In today's world where everyone lives on a schedule, working around the clock and glued to their cell phones, there are some groups of people who focus on nature. The way of life of these tribes is no different from the one they led several centuries ago. Climate change and industrial development have greatly reduced their numbers, but for now, these 10 tribes still exist.
Kayapo Indians
The Kayapo are a Brazilian tribe that lives along the Xingu River in 44 separate villages connected by barely visible paths. They call themselves Mebengokre, which means “people of great water.” Unfortunately, their “big water” is about to change dramatically as the huge Belo Monte Dam is being built on the Xingu River. The 668 square kilometer reservoir will flood 388 square kilometers of forest, partially destroying the Kayapo tribe's habitat. The Indians fought against the penetration of modern man for many centuries, fighting everyone from hunters and trappers to lumberjacks and rubber miners. They even successfully prevented the construction of a major dam in 1989. Their population was once only 1,300 people, but has since grown to almost 8,000. The question today is how people will survive if their culture is threatened. Members of the Kayapo tribe are famous for their body painting, agriculture and colorful headdresses. Modern technologies are already penetrating their lives - the Kayapo are driving motorboats, watching TV, or even logging on Facebook.
Kalash
Nestled in the Pakistani mountains, on the border with the Taliban-controlled region of Afghanistan, lies a most unusual tribe of white, European-looking people known as the Kalash. Many Kalash have blond hair and blue eyes, a stark contrast to their darker-skinned neighbors. Not only are the Kalash tribe different in physical characteristics, they have a very different culture from the Muslims. They are polytheistic, have a unique folklore, produce wine (which is forbidden in Muslim culture), wear brightly colored clothing, and give much more freedom to women. They are a decidedly happy, peace-loving people who love to dance and hold numerous annual festivals. No one knows for sure how this fair-skinned tribe came to be in remote Pakistan, but the Kalash claim they are long-lost descendants of the army of Alexander the Great. Evidence from DNA tests shows that they had an infusion of European blood during the time of Alexander's conquests, so there is a possibility that their stories are true. For many years, the surrounding Muslims persecuted the Kalash and forced many to convert to Islam. Today, approximately 4,000-6,000 members of the tribe remain, engaged primarily in agriculture.
Cahuilla Tribe
While southern California is most often associated with Hollywood, surfers and actors, the area is home to nine Indian reservations inhabited by the ancient Cahuilla people. They lived in the Coachella Valley for over 3,000 years and settled there when prehistoric Lake Cahuilla still existed. Despite problems with disease, gold rushes and persecution, the tribe managed to survive, although it was dwindled to 3,000 people. They have lost much of their heritage, and the unique Cahuilla language is on the verge of extinction. This dialect is a mixture of Yuta and Aztec languages, which can be spoken by only 35 elderly people. Nowadays, elders are trying hard to pass on their language, “bird songs” and other cultural characteristics to the younger generation. Like most indigenous peoples in North America, they faced the challenge of assimilating into the wider community in an attempt to maintain their old traditions.
Spinifex tribe
The Spinifex tribe, or Saw Nguru, are indigenous people living in the Great Victorian Desert. They have lived in some of the harshest climates for life for at least 15,000 years. Even after Europeans settled in Australia, this tribe was not affected as they occupied an environment that was too dry and inhospitable. Everything changed in the 1950s, when Spinifex Land, unsuitable for agriculture, was chosen for nuclear testing. In 1953, the British and Australian governments detonated nuclear bombs in the Spinifex homeland, without any consent and after short warning. Most Aboriginal people were displaced and did not return to their homeland until the late 1980s. After returning, they faced heavy opposition when trying to legally recognize the area as their property. Interestingly, their beautiful artwork helped prove the Spinifex's deep connection to this land, leading them to be recognized as an indigenous people in 1997. Their artwork received widespread recognition and appeared in art exhibitions around the world. It is difficult to count how many members of the tribe currently exist, but one of their largest communities, known as Tjuntyuntyara, has an estimated population of 180-220.
