Surprisingly, there are still the most savage tribes of the Amazon and Africa who have managed to survive the onset of a ruthless civilization. We are here surfing the Internet, struggling to conquer thermonuclear energy and flying further into space, and these few remnants of prehistoric times lead the same way of life that was familiar to them and our ancestors a hundred thousand years ago. To completely immerse yourself in the atmosphere wildlife, it’s not enough to just read the article and look at the pictures, you need to go to Africa yourself, for example, by ordering a safari in Tanzania.
The wildest tribes of the Amazon
1. Piraha
The Pirahã tribe lives on the banks of the Mahi River. Approximately 300 Aboriginal people are engaged in gathering and hunting. This tribe was discovered by Catholic missionary Daniel Everett. He lived next to them for several years, after which he finally lost faith in God and became an atheist. His first contact with the Pirahã took place in 1977. Trying to convey the word of God to the aborigines, he began to study their language and quickly achieved success in this. But the more he immersed himself in primitive culture, the more surprised he was.
The Pirahã have a very strange language: there is no indirect speech, no words for colors and numerals (anything more than two is “many” for them). They did not, like us, create myths about the creation of the world, they do not have a calendar, but for all this, their intellect is no weaker than ours. The Piraha didn't think of it private property, they don’t have any reserves - they immediately eat the caught prey or the collected fruits, so they don’t rack their brains over storing and planning for the future. Such views seem primitive to us, however, Everett came to a different conclusion. Living one day at a time and with what nature provides, the Pirahã are freed from fears for the future and all sorts of worries with which we burden our souls. That's why they are happier than us, so why do they need gods?
2. Sinta Larga
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In Brazil there lives a wild tribe called the Sinta Larga, numbering approximately 1,500 people. It once lived in the rubber jungle, but their massive deforestation led to the fact that the Sinta Larga switched to a nomadic life. They engage in hunting, fishing and collecting gifts of nature. Sinta Larga are polygamous - men have several wives. During his life, a man gradually acquires several names that characterize either his qualities or the events that happened to him; there is also a secret name that only his mother and father know.
As soon as the tribe catches all the game near the village, and the depleted land stops bearing fruit, it leaves the place and moves to a new place. During the move, the names of the Sinta Largs also change; only the “secret” name remains unchanged. Unfortunately for this small tribe, civilized people found on their lands occupying 21,000 square meters. km, rich reserves of gold, diamonds and tin. Of course, they couldn’t just leave these riches in the ground. However, the Sinta Largi turned out to be a warlike tribe, ready to defend themselves. So, in 2004, they killed 29 miners on their territory and did not suffer any punishment for this, except that they were driven into a reservation with an area of 2.5 million hectares.
3. Korubo
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Closer to the sources of the Amazon River lives a very warlike Korubo tribe. They make their living mainly by hunting and raiding neighboring tribes. Both men and women participate in these raids, and their weapons are clubs and poisoned darts. There is evidence that the tribe sometimes reaches the point of cannibalism.
4. Amondava
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The Amondava tribe living in the jungle has no concept of time; there is no such word even in their language, as well as such concepts as “year”, “month”, etc. Linguists were discouraged by this phenomenon and are trying to understand whether it is typical and other tribes from the Amazon basin. Among the Amondawa, therefore, ages are not mentioned, and when growing up or changing his status in the tribe, the aborigine simply takes a new name. Also absent in the Amondava language are phrases that describe the process of the passage of time in spatial terms. We, for example, say “before this” (meaning not space, but time), “this incident was left behind,” but in the Amondava language there are no such constructions.
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5. Kayapo
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In Brazil, in the eastern part of the Amazon basin there is a tributary of the Hengu, on the banks of which the Kayapo tribe lives. This is very mysterious tribe The population of approximately 3,000 people is engaged in the usual activities of the aborigines: fishing, hunting and gathering. The Kayapo are great experts in the knowledge of the healing properties of plants, they use some of them to treat their fellow tribesmen, and others for witchcraft. Shamans from the Kayapo tribe use herbs to treat female infertility and improve potency in men.
However, most of all they interested researchers in their legends, which tell that in the distant past they were guided by heavenly wanderers. The first Kayapo chief arrived in a kind of cocoon, drawn by a whirlwind. Some attributes from modern rituals are also consonant with these legends, for example, objects resembling aircraft and space suits. Tradition says that the leader who descended from heaven lived with the tribe for several years and then returned to heaven.
The wildest African tribes
6. Nuba
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The African Nuba tribe numbers about 10,000 people. Nuba lands lie in Sudan. This is a separate community with its own language, which does not come into contact with the outside world, and therefore has so far been protected from the influence of civilization. This tribe has a very remarkable makeup ritual. Tribal women scar their bodies intricate patterns, pierce the lower lip and insert quartz crystals into it.
Their mating ritual, associated with annual dances, is also interesting. During them, the girls point to the favorites, placing their leg on their shoulder from behind. The happy chosen one does not see the girl’s face, but can inhale the smell of her sweat. However, such an “affair” does not have to end in a wedding; it is only permission for the groom to sneak into her parents’ house, where she lives, secretly from her parents at night. The presence of children is not a basis for recognizing the legality of a marriage. A man must live with his pets until he builds his own hut. Only then will the couple be able to sleep together legally, but for another year after the housewarming, the spouses cannot eat from the same pot.
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7. Mursi
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Women from the Mursi tribe business card became an exotic lower lip. It is cut open for girls when they are children, and pieces of wood that become larger and larger are inserted into the cut over time. Finally, on the wedding day, a debi is inserted into the drooping lip - a plate made of baked clay, the diameter of which can reach up to 30 cm.
