Wild tribes: Cruel rites of male initiation (8 photos). Wild tribes in our time

Despite the fact that today almost every person has the opportunity to use the money they earn to purchase the attributes of modern life, such as mobile phone, there are still places on our planet where people live in levels of development close to primitive ones.

Africa is the place on Earth where today in impenetrable jungles or deserts you can find creatures that are very reminiscent of us in the distant past. Scientists agree that it was from the African continent that Homo sapiens originated.

Africa is unique in itself. Not only common animal species are concentrated here, but also endangered species. Due to its direct location on the equator, the continent has a very hot climate, which is why the nature there is the most diverse. That is why there were conditions for preserving life in the form in which wild tribes remained

A striking example of such a tribe is wild tribe Himba. They live in Namibia. Everything that civilization has achieved has passed the Himba by. There is no hint of modern life. The tribe is engaged in cattle breeding. All the huts where the tribe members 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. But the presence of clay is not only a ritual, but also serves a hygienic purpose. The scorching sun and constant lack of water are just a few of the difficulties. The presence of clay allows the skin not to be subjected to thermal burns 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. This is the main entertainment in the tribe.

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. Marriage is an expensive business. 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.

Tourist guides often contact the tribe to conduct excursions. For this, the savages receive souvenirs and money, which they then exchange for things.

In the north-west of Mexico lives another tribe that has been bypassed by civilization. It is called Tarahyumara. They are also called “beer people.” The name stuck to them due to their ritual of drinking maize beer. Beating the drums, they drink beer, which is mixed with narcotic herbs. True, there is another translation option: “running soles” or “those with light feet.” And it is also well deserved, but more on that later.

They paint their bodies in bright colors. You can imagine what it looks like when you realize that the tribe numbers 60 thousand people.

Since the 17th century, savages learned to cultivate the land and began to grow cereals. Before this, the tribe ate roots and herbs.

Video: The Tarahumara - A Hidden Tribe of Superathletes Born to Run. The Indians of this tribe are considered the best runners, but not in speed, but in endurance. They can run 170 km without any problems. do not stop. There is a recorded case of an Indian running a distance of about 600 miles in five days.

In the Philippine archipelago there is the island of Palawan. The Taut Batu tribe lives there in the mountains. These are the people of mountain caves. They live in caves and grottoes. The tribe has existed since the 11th century and human achievements are unknown to them. By the way, the Puerto Princesa underground river is also located here.

When the monsoon rains don't come, which can happen for six months, the tribe grows potatoes and rice. This is the only time when members of the tribe get out of the caves. When the rains begin to fall again, the entire tribe climbs into their grottoes and simply sleeps, waking up only to eat.

Video: Philippines, Palawan, Tau't Batu or "people of the rocks."

The list of tribes goes on and on. But that doesn't matter anymore. You just have to remember that somewhere on Earth there are places where life has frozen in its development, allowing others to develop further. Looking at wild tribes, at their customs, dances, rituals, you understand that they don’t want to change anything. They lived like this for thousands of years before they were discovered and, apparently, plan to exist for just as long.

Films, a small selection.

Hunting for survival (Kill to survive) / Kill To Survive. (From the series: In Search of the Hunter Tribes)

There are also series: Keepers of Traditions; Sharp-Toothed Nomads; Hunting in the Kalahari;

An even more interesting series about people’s lives in harmony with nature is Human Planet.

Also, there is one interesting program like the Magic of Adventure. Presenter: Sergey Yastrzhembsky.

For example, one of the series. Adventure Magic: The Man in the Tree.

Multifaceted Africa, on a vast territory in 61 countries, with a population of more than a billion people, surrounded by cities of civilized 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 achievements civilized world and are content with the modest 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.

Cooking...

Children of the tribe...

Dancing men...

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 people of some tribes are simply amazed by the look.

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.

Majority African peoples denies everything new and modern, withdraws into himself. 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 Masai, 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 above 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. Distinctive feature Bantu refers to an 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 most numerous people, was defined as a second-class population.

As for the beliefs of the tribe, most of The Zulu 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”, however, 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 the musical experiments of the Bushmen tries to record them 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.

Video: Wild tribes of Africa:...

In our age of high technology, various gadgets and broadband Internet, there are still people who have not seen all this. Time seems to have stood still for them; they don’t really make contact with outside world, and their way of life has not changed for thousands of years.

In the forgotten and undeveloped corners of our planet live such uncivilized tribes that you are simply amazed that time has not touched them with its modernizing hand. Living, like their ancestors, among palm trees and feeding on hunting and pasture, these guys feel great and do not rush to the “concrete jungle” of big cities.

OfficePlankton decided to highlight the wildest tribes of our time that actually exist.

1 Sentinelese

Having chosen the island of North Sentinel, between India and Thailand, the Sentinelese have occupied almost the entire coast and greet with arrows anyone who tries to establish contact with them. By hunting, gathering and fishing, and intermarrying, the tribe maintains a population of approximately 300 people.

An attempt to contact these people ended in shelling by the National Geographic group, but only after they had left gifts on the shore, among which red buckets were especially popular. They shot the abandoned pigs from afar and buried them, without even thinking about eating them; everything else was thrown into the ocean in a heap.

An interesting fact is that they predict natural disasters and hide en masse deeper into the jungle when storms approach. The tribe survived both the 2004 Indian earthquake and numerous devastating tsunamis.

2 Maasai

These born pastoralists are the largest and most warlike tribe in Africa. They live only by cattle breeding, not neglecting to steal cattle from other, “lower”, as they consider, tribes, because, in their opinion, their supreme god gave them all the animals on the planet. It is the photograph of them with their earlobes pulled back and discs the size of a good tea saucer inserted into their lower lip that you come across on the Internet.

