Wild tribes in the modern world. Where do the world's last uncontacted tribes live? Uncontacted tribes of West Papua

Small groups of people representing uncontacted tribes are completely unaware of the moon landings, nuclear weapons, the Internet, David Attenborough, Donald Trump, Europe, dinosaurs, Mars, aliens and chocolate, etc. Their knowledge is limited to their immediate environment.

There are probably several other tribes that have yet to be discovered, but let's stick to the ones we know about. Who are they, where do they live and why do they remain isolated?

Although it's a bit of a vague term, we define an "uncontacted tribe" as a group of people who have not had significant direct contact with modern civilization. Many of them have only a brief acquaintance with civilization, since the conquest of the New World resulted in ironically uncivilized results.

Sentinel Island

Hundreds of kilometers east of India are the Andaman Islands. About 26,000 years ago, during the heyday of the latter ice age, the land bridge between India and these islands jutted out of the shallow sea and then sank under the water.

The Andamanese peoples were nearly wiped out by disease, violence and invasion. Today, only about 500 of them remain, and at least one tribe, the Jungli, is extinct.

However, on one of Northern Isles the language of the tribe living there remains incomprehensible, and little is known about its representatives. It seems that these miniature people cannot shoot and do not know how to grow crops. They survive by hunting, fishing and gathering edible plants.

It is not known exactly how many of them are alive today, but there may be anywhere from several hundred to 15 people. The 2004 tsunami, which killed about a quarter of a million people across the region, also hit these islands.

Back in 1880, British authorities planned to kidnap members of this tribe, keep them well captive, and then release them back to the island in an attempt to demonstrate their benevolence. They captured an elderly couple and four children. The couple died of illness, but the young people were given gifts and sent to the island. Soon the Sentinelese disappeared into the jungle, and the tribe was no longer seen by the authorities.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Indian authorities, soldiers and anthropologists tried to establish contact with the tribe, but it hid inside the jungle. Subsequent expeditions were met with either threats of violence or attacks with bows and arrows, and some ended in the death of the attackers.

Uncontacted tribes of Brazil

Vast areas of the Brazilian Amazon, especially in the interior of the western state of Acre, are home to up to one hundred uncontacted tribes, as well as several other communities that would readily establish contact with the outside world. Some tribal members were wiped out by drugs or gold diggers.

As is known, respiratory diseases common in modern society, can quickly destroy entire tribes. Since 1987, official government policy has been not to engage with tribes if their survival is at risk.

Very little is known about these isolated groups, but they are all distinct tribes with different cultures. Their representatives tend to avoid contact with anyone who tries to contact them. Some hide in the forests, while others defend themselves using spears and arrows.

Some of the tribes, such as the Awá, are nomadic hunter-gatherers, which makes them more resilient to outside influences.

Kawahiwa

This is another example of uncontacted tribes, but it is primarily known for its nomadic lifestyle.

It appears that in addition to bows and baskets, its members may use spinning wheels to make strings, ladders to collect honey from bee nests, and elaborate animal traps.

The land they occupy has received official protection, and anyone who trespasses on it faces severe persecution.

Over the years, many of the tribes engaged in hunting. The states of Rondonia, Mato Grosso and Maranhao are known to contain many dwindling uncontacted tribes.

Loner

One man presents a particularly sad picture simply because he is the last of his tribe. Living deep in the rainforest of Tanaru in the state of Rondônia, this man always attacks those nearby. His language is completely untranslatable, and the culture of the disappeared tribe to which he belonged remains a mystery.

Besides the basic skills of growing crops, he also likes to dig holes or lure animals. Only one thing is certain, when this man dies, his tribe will become nothing more than a memory.

Other uncontacted tribes of South America

Although Brazil contains a large number of uncontacted tribes, such groups of people are known to still exist in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, French Guiana, Guyana and Venezuela. In general, little is known about them compared to Brazil. Many tribes are suspected of having similar yet distinct cultures.

Uncontacted tribes of Peru

The nomadic group of Peruvian peoples have endured decades of aggressive deforestation for the rubber industry. Some of them even deliberately contacted the authorities after fleeing drug cartels.

In general, keeping away from all other tribes, most of them rarely turn to Christian missionaries, who are accidental spreaders of disease. Most tribes like Nanti can now only be seen from a helicopter.

Huaroran people of Ecuador

This people are connected common language, which does not appear to be related to any other in the world. As hunter-gatherers, the tribe has over the past four decades settled on a long-term basis in a fairly developed area between the Curaray and Napo rivers in the east of the country.