Mursi easily become drunkards and constantly carry clubs or Kalashnikovs with them, which they are not averse to using. When fights for supremacy occur within a tribe, they often end in the death of the losing side. Mursi women's bodies typically look sickly and flabby, with sagging breasts and hunched backs. They are almost devoid of hair on their heads, hiding this defect with incredibly fluffy headdresses, the material for which can be anything that comes to hand: dried fruits, branches, pieces of rough leather, someone's tails, swamp mollusks, dead insects and other carrion. It is difficult for Europeans to be near Mursi because of their unbearable smell.
8. Hamer (hamar)
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On the eastern side of Africa's Omo Valley live the Hamer or Hamar people, numbering approximately 35,000 - 50,000 people. Along the banks of the river there are their villages, made up of huts with pointed roofs, covered with thatch or grass. The entire household is located inside the hut: a bed, a hearth, a granary and a goat pen. But only two or three wives and children live in the huts, and the head of the family always either grazes cattle or protects the tribe’s possessions from attacks by other tribes.
Dating with wives occurs very rarely, and at these rare moments, children are conceived. But even after returning to the family for a while, the men, having beaten their wives to their hearts content with long rods, are satisfied with that, and go to sleep in pits that resemble graves, and even cover themselves with earth to the point of mild asphyxia. Apparently, they like this semi-fainting state more than intimacy with their wives, and even those, to tell the truth, are not delighted with the “caresses” of their husbands and prefer to please each other. As soon as a girl develops external sexual characteristics (at about 12 years of age), she is considered ready for marriage. On the wedding day, the newly-made husband, having beaten the bride hard with a reed rod (the more scars remain on her body, the more deeply he loves), puts a silver collar around her neck, which she will wear for the rest of her life.
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9. Bushmen
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In South Africa there is a group of tribes collectively called the Bushmen. These are people of short stature, wide cheekbones, with narrow eyes and swollen eyelids. Their skin color is difficult to determine, since in the Kalahari it is not customary to waste water on washing, but they are definitely lighter than neighboring tribes. Leading a wandering, half-starved life, the Bushmen believe in an afterlife. They have neither a tribal leader, nor a shaman, and in general there is not even a hint of social hierarchy. But the elder of the tribe enjoys authority, although he does not have privileges or material advantages.
The Bushmen surprise with their cuisine, especially “Bushman rice” - ant larvae. Young Bushmen are considered the most beautiful in Africa. But as soon as they reach puberty and give birth, their appearance changes radically: their buttocks and hips spread sharply, and their stomach remains bloated. All this is not a consequence dietary nutrition. To distinguish a pregnant Bushwoman from the rest of her potbellied tribesmen, she is coated with ocher or ash. And Bushmen men at 35 already look like 80-year-old men - their skin sags everywhere and becomes covered with deep wrinkles.
10. Maasai
The Maasai people are slender, tall, and they braid their hair in clever ways. They differ from other African tribes in their manner of behavior. While most tribes easily come into contact with outsiders, the Maasai, who have an innate sense of dignity, keep their distance. But these days they have become much more sociable, even agreeing to video and photography.
The Maasai number about 670,000, 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 guardianship of all the cows in the world. Maasai childhood, which is the most carefree period in their lives, ends at the age of 14, culminating in an initiation ritual. Moreover, both boys and girls have it. The initiation of girls comes down to the terrible custom of circumcision of the clitoris for Europeans, but without it they cannot get married and do housework. After such a procedure, they do not feel pleasure from intimacy, so they will be faithful wives.
After initiation, boys turn into morans - young warriors. Their hair is coated with ocher and covered with a bandage, they are given a sharp spear, and something like a sword is hung on their belt. In this form, the moran should pass with his head held high for several months.
In our society, the transition from the state of a child to the state of adulthood is not specifically marked in any way. However, among many peoples of the world, a boy becomes a man, and a girl a woman, only if they pass a series of severe tests.
For boys, this is initiation; the most important part of it among many nations was circumcision. Moreover, it, naturally, was not done in infancy, as among modern Jews. Most often, boys aged 13-15 were exposed to it. In the African Kipsigi tribe living in Kenya, boys are brought one by one to an elder, who marks the place on the foreskin where the incision will be made.
The boys then sit down on the ground. A father or older brother stands in front of each one with a stick in his hand and demands that the boy look straight ahead. The ceremony is performed by an elder, who cuts off the foreskin at the marked place.
During the entire operation, the boy has no right not only to cry out, but also to show at all that he is in pain. It is very important. After all, before the ceremony, he received a special amulet from the girl to whom he was engaged. If now he screams in pain or winces, he will have to throw this amulet into the bushes - no girl will marry such a man. For the rest of his life, he will be the laughing stock of his village because everyone will consider him a coward.
Among the Australian Aborigines, circumcision is a complex, multi-stage operation. First, a classic circumcision is performed - the initiate lies on his back, after which one of the elderly people pulls his foreskin as far as possible, while the other cuts off the excess skin with a quick swing of a sharp flint knife. When the boy recovers, the next main operation takes place.
It is usually held at sunset. At the same time, the boy is not privy to the details of what is about to happen. The boy is placed on a kind of table made up of the backs of two adult men. Next, one of those who perform the operation pulls the boy’s penis along the abdomen, and the other... rips it apart along the ureter. Only now can the boy be considered a real man. Before the wound heals, the boy will have to sleep on his back.
Such open penises of Australian aborigines take on a completely different shape during an erection - they become flat and wide. However, they are not suitable for urination, and Australian men relieve themselves while squatting.
But the most peculiar method is common among some peoples of Indonesia and Papua, such as the Batak and Kiwai. It consists of making a hole across the penis with a sharp piece of wood, where you can subsequently insert various items, for example, metal ones - silver or, for those richer, gold sticks with balls on the sides. It is believed here that during copulation this creates additional pleasure for the woman.