Maintaining a good fighting spirit, considering as men only all those who killed a lion with a spear, the Massai fought back against European colonialists and invaders from other tribes, owning the ancestral territories of the famous Serengeti Valley and the Ngorongoro volcano. However, under the influence of the 20th century, the number of people in the tribe is declining.

Polygamy, which was once considered honorable, has now become simply necessary as there are fewer and fewer men. Children herd cattle almost from the age of 3, and the women do the rest of the farming while the men doze with a spear in their hand inside the hut in Peaceful time or with guttural sounds they run on military campaigns against neighboring tribes.

3 Nicobar and Andaman tribes

An aggressive company of cannibal tribes lives, as you might guess, by raiding and eating each other. The Korubo tribe holds the lead among all these savages. Men, neglecting hunting and gathering, are very skillful in making poisoned darts, catching snakes with their bare hands, and stone axes, grinding the edge of a stone all day long to the point where blowing off its head becomes a very doable task.

Constantly fighting among themselves, the tribes, however, do not raid endlessly, since they understand that the supply of “people” is very slowly renewed. Some tribes generally reserve only special holidays for this - the holidays of the goddess of Death. Women of the Nicobar and Andaman tribes also do not hesitate to eat their children or old people in case of unsuccessful raids on neighboring tribes.

4 Piraha

A rather small tribe also lives in the Brazilian jungle - about two hundred people. They are notable for having the most primitive language on the planet and the absence of at least some kind of number system. Holding primacy among the most undeveloped tribes, if this can be called primacy, of course, the Pirahã have no mythology, no history of the creation of the world and no gods.

They are forbidden to talk about what they have not learned own experience, adopt the words of other people and introduce new designations into your language. There are also no shades of colors, signs of weather, animals and plants. They live mainly in huts made of branches, refusing to accept gifts of all kinds of objects of civilization. Piraha, however, are quite often called as guides into the jungle, and, despite their inadaptability and lack of development, have not yet been noticed in aggression.

5 Loaves

The most brutal tribe lives in the forests Papua New Guinea, between two chains of mountains, they were discovered very late, only in the 90s of the last century. There is a tribe with a funny Russian-sounding name that sounds like something from the Stone Age. Dwellings - children's huts made of twigs on trees, which we built in childhood - protection from sorcerers, they will find them on the ground.

Stone axes and knives made from animal bones, noses and ears are pierced with the teeth of killed predators. The loaves hold wild pigs in high esteem, which they do not eat, but tame, especially those weaned from their mother at a young age, and use as riding ponies. Only when the pig gets old and can no longer carry the load and the little monkey-like people that loaves are, the pig can be slaughtered and eaten.
The entire tribe is extremely warlike and hardy, the cult of the warrior flourishes there, the tribe can sit on larvae and worms for weeks, and despite the fact that all the women of the tribe are “common”, the festival of love occurs only once a year, the rest of the time men should not pester to women.

It seems to us that we are all literate, smart people, we enjoy all the benefits of civilization. And it’s hard to imagine that there are still tribes on our planet that are not far removed from the Stone Age.

Tribes of Papua New Guinea and Barneo. People still live here according to the rules adopted 5 thousand years ago: men go naked, and women cut off their fingers. There are only three tribes that still engage in cannibalism, these are the Yali, Vanuatu and Karafai. . These tribes take great pleasure in eating both their enemies and tourists, as well as their own elderly and deceased relatives.

In the highlands of the Congo there lives a tribe of pygmies. They call themselves Mong. The surprising thing is that they have cold blood like reptiles. And in cold weather they were capable of falling into suspended animation, like lizards.

On the banks of the Amazonian River Meiki lives a small (300 individuals) Piraha tribe.

The inhabitants of this tribe have no time. They have no calendars, no clocks, no past and no tomorrow. They have no leaders, they decide everything together. There is no concept of “mine” or “yours”, everything is common: husbands, wives, children. Their language is very simple, only 3 vowels and 8 consonants, there is also no counting, they cannot even count to 3.

Sapadi tribe (Ostrich tribe).

They have amazing property: There are only two toes on the feet, and both are big! This disease (but can this unusual foot structure be called that?) is called claw syndrome and is caused, according to doctors, by incest. It is possible that it is caused by some unknown virus.

Cinta larga. They live in the Amazon Valley (Brazil).

A family (husband with several wives and children) usually has own house, which is abandoned when the land in the village becomes less fertile and game leaves the forests. Then they move away and look for a new site for a house. When the Sinta Larga move, they change their names, but each member of the tribe keeps their “true” name a secret (only their mother and father know it). Sinta Larga have always been famous for their aggressiveness. They are constantly at war both with neighboring tribes and with “outsiders” - white settlers. Fighting and killing are an integral part of their traditional way of life.

In the western part of the Amazon Valley live the Korubo.

In this tribe, it is literally survival of the fittest. If a child is born with any defect, or falls ill with a contagious disease, he is simply killed. They know neither bows nor spears. They are armed with clubs and blowpipes that shoot poisoned arrows. Korubo are spontaneous, like small children. As soon as you smile at them, they start laughing. If they notice fear on your face, they begin to look around warily. This is almost a primitive tribe, which has not been touched by civilization at all. But it is impossible to feel calm in their environment, since they can become furious at any moment.

There are approximately 100 more tribes that do not know how to read and write, do not know what television or cars are, and, moreover, still practice cannibalism. They film them from the air, and then mark these places on the map. Not in order to study or enlighten them, but in order not to let anyone near them. Contact with them is not advisable not only because of their aggressiveness, but also for the reasons that wild tribes may not have immunity from the diseases of modern humans.

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 dyes, 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.