sand so that the scars remain as visible as possible.

african fashion

Even at school, for sure, every student thought about why rings were needed on the necks of African women. For representatives of the Ndebele tribe, this is a kind of decoration that indicates the viability of her husband. Accordingly, the richer the husband, the more rings on his wife's neck. Remove these decorations only in case of death of the spouse.

Tribal residents of Mursi from the age of 12 strive to become fashionable. It is at this age that girls are allowed to insert a plate made of baked clay or a smooth disc from wood into their lips. To do this, a small incision is made in the lower lip. First, a small plate is inserted, which is changed over time. The desired size of the disk, which the girls strive for, reaches 12 cm in diameter.

The women of Kenya adorn their faces with their fashionable designs. Residents of the Mwila tribe prefer to focus on a stylish hairstyle. To make it, a special oncul paste is applied to the hair. It is made from red stone, grinding it. Then oil, manure, plants and tree bark are added.

female circumcision

If male circumcision is considered a tribute to religion and a way to prevent the development of many infections, then female circumcision is a rite that every woman must endure. More than 30 people consider it humane. For their inhabitants, this rite is a kind of purification. They believe that a woman is called to give birth to children, while there is no place for pleasure.

The circumcision procedure has not changed for hundreds of years. To do this, use a ritual knife. There is no way to escape the ceremony. In addition, from early childhood, girls are told that this procedure will improve their lives.

Although many fighters have raised the issue of eradicating this tradition, the problem has not been solved. If circumcision is put on the medical stream, the tradition will take root even more, but if nothing is done, unsanitary conditions during operations will continue to provoke the occurrence of genital infections.

Weekdays

Women in Africa are constantly working. They carry water themselves, cook food, work in the fields, clean, wash, trade in the market, and at the same time still have time to look after the children. Therefore, when they see a woman with bales in her hands and a child on her back, only tourists are surprised. Men's responsibilities include only financing their families.

If the hostess has a surplus of any crops, she can freely dispose of them. For example, sell. At the same time, finances can be spent at its discretion.

African women who live in villages are tied to their land as it is the only thing they have.

African city life

All villagers want to move to the city and work. But it is very difficult for illiterate people to find work. In addition, although positive changes are observed in the legislation, it is still visible in all spheres of life. Active and purposeful ladies become entrepreneurs, trying to develop their small businesses.

The financial injections provided by many countries practically do not change the overall picture of the economic and social development of the continent. Legislation is trying to make changes that will make life easier and easier in Africa, but, unfortunately, these changes are happening too slowly.

Surprisingly, there are still the wildest tribes of the Amazon and Africa, who were still able to survive the onset of a ruthless civilization. It is we who are surfing the Internet here, struggling to conquer thermonuclear energy and flying farther and farther 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. In order to fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of wildlife, it’s not enough just to 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 Piraha tribe lives on the banks of the Mayhe River. Approximately 300 natives are engaged in gathering and hunting. This tribe was discovered by the 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 feast took place in 1977. Trying to convey the word of God to the natives, he began to study their language and quickly achieved success in this. But the more he immersed himself in primitive culture, the more he was surprised.
Piraha have a very strange language: there is no indirect speech, words denoting colors and numerals (everything that is more than two is “a lot” for them). They did not create, as we do, myths about the creation of the world, they do not even have a calendar, but for all this, their intelligence is not weaker than ours. Piraha did not think of private property, they do not have stocks - they immediately eat the caught prey or harvested fruits, so they do not rack their brains over storage and planning for the future. To us, such views seem primitive, however, Everett came to a different conclusion. Living one day and what nature gives, feasts are freed from fears for the future and all sorts of worries with which we burden our souls. Therefore, they are happier than us, so why do they need gods?

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2. Sinta larga

In Brazil, there is a wild Sinta Larga tribe of about 1,500 people. Once it lived in the jungle of rubber plants, but their massive felling led to the fact that Sinta larga switched to a nomadic life. They are engaged 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 ceases to bear fruit, then it is removed from the place and moves to a new place. During the move, the names of Sinta Largs also change, only the “secret” name remains unchanged. To the misfortune of this small tribe, civilized people found on their lands, occupying 21,000 square meters. km, the richest reserves of gold, diamonds and tin. Of course, they could not 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 prospectors on their territory and did not suffer any punishment for this, except that they were driven into a reservation of 2.5 million hectares.

3. Korubo

Closer to the origins of the Amazon River lives a very warlike tribe of Korubo. They live 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 comes to 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 not characteristic and other tribes from the Amazon basin. Amondava therefore does not mention ages, and when growing up or changing his status in the tribe, the aborigine simply takes on a new name. Also absent in the language of amondava and turns, which describe the process of the passage of time in spatial terms. For example, we say “before this” (meaning not space, but time), “this incident is 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 very mysterious tribe of about 3,000 people is engaged in the usual activities for the natives: fishing, hunting and gathering. The Kayapo are great experts in the field of knowledge of the healing properties of plants, they use some of them to heal their fellow tribesmen, and others for witchcraft. Shamans from the Kayapo tribe treat female infertility with herbs and improve potency in men.
However, most of all they interested researchers with their legends, which tell that in the distant past they were led by heavenly wanderers. The first chief of the Kayapo arrived in a kind of cocoon drawn by a whirlwind. Some attributes from modern rituals are 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 has about 10,000 people. Nuba lands lie on the territory of Sudan. This is a separate community with its own language, which does not come into contact with the outside world, therefore, so far it has been protected from the influence of civilization. This tribe has a very remarkable make-up ritual. The women of the tribe scarify their bodies with intricate patterns, pierce their lower lip and insert quartz crystals into it.
Their marriage ritual associated with annual dances is also interesting. During them, the girls point to the favorites, putting their feet on their shoulders 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 at all have to end in a wedding, it is only permission for the groom to sneak secretly from his parents at night into her parents’ house, where she lives. The presence of children is not grounds for recognizing the legality of marriage. A man must live with domestic animals 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.