Not far from the coast of New Guinea, among the inhabitants of the island of Waigeo, the ritual of initiation into men is associated with copious bloodletting, the meaning of which is “cleansing from filth.” But first you need to learn... to play the sacred flute, and then clean your tongue with sandpaper until it bleeds, since in deep childhood the young man sucked his mother’s milk and thereby “defiled” his tongue.
And most importantly, it is necessary to “cleanse” after the first sexual intercourse, which requires making a deep incision in the head of the penis, accompanied by copious bloodletting, the so-called “male menstruation.” But this is not the end of the torment!
Among the men of the Kagaba tribe, there is a custom according to which during sexual intercourse, sperm should under no circumstances fall to the ground, which is regarded as a grave insult to the gods, and therefore can lead to the death of the whole world. According to eyewitnesses, the “Kagabinites” cannot find anything better to avoid spilling sperm on the ground, “like placing a stone under a man’s penis.”
But young men of the Kababa tribe from Northern Colombia, according to custom, are forced to have their first sexual intercourse with the ugliest, toothless and ancient old woman. It’s no wonder that the men of this tribe experience a persistent aversion to sex for the rest of their lives and live poorly with their legal wives.
In one of the Australian tribes, the custom of initiation into men, which is carried out with 14-year-old boys, is even more exotic. To prove his maturity to everyone, a teenager must sleep with his own mother. This ritual means the return of the young man to the mother's womb, which symbolizes death, and orgasm - rebirth.
In some tribes, the initiate must pass through a "toothed womb." The mother puts a mask of a terrible monster on her head, and inserts the jaw of some predator into her vagina. The blood from a wound on the teeth is considered sacred; it is used to smear the face and genitals of the young man.
The young men of the Vandu tribe were much more fortunate. They can become a man only after they graduate from a special sex school, where a female sex instructor gives the boys extensive theoretical and, later, practical training. Graduates of such a school, initiated into the secrets sex life, please their wives to the fullest extent of the sexual capabilities given to them by nature.
EXCORIATION
In many Bedouin tribes in the west and south of Arabia, despite the official ban, the custom of ripping off the skin from the penis has been preserved. This procedure consists of cutting the skin of the penis along its entire length and peeling it off, just like skinning an eel while cutting it.
Boys from ten to fifteen years old consider it a matter of honor not to utter a single cry during this operation. The participant is exposed and the slave manipulates his penis until an erection occurs, after which the operation is performed.
WHEN TO WEAR A HAT?
The youths of the Kabiri tribe in modern Oceania, having reached maturity and undergone severe trials, receive the right to place on their heads a pointed cap, coated with lime, decorated with feathers and flowers; They stick it to their head and even go to bed in it.
YOUNG FIGHTER COURSE
Like many other tribes, among the Bushmen, the initiation of a boy is also carried out after his preliminary training in hunting and everyday skills. And most often young people learn this science of life in the forest.
After completing the “young fighter course,” deep cuts are made above the bridge of the boy’s nose, where the ashes of the burnt tendons of a pre-killed antelope are rubbed. And, naturally, he must endure this entire painful procedure in silence, as befits a real man.
BATTLE BUILDS COURAGE
In the African Fulani tribe, during the male initiation ceremony called "soro", each teenager was struck several times on the back or chest with a heavy club. The subject had to endure this execution in silence, without betraying any pain. Subsequently, the longer the marks of beatings remained on his body and the more terrible he looked, the more respect he gained among his fellow tribesmen as a man and a warrior.
SACRIFICE TO THE GREAT SPIRIT
Among the Mandans, the rite of initiation of young men into men was that the initiate was wrapped in ropes, like a cocoon, and hung on them until he lost consciousness.
In this unconscious (or lifeless, as they put it) state, he was laid on the ground, and when he came to his senses, he crawled on all fours to the old Indian, who was sitting in a doctor’s hut with an ax in his hands and a buffalo skull in front of him. The young man raised the little finger of his left hand as a sacrifice to the great spirit, and it was cut off (sometimes along with the index finger).
LIME INITIATION
Among the Malaysians, the ritual of entering into the secret male union of Ingiet was as follows: during initiation, naked old man, smeared from head to toe with lime, held the end of the mat and gave the other end to the subject. Each of them took turns pulling the mat towards himself until the old man fell on the newcomer and performed sexual intercourse with him.
INITIATION AT ARANDA
Among the Aranda, initiation was divided into four periods, with gradually increasing complexity of the rituals. The first period consists of relatively harmless and simple manipulations performed on the boy. The main procedure was to throw it into the air.
Before this, it was coated with fat and then painted. At this time, the boy was given certain instructions: for example, not to play with women and girls anymore and to prepare for more serious challenges. At the same time, the boy's nasal septum was drilled.
The second period is the circumcision ceremony. It was carried out on one or two boys. All members of the clan took part in this action, without inviting outsiders. The ceremony lasted about ten days, and throughout this time the tribe members danced and performed various ritual actions in front of the initiates, the meaning of which was immediately explained to them.
Some of the rituals were performed in the presence of women, but when they started circumcision, they ran away. At the end of the operation, the boy was shown a sacred object - a wooden tablet on a cord, which the uninitiated could not see, and its meaning was explained, with a warning to keep it secret from women and children.
The initiate spent some time after the operation away from the camp, in the forest thickets. Here he received a whole series of instructions from leaders. He was instilled with moral rules: not to do bad things, not to walk on the “path of women,” and to observe food prohibitions. These prohibitions were quite numerous and painful: it was forbidden to eat opossum meat, kangaroo rat meat, the tail and rump of a kangaroo, the entrails of an emu, snakes, any water bird, young game, and so on.