Batak
The Philippine island of Palawan is home to the Batak people, the most genetically diverse people on the planet. They are believed to belong to a Negroid-Australoid race, distantly related to those people from whom we are all descended. This means that they are descendants of one of the first groups that left Africa approximately 70,000 years ago and traveled from the Asian mainland to the Philippines approximately 20,000 years later. Typical of Negroids, Bataks are small in stature and have strange, unusual hair. Traditionally, women wear sarongs, while men cover their body only with a loincloth and feathers, or jewelry. The entire community works together to hunt and harvest, followed by celebrations. In general, Bataks are shy, peaceful people who prefer to hide deep in the jungle without engaging in confrontations with outsiders. Like other local tribes, disease, territorial conquests, and other modern invasions have devastated the Batak population. Currently there are approximately 300-500 people. Surprisingly, environmental protection was among the tribe's biggest concerns. The Philippine government has banned logging in certain protected areas, and the Batak have traditionally practiced tree cutting. Without the ability to grow food efficiently, many suffer from malnutrition.
Andamanese
Andamanese are also classified as Negroids, but due to their extremely short height (adult males are under 150 centimeters), they are usually referred to as pygmies. They inhabit the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Like the Bataks, the Andamanese are one of the first groups to migrate from Africa, and developed in isolation until the 18th century. Up until the 19th century, they didn't even know how to start a fire. The Andamanese are divided into separate tribes, each with their own culture and language. One group disappeared when its last member died at the age of 85 in 2010. Another group, the Sentinelese, are so fiercely resistant to outside contact that even in the modern technological world very little is known about them. Those who have not integrated into the larger Indian culture still live like their ancestors. For example, they use a single type of weapon - a bow and arrow - to hunt pig, turtle and fish. Men and women collect roots, tubers and honey together. Clearly, their lifestyle is working for them, as doctors rate the health and nutritional status of the Andamanese as “optimal.” The biggest problems they have are the impact of Indian settlers and tourists who force them off the land, bring diseases and treat these people like animals in a safari park. Although the exact size of the tribe is not known, as some still live in isolation, there are approximately 400-500 existing Andamanese.
Piraha tribe
Although there are many small primitive tribes throughout Brazil and the Amazon, the Pirahã stand out because they have their own culture and language, unlike many other people on the planet. This tribe has some quirky features. They do not have colors, numbers, past tense or subordinate clauses. While some might call the language simplistic, these features are a result of Piraha values of living only in the moment. In addition, because they live completely together, they have no need to ration and divide property. A lot of unnecessary words are eliminated when you have no history, don't have to track anything, and only trust what you see. In general, the Pirahã differ from Westerners in almost every way. They sincerely rejected all missionaries, as well as all modern technologies. They have no leader and do not need to exchange resources with other people or tribes. Even after hundreds of years of external contact, this group of 300 people has remained largely unchanged since ancient times.
People of Takuu Atoll
The people of Takuu Atoll are Polynesian in origin, but are considered one of the isolated cultures as they live in the Melanesian region instead of the Polynesian triangle. Takuu Atoll has a particularly distinct culture, which some call the most traditionally Polynesian. This is because the Takuu tribe are extremely protective of their way of life and protect themselves from suspicious outsiders. They even enforced the ban on missionaries for 40 years. They still live in traditional thatched buildings. Unlike most of us, who spend most of our time working, Takuu devote 20-30 hours a week to singing and dancing. Surprisingly, they have over 1,000 songs that they repeat from memory. The 400 members of the tribe are somehow connected to each other, and they are controlled by one leader. Unfortunately, climate change may destroy the Takuu's way of life as the ocean soon engulfs their island. Rising sea levels have already polluted freshwater sources and drowned crops, and although the community has created dams, they are proving ineffective.