7. Mursi

For women from the Mursi tribe, an exotic lower lip has become a visiting card. It is cut even in childhood for girls, pieces of wood are inserted into the cut with time of increasing size. Finally, on the wedding day, a debi is inserted into the sagging lip - a plate made of baked clay, the diameter of which can reach up to 30 cm.
Mursi easily become an inveterate drunkard and constantly carry batons or Kalashnikovs with them, which they are not averse to using. When battles for supremacy take place within a tribe, they often end in the death of the losing side. The bodies of Mursi women usually look sickly and flabby, with saggy breasts and stooped backs. They are almost devoid of hair on their heads, hiding this shortcoming with incredibly magnificent headdresses, the material for which can be anything that comes to hand: dried fruits, branches, pieces of rough skin, someone's tails, swamp mollusks, dead insects and other carrion. It is difficult for Europeans to be near the Mursi because of their unbearable smell.

8. Hamer (hamar)

On the eastern side of the African Omo Valley, the Hamer or Hamar people live, numbering approximately 35,000 - 50,000 people. Along the banks of the river stand their villages, made up of huts with gabled roofs covered with thatch or grass. The entire household is placed inside the hut: a bed, a hearth, a granary and a goat pen. But only two or three wives with children live in the huts, and the head of the family all the time either grazes cattle or protects the tribe's possessions from the raids of other tribes.
Meetings with wives are very rare, and in these rare moments, the conception of children occurs. But even after returning to the family for a short while, the men, having beaten their wives with long rods, are satisfied with this, and go to sleep in pits resembling graves, and even sprinkle themselves with earth to the point of slight asphyxia. Apparently, they like such a semi-conscious state more than intimacy with their wives, and even they, in truth, are not happy with the “caresses” of their husband and prefer to please each other. As soon as a girl develops external sexual characteristics (at about 12 years old), 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 he loves), puts a silver collar around her neck, which she will wear all her life.

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9. Bushmen

There is a group of tribes in South Africa collectively called the Bushmen. These are people of short stature, broad cheekbones, with a narrow slit of the eyes and swollen eyelids. Their skin color is difficult to determine, since it is not customary in the Kalahari 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, in general there is not even a hint of a social hierarchy. But the elder of the tribe enjoys authority, although he does not have privileges and material advantages.
Bushmen surprise with their cuisine, especially "Bushman rice" - ant larvae. Young Bushwomen are considered the most beautiful in Africa. But as soon as they reach puberty and give birth, their appearance changes dramatically: the buttocks and hips spread sharply, and the stomach remains swollen. All this is not a consequence of dietary nutrition. To distinguish a pregnant Bushwoman from other belly-bellied females, she is coated with ocher or ash. Yes, and the men of the Bushmen at 35 already look like 80-year-old old men - their skin sags everywhere and becomes covered with deep wrinkles.

10. Masai

The Maasai people are slender, tall, they cleverly braid their hair. They differ from other African tribes in their manner of holding on. While most tribes easily come into contact with strangers, the Maasai, who have an innate sense of dignity, keep their distance. But nowadays they have become much more sociable, they even agree to video and photography.
There are about 670,000 Masai, they live in Tanzania and Kenya in East Africa, where they are engaged in cattle breeding. According to their beliefs, the gods entrusted the Maasai with the care and custody 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. And it is in both boys and girls. The initiation of girls comes down to the terrible custom for Europeans of circumcision of the clitoris, but without it they cannot marry and do housework. After such a procedure, they do not feel the pleasure of intimacy, so they will be faithful wives.
After initiation, the boys turn into Morans - young warriors. Their hair is coated with ocher, and covered with a bandage, they give out a sharp spear, and a kind of sword is hung on their belt. In this form, the moran should pass with a proudly raised head for several months.

In the modern world on Earth, every year there are fewer and fewer secluded places where the foot of civilization has not set foot. She comes 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, either dissolve in modern society, or simply die out.

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

Nevertheless, anthropological scientists continue to study, as far as possible, wild tribes. After all, each of them is nothing but a model of the ancient world. A kind of possible version of human evolution.

Piahu Indians

The way of life of wild tribes, in general, fits into the framework of our understanding of primitive people. They live mostly in polygamous families. They are engaged in hunting and gathering. But the way of thinking and the language of some of them is able to amaze any civilized imagination.

Once, the famous anthropologist, linguist and preacher Daniel Everett went to the Amazonian tribe of Piraha 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 had no idea about singular and plural. In their language there were no numerals at all. And why would they need them, if the Piraha did not even have a clue about more and less. It also turned out that the people of this tribe live outside of all time. He was alien to such concepts as the present, past and future. In general, the polyglot Everett had a very difficult time learning the language of Pirahu.

The missionary mission of Everett was in for a big embarrassment. First, the savages asked the preacher if he knew Jesus personally. And when they found out that they had not been, they immediately lost all interest in the Gospel. And when Everett told them that God himself created man, they completely fell into complete bewilderment. This bewilderment could be translated something like this: “What are you? Such a fool is not how people are made?

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 about a hundred years ago, but still cases of eating their own kind are not rare. The most successful in this business are the savages of the island of Borneo, they are famous for their cruelty and promiscuity. These cannibals eat with pleasure, and tourists. Although the last outbreak of kakkibalizma dates back to the beginning of the last century. now this phenomenon among savage 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.