He didn’t have to break bones to extract the brain, and he didn’t have to eat a little bit of soft meat. In a word, the most delicious and nutritious food was forbidden to the initiate. At this time, living in the bushes, he learned a special secret language, which he used to speak with men. Women could not approach him.
After some time, even before returning to the camp, a rather painful operation was performed on the boy: several men took turns biting his head; it was believed that after this hair would grow better.
The third stage is the initiate’s exit from maternal care. He did this by throwing a boomerang towards the location of the maternal “totemic center”.
The last, most difficult and solemn stage of initiation is the engvur ceremony. The central place in it was occupied by the trial by fire. Unlike previous stages, the entire tribe and even guests from neighboring tribes participated here, but only men: two to three hundred people gathered. Of course, such an event was organized not for one or two initiates, but for a large party of them. The festivities lasted for a very long time, several months, usually between September and January.
Throughout the entire period, religious thematic rites were performed in a continuous series, mainly for the edification of the initiates. In addition, various other ceremonies were held, partly symbolizing the initiates' break with women and their transition to a group of full-fledged men. One of the ceremonies consisted, for example, of the initiates passing by the women's camp; at the same time, the women threw burning brands at them, and the initiates defended themselves with branches. After this, a feigned attack on the women's camp was carried out.
Finally the time came for the main test. It consisted of building a large fire, covering it with damp branches, and the young men being initiated lay down on top of them. They had to lie there, completely naked, in the heat and smoke, without moving, without screaming or moaning, for four to five minutes.
It is clear that the fiery test required from the young man enormous endurance, willpower, but also uncomplaining obedience. But they prepared for all this with long previous training. This test was repeated twice. One of the researchers describing this action adds that when he tried to kneel down on the same green floor above the fire for an experiment, he was forced to immediately jump up.
Of the subsequent rituals, an interesting one is the mocking roll call between the initiates and the women, which takes place in the dark, and in this verbal duel even the usual restrictions and rules of decency were not observed. Then emblematic images were painted on their backs. Next, the fire test was repeated in an abbreviated form: small fires were lit in the women’s camp, and the young men knelt on these fires for half a minute.
Before the end of the festival, dancing was again held, wives were exchanged, and, finally, the ritual offering of food to those dedicated to their leaders. After this, the participants and guests gradually dispersed to their camps, and that was where it all ended: from that day on, all prohibitions and restrictions on the initiates were lifted.
TRAVELS… TOOTH
During initiation rites, some tribes have a custom of removing one or more of a boy's front teeth. Moreover, certain magical actions are also subsequently performed with these teeth. Thus, among some tribes of the Darling River region, a knocked-out tooth was stuffed under the bark of a tree growing near a river or a hole with water.
If a tooth became overgrown with bark or fell into water, there was no reason to worry. But if he protruded outside and ants were running over him, then the young man, according to the natives, was in danger of having an oral disease.
Murring and other tribes of New South Wales first entrusted the custody of a knocked-out tooth to one of the old men, who passed it on to another, who passed it on to a third, and so on until, having gone around the whole community in a circle, the tooth returned to the young man’s father and, finally, to himself. young man. At the same time, none of those who kept the tooth should have put it in a bag with “magical” objects, since it was believed that otherwise the owner of the tooth would be in great danger.
YOUTH VAMPIRISM
Some Australian tribes from the Darling River had a custom according to which, after the ceremony on the occasion of reaching manhood, the young man did not eat anything for the first two days, but drank only blood from the veins opened in the hands of his friends, who voluntarily offered him this food.
Having placed a ligature on the shoulder, a vein was opened from inside forearms and released the blood into a wooden vessel or into a piece of bark shaped like a dish. The young man, kneeling on his bed of fuchsia branches, leaned forward, holding his hands behind him, and licked the blood from the vessel placed in front of him with his tongue, like a dog. Later, he is allowed to eat meat and drink the duck's blood.
AIR INITIATION
Among the Mandan tribe, belonging to the group North American Indians, the rite of passage is probably the most cruel. It happens as follows.
The initiate first gets down on all fours. After this, one of the men, with the thumb and forefinger of his left hand, pulls back about an inch of flesh on his shoulders or chest and squeezes it right hand with a knife, on the double-edged blade of which, to intensify the pain caused by another knife, notches and notches are applied, pierces the pulled skin. His assistant standing next to him inserts a peg or pin into the wound, a supply of which he keeps ready in his left hand.
Then several men of the tribe, having climbed in advance to the roof of the room in which the ceremony takes place, lower two thin ropes through holes in the ceiling, which are tied to these pins, and begin to pull the initiate up. This continues until his body rises above the ground.
After this, the skin on each arm below the shoulders and on the legs below the knees is pierced with a knife, and pins are also inserted into the resulting wounds and ropes are tied to them. For them, the initiates are pulled even higher. After this, on stiletto heels protruding from the bleeding limbs, the observers hang a bow, shield, quiver, etc. belonging to the young man undergoing the ceremony.
Then the victim is pulled up again until he hangs in the air so that not only his own weight, but also the weight of the weapons hanging on his limbs, falls on those parts of the body to which the ropes are attached.
And so, overcoming immense pain, covered in dried blood, the initiates hung in the air, biting their tongues and lips, so as not to utter the slightest groan and triumphantly pass this highest test of strength of character and courage.
When the tribal elders leading the initiation believed that the young men had adequately endured this part of the ritual, they ordered their bodies to be lowered to the ground, where they lay without visible signs of life, slowly coming to their senses.
But the torment of the initiates did not end there. They had to pass one more test: “the last run”, or in the language of the tribe - “eh-ke-nah-ka-nah-pik”.