Spirit Tribe
The Duha are the last group of nomadic herders in Mongolia with a history dating back to the Tang Dynasty. About 300 members of the tribe remain, carefully protecting their cold homeland and believing in a sacred forest where the ghosts of their ancestors live. This cold, mountainous region has very few resources, so the Dukha rely on reindeer for milk, cheese, transportation, hunting and to attract tourists. However, due to the small size of the tribe, the Spirit's way of life is in jeopardy as the reindeer population rapidly declines. There are many factors contributing to this decline, but the most important are overhunting and predation. To make matters worse, the discovery of gold in northern Mongolia has brought in a mining industry that is destroying local wildlife. With so many problems, many young people are leaving their ancient roots and choosing life in the city.
El Molo
The ancient El Molo tribe of Kenya is the smallest tribe in the country and also faces many threats. Due to the almost constant persecution of other groups, they have already isolated themselves on the remote shoreline of Lake Terkana, but still cannot breathe easy. The tribe depends solely on fish and aquatic animals for survival and trade. Unfortunately, their lake evaporates by 30 centimeters every year. This contributes to water pollution and a decrease in fish populations. It now takes them a week to catch the same amount of fish they previously caught in a day. El Molo must take risks and dive into crocodile-infested waters to catch his catch. There is fierce competition for fish, and the El Molo are under threat of invasion by warring neighboring tribes. In addition to these environmental hazards, the tribe experiences cholera outbreaks every few years that wipe out most of the people. The average lifespan of an el molo is only 30-45 years. There are approximately 200 of them, and anthropologists estimate that only 40 of them are “pure” El Molo.
We are convinced that all people on earth are brothers and friends, that we can find a common language and topic of conversation with everyone, that we all experience feelings and emotions in the same way and should always unite against outright evil and accept each other for who we are. But, despite our belief in a certain community and unity of all inhabitants of the planet, we cannot help but recognize the fact that there are still things that distinguish us from each other, and this is wonderful! Without these things - personal history, culture, ancestral traditions, faith, etc. - we wouldn't be who we are. Today, with this selection of photographs, we want to pay tribute to the individuality and authenticity of each people and tribe of our world. Long live uniqueness!
Traditions of the people
A 12-year-old birthday girl from a small people living in Ladakh.
Indigenous woman of the Kalash people
A woman with a child in her arms wearing numerous beads and a cap decorated with beads.
Resident of Siberut Island, Mentawai Islands
A woman with an unusual tattoo all over her body.
Ritual costume in the village of Burang, China
A costume with a warm cape and many decorations called a peacock.
Kenyan woman
An elderly woman with tattoos on her legs.
Elderly Malaysian
Aibans man with tattoos on his arms.
Apatani tribe people
A married couple sits in an embrace outside their hut.
Ladakhi woman
A representative of the Ladakhi ethnic group in traditional attire.
Lolo people
Women in bright national costumes.
Descendants of Indo-Europeans
An elderly Drokpa woman wears a dress with beads, coins and flowers.
Young Indian woman
Representative of the Jat social group.
Dardic people
A representative of the Vedic culture who lives in Pakistan.
Korowai people, Indonesia
Men prepare food for roasting over a fire.
Ancient Lolo people
A representative of the Lolo tribe smokes a pipe.
Resident of the Indian Ladakhi tribe
A woman living in the country of passes.
Native East Asian
A representative of the Yi tribe or also called Lolo.
Indian local
An elderly man in robes worn by the Kinnora tribe.
Representative of an ethnic group
The woman represents the largest group of lolos.
Resident of Kinnora community
A hat with decorations covering a woman's face.
Rite of the Miao people
A woman in a huge ceremonial wig.
Hmong girl
A girl in a formal hairpiece, which is attached to wooden horns.
The ethnic diversity on Earth is amazing in its abundance. People living in different parts of the planet are at the same time similar to each other, but at the same time very different in their way of life, customs, and language. In this article we will talk about some unusual tribes that you might be interested to know about.
Piraha Indians - a wild tribe inhabiting the Amazon jungle
The Pirahã Indian tribe lives among the Amazon rain forest, mainly along the banks of the Maici River, in the state of Amazonas, Brazil.