Many of them had already made contact with the outside world, but several communities rejected this practice and instead chose to move to areas untouched by modern oil exploration.

The Taromenan and Tagaeri tribes number no more than 300 members, but are sometimes killed by loggers looking for valuable mahogany wood.

A similar situation is observed in neighboring countries, where only certain segments of tribes such as the Ayoreo from Bolivia, the Carabayo from Colombia, the Yanommi from Venezuela remain completely isolated and prefer to avoid contact with the modern world.

Uncontacted tribes of West Papua

In the western part of the island New Guinea There are about 312 tribes, 44 of which are uncontacted. The mountainous region is covered in dense, Viridian forests, which means we still don't notice these wild people.

Many of these tribes avoid socializing. Many human rights violations have been reported since their arrival in 1963, including murder, rape and torture.

The tribes usually settle along the coast, wander through the swamps and survive by hunting. IN central region, which is located at a high elevation, the tribes are engaged in growing sweet potatoes and raising pigs.

Little is known regarding those who have not yet installed official contact. In addition to the challenging terrain, researchers, human rights organizations and journalists are also prohibited from exploring the region.

West Papua (the far left side of the island of New Guinea) is home to many uncontacted tribes.

Do similar tribes live in other places?

There may be uncontacted tribes still lurking in other forested parts of the world, including Malaysia and parts of Central Africa, but this has not been proven. If they exist, it might be best to leave them alone.

Outside world threat

Uncontacted tribes are mostly threatened by the outside world. This article serves as a cautionary tale.

If you want to know what you can do to prevent their extinction, it is recommended that you join a rather interesting non-profit organization, Survival International, whose employees work around the clock to make sure that these tribes live out their unique lives in our colorful world.

The many-sided Africa, on the vast territory of which in 61 countries, in the secluded corners of this continent more than 5 million people of almost completely wild African tribes still live.

Members of these tribes do not recognize the achievements of the civilized world and are content with the benefits that they received from their ancestors.

Poor huts, modest food and a minimum of clothing suit them, and they are not going to change this way of life.

African tribes

There are about 3 thousand different tribes and nationalities in Africa, but it is difficult to name their exact number, since most often they are either densely mixed together, or, on the contrary, radically separated. The population of some tribes is only a few thousand or even hundreds of people, and often inhabit only 1-2 villages. Because of this, on the territory of the African continent there are adverbs and dialects that sometimes only representatives of a particular tribe can understand. And the variety of rituals, cultural systems, dances, customs and sacrifices is enormous and amazing. Besides appearance the people of some tribes are simply amazed by their looks.

However, since they all live on the same continent, all African tribes still have something in common. Some cultural elements are characteristic of all nationalities living in this territory. One of the main defining features of African tribes is their focus on the past, that is, the cult of the culture and life of their ancestors.

The majority of African peoples deny everything new and modern and withdraw into themselves. Most of all, they are attached to constancy and immutability, including in everything that concerns Everyday life, traditions and customs that originate from our great-grandfathers.

It’s hard to imagine, but among them there are practically no people who are not engaged in subsistence farming or cattle breeding. Hunting, fishing or gathering are completely normal activities for them. Just like many centuries ago, African tribes fight among themselves, marriages most often take place within one tribe, intertribal marriages are very rare among them. Of course, more than one generation leads such a life; every new child from birth will have to live the same fate.

Tribes differ from each other by their own unique system of life, customs and rituals, beliefs and prohibitions. Most tribes invent their own fashion, often stunningly colorful, the originality of which is often simply amazing.

Among the most famous and numerous tribes today are the Maasai, Bantu, Zulus, Samburu and Bushmen.

Maasai

One of the most famous African tribes. They live in Kenya and Tanzania. The number of representatives reaches 100 thousand people. They are most often found on the side of a mountain, which features prominently in Maasai mythology. Perhaps the size of this mountain influenced the worldview of the tribe members - they consider themselves the favorites of the gods, the highest people, and are sincerely confident that there are no more beautiful people in Africa than them.

This opinion of oneself gave rise to a contemptuous, often even derogatory attitude towards other tribes, which became the cause of frequent wars between tribes. In addition, it is the Maasai custom to steal animals from other tribes, which also does not improve their reputation.