Each of the young men was assigned two elders in age and physical strength. strong men. They took places on either side of the initiate and grabbed the free ends of the wide leather straps tied to his wrists. And heavy weights were hung from the pins piercing various parts of the young man’s body.
On command, the accompanying people began to run in wide circles, dragging his ward along with him. The procedure continued until the victim lost consciousness from blood loss and exhaustion.
ANTS DETERMINE...
In the Amazonian tribe Mandruku there was also a kind of sophisticated torture-initiation. At first glance, the tools used to carry it out looked quite harmless. They looked like two cylinders, blind at one end, made from the bark of a palm tree and had a length of about thirty centimeters. Thus, they resembled a pair of huge, crudely made mittens.
The initiate put his hands into these cases and, accompanied by onlookers who usually consisted of members of the entire tribe, began a long walk around the settlement, stopping at the entrance to each wigwam and performing a kind of dance.
However, these gauntlets were actually not as harmless as they might seem. For inside each of them there was a whole collection of ants and other stinging insects, selected on the basis of the greatest pain caused by their bites.
Other tribes also use a pumpkin bottle filled with ants during initiation. But the candidate for membership in the society of adult men does not go around the settlement, but stands still until the wild dances of the tribe take place to the accompaniment of wild cries. After the young man has endured the ritual “torture,” his shoulders are decorated with feathers.
TISSUE OF GROWING
The South American Ouna tribe also uses the "ant test" or "wasp test". To do this, ants or wasps stick into a special mesh fabric, often depicting some fantastic quadruped, fish or bird.
The whole body of the young man is wrapped in this fabric. From this torture the young man faints, and in an unconscious state he is carried into a hammock, to which he is tied with ropes; and a weak fire burns under the hammock.
It remains in this position for one or two weeks and can feed only on cassava bread and a small variety of smoked fish. There are even restrictions on water consumption.
This torture precedes a magnificent dance celebration that lasts several days. Guests come wearing masks and huge headdresses with beautiful feather mosaics, and various decorations. During this carnival, a young man is beaten.
LIVING NET
A number of Caribbean tribes also used ants during the initiation of boys. But before this, the young people used a boar's tusk or a toucan's beak to scratch their chest and skin of their arms until they bled.
And only after that they began to torture with ants. The priest who carried out this procedure had a special device, similar to a net, in the narrow loops of which 60-80 large ants were placed. They were placed so that their heads, armed with long sharp stings, were located on one side of the mesh.
At the moment of initiation, the net with ants was pressed to the boy’s body and kept in this position until the insects stuck to the skin of the unfortunate victim.
During this ritual, the priest applied the net to the chest, arms, lower abdomen, back, back of the thighs and calves of the defenseless boy, who was in no way supposed to express his suffering.
It should be noted that in these tribes girls are also subjected to a similar procedure. They must also endure the bites of angry ants calmly. The slightest groan or painful distortion of the face deprives the unfortunate victim of the opportunity to communicate with elders. Moreover, she is subjected to the same operation until she bravely endures it without showing the slightest sign of pain.
PILLAR OF COURAGE
Young people from the North American Cheyenne tribe had to endure a no less cruel test. When the boy reached the age when he could become a warrior, his father tied him to a pole that stood near the road along which the girls walked to fetch water.
But they tied the young man in a special way: parallel cuts were made in the pectoral muscles, and straps made of raw leather were pulled along them. It was with these belts that the young man was tied to the post. And they didn’t just tie him up, but left him alone, and he had to free himself.
Most of the boys leaned back, pulling on the belts with the weight of their bodies, causing them to cut into their flesh. After two days, the tension of the belts weakened, and the young man was freed.
The more courageous ones grabbed the belts with both hands and moved them back and forth, thanks to which they were released within a few hours. The young man, freed in this way, was praised by everyone, and he was looked upon as a future leader in the war. After the youth had freed himself, he was led into the hut with great honor and looked after with great care.
On the contrary, while he remained tied, women passing by him with water did not speak to him, did not offer to quench his thirst, and did not provide any help.
However, the young man had the right to ask for help. Moreover, he knew that it would be immediately given to him: they would immediately talk to him and free him. But at the same time he remembered that this would be a lifelong punishment for him, because from now on he would be considered a “woman”, dressed in a woman’s dress and forced to perform women's work; he will not have the right to hunt, carry weapons or be a warrior. And, of course, no woman would want to marry him. Therefore, the overwhelming majority of Cheyenne youths endure this cruel torture like Spartans.
WOUNDED SKULL
In some African tribes During initiation, after the ritual of circumcision, an operation is performed to inflict small wounds over the entire surface of the skull until blood appears. The original purpose of this operation was clearly to make holes in the cranial bone.
ROLE GAMES ASMATS
If, for example, the Mandruku and Ouna tribes use ants for initiation, then the Asmats from Irian Jaya cannot do without human skulls during the ceremony of initiating boys into men.
At the beginning of the ritual in a special way a painted skull is placed between the legs of the young man undergoing initiation, who sits naked on the bare floor of a special hut. At the same time, he must constantly press the skull to his genitals, without taking his eyes off it for three days. It is believed that during this period all the sexual energy of the owner of the skull is transferred to the candidate.
When the first ritual is completed, the young man is led to the sea, where a sailing canoe awaits him. Accompanied and under the guidance of his uncle and one of his close relatives, the young man goes in the direction of the sun, where, according to legend, the ancestors of the Asmats live. The skull at this time lies in front of him at the bottom of the canoe.