This South American people are famous for their language, Pirahã. In fact, Pirahã is one of the rarest languages among the 6,000 spoken languages around the world. The number of native speakers ranges from 250 to 380 people. The language is amazing because:
It does not have numbers, for them there are only two concepts “several” (from 1 to 4 pieces) and “many” (more than 5 pieces),
Verbs do not change either by numbers or by persons,
There are no names for colors,
Consists of 8 consonants and 3 vowels! Isn't this amazing?
According to linguistic scholars, Piraha men understand rudimentary Portuguese and even speak very limited topics. True, not all male representatives can express their thoughts. Women, on the other hand, have little understanding of the Portuguese language and do not use it at all to communicate. However, the Pirahã language has several loanwords from other languages, mainly Portuguese, such as "cup" and "business".
Speaking of business, the Piraha Indians trade Brazil nuts and provide sexual services in order to buy consumables and tools, for example, machetes, milk powder, sugar, whiskey. Chastity is not a cultural value for them.
There are several more interesting points associated with this nationality:
The Pirahã have no compulsion. They don't tell other people what to do. There seems to be no social hierarchy at all, no formal leader.
This Indian tribe has no concept of deities and God. However, they believe in spirits, which sometimes take the form of jaguars, trees, or people.
It seems that the Pirahã tribe are people who do not sleep. They can take a nap of 15 minutes or at most two hours throughout the day and night. They rarely sleep through the night.
The Wadoma tribe is an African tribe of people with two toes.
The Vadoma tribe lives in the Zambezi River valley in northern Zimbabwe. They are known for the fact that some members of the tribe suffer from ectrodactyly, three middle toes are missing from their feet, and the outer two are turned inward. As a result, members of the tribe are called “two-fingered” and “ostrich-footed”. Their huge two-toed feet are the result of a single mutation on chromosome number seven. However, in the tribe such people are not considered inferior. The reason for the common occurrence of ectrodactyly in the Vadoma tribe is isolation and the prohibition of marriage outside the tribe.
Life and life of the Korowai tribe in Indonesia
The Korowai tribe, also called the Kolufo, live in the southeast of the autonomous Indonesian province of Papua and consist of approximately 3,000 people. Perhaps before 1970 they did not know about the existence of other people besides themselves.
Most Korowai clans live in their isolated territory in tree houses, which are located at an altitude of 35-40 meters. In this way, they protect themselves from floods, predators, and arson by rival clans who take people, especially women and children, into slavery. In 1980, some of the Korowai moved to settlements in open areas.
Korowai have excellent hunting and fishing skills, and are engaged in gardening and gathering. They practice slash-and-burn agriculture, when the forest is first burned and then crops are planted in this place.
As far as religion is concerned, the Korowai universe is filled with spirits. The most honorable place is given to the spirits of ancestors. In times of need, they sacrifice domestic pigs to them.
Maasai tribe
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 women do the rest of the household, while men doze with a spear in their hand inside a hut in peacetime or run with guttural sounds on military campaigns against neighboring tribes.
Sentinelese tribe
Off the coast of India, on one of the Andaman Islands - North Sentinel Island - such a tribe lives. That’s what they were called – the Sentinelese. They fiercely resist all possible outside contacts.
The first evidence of the tribe inhabiting the North Sentinel Island of the Andaman archipelago dates back to the 18th century: sailors, who were nearby, left records of strange “primitive” people who do not allow them to enter their land. With the development of navigation and aviation, the ability to monitor the islanders has increased, but all the information known to date has been collected remotely.
However, interest in this isolated culture does not decrease: researchers are constantly looking for opportunities to contact and study the Sentinelese. At different times, they were given coconuts, dishes, pigs and much more that could improve their living conditions on the small island. It is known that they liked the coconuts, but the representatives of the tribe did not realize that they could be planted, but simply ate all the fruits. The islanders buried the pigs, doing it with honor and without touching their meat.