The Maasai dwelling is built from branches coated with dung. This is done mainly by women, who also, if necessary, take on the duties of pack animals. The main share of nutrition is milk or animal blood, less often meat. Distinctive feature The beauty of this tribe is considered to be the elongated earlobes. Currently, the tribe has been almost completely exterminated or dispersed; only in remote corners of the country, in Tanzania, are some Maasai nomads still preserved.

Bantu

The Bantu tribe lives in Central, Southern and Eastern Africa. In truth, the Bantu are not even a tribe, but an entire nation, which includes many peoples, for example, Rwanda, Shono, Konga and others. They all have similar languages ​​and customs, which is why they were united into one large tribe. Most Bantu people speak two or more languages, the most commonly spoken of which is Swahili. The number of members of the Bantu people reaches 200 million. According to research scientists, it was the Bantu, along with the Bushmen and Hottentots, who became the progenitors of the South African colored race.

Bantus have a peculiar appearance. They have very dark skin and an amazing hair structure - each hair is curled in a spiral. Wide and winged noses, a low bridge of the nose and high stature - often over 180 cm - are also distinctive features of people from the Bantu tribe. Unlike the Maasai, the Bantu do not shy away from civilization and willingly invite tourists on educational walks around their villages.

Like any African tribe, a large part of Bantu life is occupied by religion, namely, traditional African animist beliefs, as well as Islam and Christianity. The Bantu home resembles a Maasai house - the same round shape, with a frame made of branches coated with clay. True, in some areas Bantu houses are rectangular, painted, with gable, lean-to or flat roofs. Members of the tribe are mainly engaged in agriculture. A distinctive feature of the Bantu is the enlarged lower lip, into which small discs are inserted.

Zulu

The Zulu people, once the largest ethnic group, now number only 10 million. The Zulus use their own language, Zulu, which comes from the Bantu family and is the most widely spoken in South Africa. In addition, English, Portuguese, Sesotho and other African languages ​​are in circulation among members of the people.

The Zulu tribe suffered a difficult period during the apartheid era in South Africa, when, being the largest people, they were defined as a second-class population.

As for the beliefs of the tribe, most of the Zulus remained faithful to national beliefs, but there are also Christians among them. Zulu religion is based on the belief in a creator god who is supreme and separate from everyday routine. Representatives of the tribe believe that they can contact the spirits through fortune tellers. All negative manifestations in the world, including illness or death, are considered as the machinations of evil spirits or the result of evil witchcraft. In the Zulu religion, the main place is occupied by cleanliness, frequent bathing is a custom among representatives of the people.

Samburu

The Samburu tribe lives in the northern regions of Kenya, on the border of the foothills and the northern desert. About five hundred years ago, the Samburu people settled in this territory and quickly populated the plain. This tribe is independent and confident in its elitism much more than the Maasai. The life of the tribe depends on livestock, but, unlike the Maasai, the Samburu themselves raise livestock and move with them from place to place. Customs and ceremonies occupy a significant place in the life of the tribe and are distinguished by the splendor of colors and forms.

Samburu huts are made of clay and skins; the outside of the home is surrounded by a thorny fence to protect it from wild animals. Representatives of the tribe take their houses with them, reassembling them at each site.

Among the Samburu, it is customary to divide labor between men and women, this also applies to children. Women's responsibilities include gathering, milking cows and fetching water, as well as collecting firewood, cooking and looking after children. Of course, the female half of the tribe is in charge general order and stability. Samburu men are responsible for herding livestock, which is their main means of subsistence.

Most important detail The life of the people is childbearing, sterile women are subjected to severe persecution and bullying. It is normal for the tribe to worship the spirits of ancestors, as well as witchcraft. The Samburu believe in charms, spells and rituals, using them to increase fertility and protection.

Bushmen

The most famous African tribe among Europeans since ancient times is the Bushmen. The name of the tribe consists of the English “bush” - “bush” and “man” - “man”, but calling members of the tribe this way is dangerous - it is considered offensive. It would be more correct to call them “san,” which means “stranger” in the Hottentot language. Externally, the Bushmen are somewhat different from other African tribes; they have lighter skin and thinner lips. In addition, they are the only ones who eat ant larvae. Their dishes are considered a specialty national cuisine of this people. The way of society of the Bushmen also differs from that generally accepted among wild tribes. Instead of chiefs and sorcerers, the ranks choose elders from among the most experienced and respected members of the tribe. The elders lead the lives of the people without taking any advantage at the expense of others. It should be noted that the Bushmen also believe in afterlife, like other African tribes, however, they do not have the cult of ancestors adopted by other tribes.