During a sea voyage, the young man is supposed to play several roles. First of all, he must be able to behave like an old man, so weak that he is not even able to stand on his own feet and constantly falls to the bottom of the boat. The adult accompanying the young man lifts him up each time, and then, at the end of the ritual, throws him into the sea along with the skull. This act symbolizes the death of the old man and the birth of a new man.
The subject must also cope with the role of a baby who cannot walk or speak. By playing this role, the young man demonstrates how grateful he is to his close relative for helping him pass the test. When the boat moored to the shore, the young man would already behave like an adult man and bear two names: his own and the name of the owner of the skull.
That is why it was very important for the Asmats, who gained the infamous popularity of ruthless “skull hunters”, to know the name of the person they killed. A skull whose owner's name was unknown was rendered useless and could not be used in initiation ceremonies.
The following incident, which occurred in 1954, can serve as an illustration of the above statement. Three foreigners were guests in the same Asmat village, and local residents invited them to a meal. Although the Asmats were hospitable people, they nevertheless looked at the guests primarily as “carriers of skulls,” intending to deal with them during the holiday.
First, the hosts sang a solemn song in honor of the guests, and then asked them to say their names in order to supposedly insert them into the text of the traditional chant. But as soon as they identified themselves, they immediately lost their heads.
Amazingly, in this age of atomic energy, laser guns and Pluto exploration, there still exist primitive people, almost unfamiliar with the outside world. A huge number of such tribes are scattered throughout the earth, except Europe. Some live in complete isolation, perhaps not even knowing about the existence of other “bipeds”. Others know and see more, but are in no hurry to make contact. And still others are ready to kill any stranger.
What should we do? civilized people? Try to “make friends” with them? Keep an eye on them? Completely ignore?
Just these days, the disputes resumed when the Peruvian authorities decided to make contact with one of the lost tribes. Defenders of Aboriginal people are strongly against it, because after contact they may die from diseases to which they have no immunity: it is not known whether they will agree to medical help.
Let's see who it's about we're talking about, and what other tribes infinitely far from civilization are found in the modern world.
1. Brazil
It is in this country that the largest number of uncontacted tribes live. In just 2 years, from 2005 to 2007, their confirmed number immediately increased by 70% (from 40 to 67), and today there are already more than 80 on the lists of the National Foundation of Indians (FUNAI).
There are extremely small tribes, only 20-30 people, others can number 1.5 thousand. Moreover, together they make up less than 1% of the population of Brazil, but the “ancestral lands” that are allotted to them are 13% of the country’s territory (green spots on the map). 
To search for and count isolated tribes, authorities periodically fly over dense forests Amazons. So in 2008, hitherto unknown savages were spotted near the border with Peru. First, anthropologists noticed from an airplane their huts, which looked like elongated tents, as well as half-naked women and children. 
But during a repeat flight a few hours later, men with spears and bows, painted red from head to toe, and the same warlike woman, all black, appeared in the same place. They probably mistook the plane for an evil bird spirit. 
Since then, the tribe has remained unstudied. Scientists can only guess that it is very numerous and prosperous. The photo shows that people are generally healthy and well-fed, their baskets are full of roots and fruits, and even something like orchards were spotted from the plane. It is possible that this people have existed for 10,000 years and have preserved their primitiveness since then. 
2. Peru
But the very tribe with which the Peruvian authorities want to come into contact are the Mashco-Piro Indians, who also live in the wilderness of the Amazon forest in the Manu National Park in the southeast of the country. Previously, they always rejected strangers, but in last years They began to often leave the thicket into the “outside world.” In 2014 alone, they were spotted more than 100 times in populated areas, especially along the banks of the river, from where they pointed at passers-by. 
“They seem to be making contact on their own, and we can’t pretend we don’t notice. They also have the right to this,” the government says. They emphasize that under no circumstances will they force the tribe to make contact or change their lifestyle. 
Officially, Peruvian law prohibits contact with the lost tribes, of which there are at least a dozen in the country. But many people have already managed to “communicate” with the Mashko-Piro, from ordinary tourists to Christian missionaries, who shared clothes and food with them. Maybe also because there is no punishment for violating the ban. 
True, not all contacts were peaceful. In May 2015, the Mashko-Piros came to one of the local villages and, having met the residents, attacked them. One guy was killed on the spot, pierced by an arrow. In 2011, members of the tribe killed another local and wounded a national park ranger with arrows. Authorities hope the contact will help prevent future deaths.
This is probably the only civilized Mashco-Piro Indian. As a child, local hunters came across him in the jungle and took him with them. Since then he has been named Alberto Flores. 
3. Andaman Islands (India)
The tiny island of this archipelago in the Bay of Bengal between India and Myanmar is inhabited by the Sentinelese, who are extremely hostile to the outside world. Most likely, these are direct descendants of the first Africans who ventured to leave the black continent approximately 60,000 years ago. Since then, this small tribe has been engaged in hunting, fishing and gathering. How they make fire is unknown. 
Their language has not been identified, but judging by its striking difference from all other Andamanese dialects, these people have not come into contact with anyone for thousands of years. The size of their community (or scattered groups) is also not established: presumably, from 40 to 500 people. 
The Sentinelese are typical Negritos, as ethnologists call them: rather short people with very dark, almost black skin and short, fine curls of hair. Their main weapons are spears and bows with different types arrow Observations have shown that they accurately hit a human-sized target from a distance of 10 meters. The tribe considers any outsiders enemies. In 2006, they killed two fishermen who were sleeping peacefully in a boat that accidentally washed up on their shore, and then greeted a search helicopter with a hail of arrows. 
There were only a few "peaceful" contacts with the Sentinelese during the 1960s. Once coconuts were left on the shore for them to see if they would plant them or eat them. - Ate. Another time they “gifted” live pigs - the savages immediately killed them and... buried them. The only thing that seemed useful to them were the red buckets, as they hurried to carry them deeper into the island. But the exact same green buckets were not touched. 