The experiment with kitchen utensils turned out to be interesting. The Sentinelese accepted metal utensils favorably, but separated plastic ones by color: they threw away the green buckets, but the red ones suited them. There are no explanations for this, just as there are no answers to many other questions. Their language is one of the most unique and completely incomprehensible to anyone on the planet. They lead the lifestyle of hunter-gatherers, obtaining their food by hunting, fishing and collecting wild plants, while over the millennia of their existence they have never mastered agricultural activities.
The ethnic diversity on Earth is amazing in its abundance. People living in different parts of the planet are at the same time similar to each other, but at the same time very different in their way of life, customs, and language. In this article we will talk about some unusual tribes that you might be interested to know about.
Piraha Indians - a wild tribe inhabiting the Amazon jungle
The Pirahã Indian tribe lives among the Amazon rain forest, mainly along the banks of the Maici River, in the state of Amazonas, Brazil.
This South American people are famous for their language, Pirahã. In fact, Pirahã is one of the rarest languages among the 6,000 spoken languages around the world. The number of native speakers ranges from 250 to 380 people. The language is amazing because:
It does not have numbers, for them there are only two concepts “several” (from 1 to 4 pieces) and “many” (more than 5 pieces),
Verbs do not change either by numbers or by persons,
There are no names for colors,
Consists of 8 consonants and 3 vowels! Isn't this amazing?
According to linguistic scholars, Piraha men understand rudimentary Portuguese and even speak very limited topics. True, not all male representatives can express their thoughts. Women, on the other hand, have little understanding of the Portuguese language and do not use it at all to communicate. However, the Pirahã language has several loanwords from other languages, mainly Portuguese, such as "cup" and "business".
Speaking of business, the Piraha Indians trade Brazil nuts and provide sexual services in order to buy consumables and tools, for example, machetes, milk powder, sugar, whiskey. Chastity is not a cultural value for them.
There are several more interesting points associated with this nationality:
The Pirahã have no compulsion. They don't tell other people what to do. There seems to be no social hierarchy at all, no formal leader.
This Indian tribe has no concept of deities and God. However, they believe in spirits, which sometimes take the form of jaguars, trees, or people.
It seems that the Pirahã tribe are people who do not sleep. They can take a nap of 15 minutes or at most two hours throughout the day and night. They rarely sleep through the night.
The Wadoma tribe is an African tribe of people with two toes.
The Vadoma tribe lives in the Zambezi River valley in northern Zimbabwe. They are known for the fact that some members of the tribe suffer from ectrodactyly, three middle toes are missing from their feet, and the outer two are turned inward. As a result, members of the tribe are called “two-fingered” and “ostrich-footed”. Their huge two-toed feet are the result of a single mutation on chromosome number seven. However, in the tribe such people are not considered inferior. The reason for the common occurrence of ectrodactyly in the Vadoma tribe is isolation and the prohibition of marriage outside the tribe.
Life and life of the Korowai tribe in Indonesia
The Korowai tribe, also called the Kolufo, live in the southeast of the autonomous Indonesian province of Papua and consist of approximately 3,000 people. Perhaps before 1970 they did not know about the existence of other people besides themselves.
Most Korowai clans live in their isolated territory in tree houses, which are located at an altitude of 35-40 meters. In this way, they protect themselves from floods, predators, and arson by rival clans who take people, especially women and children, into slavery. In 1980, some of the Korowai moved to settlements in open areas.
Korowai have excellent hunting and fishing skills, and are engaged in gardening and gathering. They practice slash-and-burn agriculture, when the forest is first burned and then crops are planted in this place.
As far as religion is concerned, the Korowai universe is filled with spirits. The most honorable place is given to the spirits of ancestors.
In times of need, they sacrifice domestic pigs to them.
In today's world where everyone lives on a schedule, working around the clock and glued to their cell phones, there are some groups of people who focus on nature. The way of life of these tribes is no different from the one they led several centuries ago. Climate change and industrial development have greatly reduced their numbers, but for now, these 10 tribes still exist.