Among other things, the Sans have a rare talent for stories, songs and dances. Musical instrument they can make almost all of them. For example, there are bows strung with animal hair or bracelets made from dried insect cocoons with pebbles inside, which are used to beat the rhythm during dance. Almost everyone who has the opportunity to observe musical experiments Bushmen, try to write them down in order to pass them on to future generations. This is all the more relevant given that present century dictates its own rules and many Bushmen have to deviate from centuries-old traditions and go to work as workers farms for the sake of providing for family and tribe.

This is a very small number of tribes living in Africa. There are so many of them that it would take several volumes to describe them all, but each of them boasts a unique value system and way of life, not to mention rituals, customs and costumes.

North Sentinel Island, one of the belonging to India The united Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal is located just 40 kilometers from the coast of South Andaman Island and 50 kilometers from the developed administrative center of Port Blair located on it. These 72 square kilometers of forest are only one-fifth larger than Manhattan. All the other islands of the archipelago have been explored, and their peoples have long established relations with the Indian government, but not a single stranger has ever set foot on the soil of North Sentinel Island. Moreover, the Indian government has established a five-kilometer exclusion zone around the island to protect the local people, known as the Sentinelese, who have been isolated from world civilization for millennia. Thanks to this, the Sentinelese contrast sharply with other peoples.

Residents of the island this moment are one of about a hundred uncontacted peoples remaining on the planet. Most are closely located in remote West Papua and the Amazon rainforests of Brazil and Peru. But many of these uncontacted tribes are not completely isolated. As the human rights organization Survival International notes, these peoples will undoubtedly learn from their cultural neighbors. However, many uncontacted peoples, whether due to the atrocities of the colonialists who conquered them in the past or a lack of interest in the achievements of the modern world, prefer to remain closed. They are now a changing and dynamic people, preserving their languages, traditions and skills, rather than ancient or primitive tribes. And since they are not completely secluded, missionaries and even people who want to eradicate them for the sake of free land show interest in them. It is precisely because of their territorial isolation from other cultures and external threats that the Sentinelese are a unique ethnic group even among uncontacted peoples.

But this does not mean that no one has ever tried to contact the Sentinelese. People have been sailing to the Andaman Islands for at least the last thousand years. Both the British and Indians began colonizing the region from the 18th century. Behind last century on most islands even the most remote tribes had contacts with other ethnic groups, and their inhabitants were more assimilated large people and even appointed to government positions. Despite laws restricting access to traditional tribal lands since the 1950s, illicit tribal contact occurs throughout much of the archipelago. And yet no one has yet set foot on the lands of North Sentinel Island, because its population responded to all attempts by modern scientists to visit the island with incredible aggression. One of the first encounters with the local population was that of an escaped Indian prisoner who washed ashore on the island in 1896. Soon his body, strewn with arrows and with its throat cut, was found on the coast. The fact that even neighboring tribes find the Sentinelese language completely incomprehensible implies that they maintained this hostile isolation for hundreds or even thousands of years.

India has tried for years to contact the Sentinelese for many reasons: scientific, protectionist and even based on the idea that it is better for the tribe to maintain contact with the state than with fishermen who accidentally swam here, destroying the ethnic group with diseases and cruelty. But the locals successfully hid from the first anthropological mission in 1967 and scared away the scientists who returned in 1970 and 1973 with a hail of arrows. In 1974, the National Geographic director was shot in the leg by an arrow. In 1981, a stranded sailor was forced to fight off the Sentinelese for several days before help arrived. During the 1970s, several more people were wounded or killed while trying to establish contact with the natives. Eventually, almost twenty years later, anthropologist Trilokina Pandi made some meager contacts, spending several years dodging arrows and giving the natives metal and coconuts—he allowed himself to be stripped by the Sentinelese and gathered some information about their culture. But, realizing the financial losses, the Indian government finally gave in, leaving the Sentinelese to fend for themselves and declaring the island a no-go zone to protect the tribe's habitat.

Considering what happened to the rest of the tribes of the Andaman Islands, this may be for the best. The Great Andamanese, who numbered about 5,000 before first contact, are now only a few dozen people after waves of migration. The Jarawa people lost 10 percent of their population within two years of first contact in 1997 due to measles, displacement and sexual abuse by newcomers and police. Other tribes, such as the Onge, suffer from rampant alcoholism in addition to bullying and insults. It is typical of a people whose culture has been radically changed and whose lives have been turned upside down by an outside force that has invaded their territories.