But do you know what is the strangest and inexplicable? Despite their primitiveness and extremely primitive shelters, the Sentinelese generally survived the terrible earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004. But almost 300 thousand people died along the entire coast of Asia, which made it disaster deadliest in modern history! 
4. Papua New Guinea
The vast island of New Guinea in Oceania holds many unknown secrets. Its inaccessible mountainous regions, covered with thick forests, only seem uninhabited - in fact, they are native home for many uncontacted tribes. Due to the peculiarities of the landscape, they are hidden not only from civilization, but also from each other: it happens that there are only a few kilometers between two villages, but they are not aware of their proximity. 
The tribes live so isolated that each has its own customs and language. Just think - linguists distinguish approximately 650 Papuan languages, and in total more than 800 languages are spoken in this country! 
There may be similar differences in their culture and lifestyle. Some tribes turn out to be relatively peaceful and generally friendly, like a funny nation to our ears bullshit, which Europeans learned about only in 1935. 
But the most ominous rumors are circulating about others. There were cases when members of expeditions specially equipped to search for Papuan savages disappeared without a trace. This is exactly how one of the members of the richest group disappeared in 1961. American family Michael Rockefeller. He became separated from the group and is suspected to have been captured and eaten. 
5. Africa
At the junction of the borders of Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan live several nationalities, numbering about 200 thousand people, who are collectively called Surma. They raise livestock, but are not nomadic and share a common culture with very cruel and strange traditions. 
Young men, for example, engage in stick fights to win brides, which can result in serious injuries and even death. And girls, when decorating themselves for a future wedding, remove their lower teeth, pierce their lip and stretch it so that a special plate fits there. The larger it is, the more cattle they will give for the bride, so the most desperate beauties manage to squeeze in a 40-centimeter dish! 
True, in recent years, young people from these tribes have begun to learn something about the outside world, and that’s all more girls Surma now refuse such a ritual of “beauty”. However, women and men continue to decorate themselves with curly scars, which they are very proud of. 
In general, the acquaintance of these peoples with civilization is very uneven: they, for example, remain illiterate, but quickly mastered the AK-47 assault rifles that came to them during civil war in Sudan. 
And one more interesting detail. The first people from the outside world to come into contact with Surma in the 1980s were not Africans, but a group of Russian doctors. The Aborigines were then frightened, mistaking them for the living dead - after all, they had never seen white skin before!
These people do not know what electricity is or how to drive cars, they live as their ancestors lived for centuries, getting food by hunting and fishing. They cannot read or write, and can die from a common cold or a scratch. All this is about the wild tribes that still exist on our planet.
There are not many such communities closed from civilization; they live mainly in warm countries, in Africa, South America, Asia and Australia. Today it is believed that no more than 100 such tribes have survived on the entire planet. Sometimes it is almost impossible to study their life and culture, since they live too isolated and do not want to have contact with the outside world, or their immune system is not ready to “meet” modern bacteria, and any disease, the course of which modern man may not even notice, it will be fatal for a savage. Unfortunately, civilization is still “advancing”, uncontrolled cutting of trees is taking place almost everywhere, people are still developing new lands, and wild tribes are forced to leave their lands, and sometimes even go to the “big” world.
Papuans
This people lives in New Guinea and is found in Melanesia, on the islands of Halmahera, Timor and Alor.
In terms of anthropogenic appearance, the Papuans are closest to the Melanesians, but with a completely different language and culture. Some tribes speak completely different languages, which are not even related. Today their national language is Tok Pisin Creole.
In total there are approximately 3.7 million Papuans, with some wild tribes numbering no more than 100 people. Among them there are many nationalities: Bonkins, Gimbu, Ekari, Chimbu and others. It is believed that these people inhabited Oceania 20-25 thousand years ago.
Every community has a community house called buambramba. This is a kind of cultural and spiritual center of the entire village. In some villages you can see a huge house in which everyone lives together; its length can reach 200 meters.
Papuans are farmers, the main crops grown are taro, banana, yam and coconut. The harvest must be stored standing, that is, collected only for eating. Savages also raise pigs and hunt.
Pygmies
These are the wild tribes of Africa. Even the ancient Egyptians knew about their existence. They are mentioned by Homer and Herodotus. However, the existence of pygmies was confirmed for the first time only in the 19th century, when they were discovered in the Uzle and Ituri river basin. Today, these people are known to exist in Rwanda, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, Zaire and in the forests of Gabon. You can even meet pygmies in South Asia, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.
Distinctive feature Pygmies are short in stature, from 144 to 150 centimeters. Their hair is curly and their skin is light brown. The body is usually quite large, and the legs and arms are short. Pygmies are classified as a separate race. Special language It has not been revealed among these peoples whether they communicate in those dialects whose peoples live nearby: Asua, Kimbuti and others.
Another feature of this people is the short life path. In some settlements, people only live until they are 16 years old. Girls give birth while they are still very young. In other settlements, women were found to be going through menopause as early as 28 years old. A meager diet threatens their health; pygmies even die from chickenpox and measles.
To date, the total number of this people has not been established; according to some estimates, there are about 40 thousand, according to others - 200.
For a long time, the pygmies did not even know how to make fire; they carried the hearth with them. They engage in gathering and hunting.
Bushmen
These wild tribes live in Namibia and are also found in Angola, South Africa, Botswana, and Tanzania.
These people are classified as capoid race, with lighter skin than blacks. The tongue has many clicking sounds.
The Bushmen lead an almost vagabond lifestyle, constantly half-starved. The system of building a society does not presuppose the presence of leaders, but there are elders who are chosen from among the most intelligent and authoritative individuals in the community. This people does not have a cult of ancestors, but they are very afraid of the dead, so they conduct a unique burial ceremony. The diet contains ant larvae, the so-called “Bushman rice”.
Today, most Bushmen work on farms and little adhere to their former way of life.
Zulu
These are the wild tribes of Africa (southern part). There are believed to be about 10 million Zulus. They speak Zulu, the most common language in South Africa.
Many representatives of this nationality have become adherents of Christianity, but many observe their own faith. According to the canons of the Zulu religion, death is the result of witchcraft, and all life on the planet was created by a creator. This people has preserved many traditions; in particular, believers can perform the ritual of ablution about 3 times a day.
The Zulus are quite organized, they even have a king, today it is Goodwill Zwelantini. Each tribe consists of clans, which include even smaller communities. Each of them has its own leader, and in the family this role is played by the husband.
The most expensive rite of wild tribes is marriage. To take a wife, a man will have to give her parents 100 kilograms of sugar, corn and 11 cows. For such gifts you can rent an apartment in the suburbs of Durban, with a gorgeous view of the ocean. That's why there are a lot of bachelors in tribes.
Korowai
Perhaps this is the most brutal tribe in the whole world. These people were discovered only in the 90s of the last century.
The life of the wild tribe is very harsh, they still use the teeth and tusks of animals as weapons and tools. These people pierce their ears and noses with the teeth of predators and live in the impenetrable forests of Papua New Guinea. They sleep in trees, in huts, very similar to those that many built in childhood. And the forests here are so dense and impenetrable that neighboring villages They don’t even know about another settlement located a few kilometers away.
The pig is considered a holy animal, the meat of which the Korowai eat only after the boar is old. The animal is used as a riding pony. Often a piglet is taken from its mother and raised from childhood.
The women of the wild tribe are common, but sexual intercourse occurs only once a year; on the remaining 364 days it is not allowed to touch them.
The cult of the warrior flourishes among the Korowai. These are very hardy people; for several days in a row they can feed only on larvae and worms. It is believed that they are cannibals, and the first travelers who managed to reach the settlement were simply eaten.
Now that the Korowai have learned about the existence of another society, they do not seek to leave the forests, and everyone who comes here tells a legend that if they deviate from their traditions, there will be a terrible earthquake and the entire planet will perish. Korowai scare away uninvited guests with stories about their bloodthirstiness, although so far there has been no evidence of this.
Maasai
These are the true noble warriors of the African continent. They are engaged in cattle breeding, but never steal livestock from neighbors and lower tribes. These people are able to protect themselves from lions and European conquerors, although in the 21st century the too much pressure of civilization, which is increasingly advancing, has led to the fact that the tribes are rapidly decreasing in number. Now children herd livestock almost from the age of 3, women are responsible for the entire household, and the remaining men mostly relax or fight back against uninvited guests.
It is among these people that they have a tradition of pulling back their earlobes and inserting round objects the size of a good saucer into the lower lip.
Maori
The most bloodthirsty tribes of New Zealand and the Cook Islands. In these places, Maori are the indigenous population.
These people are cannibals who terrified more than one traveler. The path of development of Maori society went in a different direction - from man to animal. The tribes were always located in areas protected by nature itself, additionally carrying out fortification work, creating multi-meter ditches and installing a palisade, on which the dried heads of enemies were always displayed. They are prepared carefully, cleaned of the brain, strengthened the nasal and eye sockets and bulges with special boards and smoked over low heat for about 30 hours.
Wild tribes of Australia
In this country, a fairly large number of tribes have survived, living far from civilization and having interesting customs. For example, the men of the Arunta tribe in an interesting way show respect for each other by giving their wife to a comrade for a short period of time. If the gifted man refuses, then enmity begins between families.
And in one of the tribes of Australia in childhood For boys, the foreskin is cut and the urinary canal is pulled out, thus creating two genital organs.
Amazon Indians
According to the most conservative estimates, about 50 different wild Indian tribes live in the tropical forests.
Pirahu. This is one of the most undeveloped peoples on the planet. There are about 200 people in the settlement, they live in the Brazilian jungle. The Aborigines use the most primitive language on the planet, they have no history or myths, they don’t even have a number system.
Pirahu do not have the right to tell stories that did not happen to them. You cannot enter new words or words heard from other people. The language does not designate animals, vegetation, or flowers.
These people have never been seen to be aggressive; they live in trees and huts. They often act as guides, but do not accept any objects of civilization.
Kayapo tribe. This is one of the wild tribes of the world, which lives in the eastern part of the river basin. Their number is about 3 thousand people. They firmly believe that they are controlled by a man who descended from heaven. Some Kayapo household items really resemble astronaut spacesuits. Despite the fact that the entire village walks around naked, God still appears in clothing and even with a headdress.
Korubo. This people is perhaps the most unstudied of all the tribes in the world that live remote from civilization. All residents are quite aggressive towards any guests. They engage in gathering and hunting, and often attack neighboring tribes. Even women take part in the battles. A distinctive feature of this tribe is that they do not paint themselves or get tattoos, unlike most aborigines.
The life of wild tribes is quite harsh. If a child is born with a cleft palate, he is immediately killed, and this happens quite often. A child is often killed even after he has grown up, if he suddenly falls ill.
The tribe lives in long rooms with several entrances, typical for Indians. Several families live in such houses. Men of this tribe can have several wives.
The most basic problem of all wild tribes is the inexorable expansion of habitats civilized man. There is a huge risk that these almost primitive people will soon disappear, unable to withstand the onslaught of the modern world.
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 the wild Himba tribe. 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 large number 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 people 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;
Even more interesting series, about people’s lives in harmony with nature - 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.