A Sentinelese man shoots an arrow at a helicopter

Meanwhile, video of the Sentinelese - some 200 dark-skinned people whose only "clothing" was ocher on their bodies and cloth headbands - showed that the tribe's inhabitants are alive and well. We don't know much about their life and can only be guided by Pandey's observations and subsequent videos taken from a helicopter. They are thought to feed on coconuts by cracking them open with their teeth, and also prey on turtles, lizards and small birds. We suspect that they obtain the metal for their arrowheads from ships sunk off the coast, since they do not have modern technology - not even the technology of making fire. (Instead, they have an intricate procedure for storing and carrying smoldering logs and burning coals in clay vessels. The coals are kept in this state for thousands of years and probably date back to prehistoric lightning strikes.) We know that they live in thatched huts, for fishing they make primitive canoes, with the help of which it is impossible to go out into the open ocean, as a greeting they sit on each other’s laps and slap the interlocutor on the buttocks, and also sing using a two-note system. But there is no certainty that all these observations are not false impressions, bearing in mind how little information we know about their culture.

Using DNA samples from surrounding tribes, and given the unique isolation of the Sentinelese language, we suspect that the genetic ancestry of the people of North Sentinel Island may go back 60,000 years. If this is true, then the Sentinelese are direct descendants of the first people to leave Africa. Any geneticist dreams of studying the DNA of the Sentinelese to better understand human history. Not to mention, the Sentinelese somehow survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which devastated the surrounding islands and washed away much of their own. The inhabitants themselves remained untouched, hiding on the island's peaks as if they had predicted a tsunami. This gives reason to think about whether they have secret knowledge about weather and nature that could be useful to us. But this secret is carefully guarded, and, no matter how ironic it may sound, the Sentinelese are clearly not eager to teach us. However, if they make contact, due to their long isolation, the whole world will definitely be enriched, both culturally and scientifically.

But despite all the tribe's previous luck and attempts to maintain their isolation, we can see disturbing signs signaling the imminent forceful intrusion of the outside world into the life of the island. Thus, the murder by the islanders of two fishermen who were accidentally thrown ashore and the subsequent unsuccessful attempt to pick up their corpses - a helicopter with rescuers was driven away by arrows from the Sentinelese - led to a thirst for justice among the Indians. That same year, officials noted that the island's waters had become attractive to poachers and that some of them might be entering the island itself (although there is currently no evidence of poachers coming into contact with the Sentinelese). Today there is a real threat of collision. And when contact with the tribe occurs, the best we can do is to prevent the atrocities that drove the Sentinelese to cruelty in the past, and try to preserve their ancient history and culture as much as possible.

Author: Mark Hay.
Original: GOOD Magazine.

Every year there are fewer and fewer places on Earth in which primitive tribes can live. They get food by hunting and fishing, they believe that the gods send rain, and they cannot read or write. They may die from a common cold or flu. Wild tribes are a treasure trove for anthropologists and evolutionists. Sometimes the meeting occurs by chance, and sometimes scientists specifically look for them. According to scientists, currently South America, Africa, Asia, Australia are home to about a hundred wild tribes.

Every year it becomes more and more difficult for these peoples, but they do not give up and do not leave the territories of their ancestors, continuing to live the same way they lived.

Amondava Indian Tribe

The Amondava Indians live in the Amazon jungle. The tribe has no concept of time - the corresponding words (month, year) are simply absent in the language of the Amondava Indians. The Amondawa Indian language can describe events occurring in time, but it is powerless to describe time itself as a separate concept. Civilization first came to the Amondava Indians in 1986.

The Amondawa people do not mention their ages. Simply, moving from one period of his life to another or changing his status in the tribe, the Amondawa Indian changes his name. But the most intriguing thing seems to be the absence in the Amondawa language of reflecting the passage of time by spatial means. Simply put, speakers of many languages ​​of the world use expressions such as “this event is left behind” or “before this” (precisely in the temporal sense, that is, in the meaning “before this”). But in the Amondava language there are no such constructions.

Piraha tribe

The Piraha tribe lives in the area of ​​the Maisi River, a tributary of the Amazon. The tribe became known thanks to Christian missionary Daniel Everett, who met them in 1977. First of all, Everett was struck by the Indian language. It had only three vowels and seven consonants, and no numerals.

The past has practically no meaning for them. Pirahãs do not stockpile: caught fish, hunting spoils or collected fruits are always eaten immediately. No storage and no plans for the future. The culture of this tribe is essentially limited to the present day and the useful things they have. The Pirahã are practically unfamiliar with the worries and fears that plague the majority of the population of our planet.

Himba tribe

The Himba tribe lives in Namibia. The Himbas are engaged in cattle breeding. All the huts where people live are located around the pasture. The beauty of tribal women is determined by the presence of a large number of jewelry and the amount of clay applied to the skin. The presence of clay on the body serves a hygienic purpose - clay allows the skin not to be exposed to sunburn and the skin gives off less water.

Women in the tribe are involved in all household activities. They care for livestock, build huts, raise children and make jewelry. Men in the tribe are assigned the role of husbands. Polygamy is accepted in the tribe if the husband is able to feed the family. The cost of a wife reaches 45 cows. A wife's fidelity is not obligatory. A child born from another father will remain in the family.

Huli tribe

The Huli tribe live in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The first Papuans of New Guinea are believed to have migrated to the island more than 45,000 years ago. These indigenous people fight for land, pigs and women. They also spend a lot of effort trying to impress their opponent. Huli paint their faces with yellow, red and white paints, and also have a famous tradition of making fancy wigs from their own hair.

Sentinelese tribe

The tribe lives on an island in the Indian Ocean. The Sentinelese have absolutely no contact with other tribes, preferring to enter into intra-tribal marriages and maintain their population around 400 people. One day, National Geographic employees tried to get to know them better by first laying out various offerings on the coast. Of all the gifts, the Sentinelese kept only red buckets; everything else was thrown into the sea.

According to scientists, the islanders are the descendants of the first people who left Africa; the period of complete isolation of the Sentinelese can reach 50-60 thousand years; this tribe is stuck in the Stone Age.

The study of the tribe is carried out from the air or from ships, the islanders were left alone. Their piece of land surrounded by water became a kind of nature reserve, and the Sentinelese were allowed to live according to their own laws.

Tribe Karavai

The tribe was discovered in the late 90s of the 20th century. The number is estimated at approximately 3,000 people. Small monkey-like loaves live in huts in the trees, otherwise the “sorcerers” will get them. Members of the tribe are reluctant to let strangers in and behave aggressively.

Women in the tribe are considered common, but they make love only once a year; at other times, women cannot be touched. Only a few of the loaves can write and read. Wild pigs are domesticated as pets.

Tribes of Nicobar and Andaman Islands

On the islands located in the Indian Ocean basin, to this day there live 5 tribes, the development of which stopped in the Stone Age.

They are unique in their culture and way of life. The official authorities of the islands look after the aborigines and try not to interfere in their lives and everyday life

Andamanese are the indigenous people of the Andaman Islands. There are now 200-300 Jarawa people and about 100 Onge people, as well as about 50 Great Andamanese. This tribe has survived far from civilization, where an untouched corner of primeval nature amazingly continues to exist. Research has shown that the Andaman Islands were inhabited by direct descendants primitive people about 70 thousand years ago, who arrived from Africa.

The famous explorer and oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau visited the Andamans, but he was not allowed to get to the local tribes due to the law protecting this endangered tribe.

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 Earth's population, modernity is associated with developed technologies and the most comfortable living conditions, there are still corners of the planet where people live almost as if in primitive times. 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 the lands from Siberia to the 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 the best hunters, together with their pets, demonstrate their skills. 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 the rather 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 country is ruled by the king, but the greatest influence is exercised by local monks - lamas, who control 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 ammunition 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 interior design housing 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 rich culture, whose history goes back more than a thousand years. In the “non-working” months, when the weather does not allow farming, they devote themselves to all sorts of holidays and rituals.

Among other ancient customs, the people have preserved fraternal polyandry - a system of family relationships 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 use 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 modern man and despite the fact that its territories have been studied and explored for many hundreds of years, it is here that the largest number of original tribes is concentrated. Many of these tribes still live almost in the Stone Age, knowing nothing not only about modern technologies, but also about basic amenities.

Maasai

Enough 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 their diet, the women of the tribe collect various herbs or plant fields of corn and millet 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. 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 our primitive ancestors, 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 male occupations is 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 business card The faces of men are considered to be 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. Local authorities are trying to fight this habit, but the prohibitions of civilization are unable to completely eliminate the thousand-year-old laws of their 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 Simbai. 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 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 The prairies were adapted for commercial cattle breeding; the gauchos were a wandering people, constantly roaming the local expanses.

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 the 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.