Kayapo Indians
The Kayapo are a Brazilian tribe that lives along the Xingu River in 44 separate villages connected by barely visible paths. They call themselves Mebengokre, which means "people of great water." Unfortunately, their “big water” is about to change dramatically, as the huge Belo Monte Dam is being built on the Xingu River. The 668 square kilometer reservoir will flood 388 square kilometers of forest, partially destroying the Kayapo tribe's habitat. The Indians fought against the penetration of modern man for many centuries, fighting everyone from hunters and trappers to lumberjacks and rubber miners. They even successfully prevented the construction of a major dam in 1989. Their population was once only 1,300 people, but has since grown to almost 8,000. The question today is how people will survive if their culture is threatened. Members of the Kayapo tribe are famous for their body painting, agriculture and colorful headdresses. Modern technologies are already penetrating their lives - the Kayapo are driving motorboats, watching TV, or even logging on Facebook.
Kalash
Nestled in the Pakistani mountains, on the border with the Taliban-controlled region of Afghanistan, lies a most unusual tribe of white, European-looking people known as the Kalash. Many Kalash have blond hair and blue eyes, a stark contrast to their darker-skinned neighbors. Not only are the Kalash tribe different in physical characteristics, they have a very different culture from the Muslims. They are polytheistic, have a unique folklore, produce wine (which is forbidden in Muslim culture), wear brightly colored clothing, and give much more freedom to women. They are a decidedly happy, peace-loving people who love to dance and hold numerous annual festivals. No one knows for sure how this fair-skinned tribe came to be in remote Pakistan, but the Kalash claim they are long-lost descendants of the army of Alexander the Great. Evidence from DNA tests shows that they had an infusion of European blood during the time of Alexander's conquests, so there is a possibility that their stories are true. For many years, the surrounding Muslims persecuted the Kalash and forced many to convert to Islam. Today, approximately 4,000-6,000 members of the tribe remain, engaged primarily in agriculture.
Cahuilla Tribe
While southern California is most often associated with Hollywood, surfers and actors, the area is home to nine Indian reservations inhabited by the ancient Cahuilla people. They lived in the Coachella Valley for over 3,000 years and settled there when prehistoric Lake Cahuilla still existed. Despite problems with disease, gold rushes and persecution, the tribe managed to survive, although it was dwindled to 3,000 people. They have lost much of their heritage, and the unique Cahuilla language is on the verge of extinction. This dialect is a mixture of Yuta and Aztec languages, which can be spoken by only 35 elderly people. Nowadays, elders are trying hard to pass on their language, "bird songs" and other cultural characteristics to the younger generation. Like most indigenous peoples in North America, they faced the challenge of assimilating into the wider community in an attempt to maintain their old traditions.
Spinifex tribe
The Spinifex tribe, or Saw Nguru, are indigenous people living in the Great Victorian Desert. They have lived in some of the harshest climates for life for at least 15,000 years. Even after Europeans settled in Australia, this tribe was not affected as they occupied an environment that was too dry and inhospitable. Everything changed in the 1950s, when Spinifex Land, unsuitable for agriculture, was chosen for nuclear testing. In 1953, the British and Australian governments detonated nuclear bombs in the Spinifex homeland, without any consent and after short warning. Most Aboriginal people were displaced and did not return to their homeland until the late 1980s. After returning, they faced heavy opposition when trying to legally recognize the area as their property. Interestingly, their beautiful artwork helped prove the Spinifex's deep connection to this land, leading them to be recognized as an indigenous people in 1997. Their artwork received widespread recognition and appeared in art exhibitions around the world. It is difficult to count how many members of the tribe currently exist, but one of their largest communities, known as Tjuntyuntyara, has an estimated population of 180-220.
Batak
The Philippine island of Palawan is home to the Batak people, the most genetically diverse people on the planet. They are believed to belong to a Negroid-Australoid race, distantly related to those people from whom we are all descended. This means that they are descendants of one of the first groups that left Africa approximately 70,000 years ago and traveled from the Asian mainland to the Philippines approximately 20,000 years later. Typical of Negroids, Bataks are small in stature and have strange, unusual hair. Traditionally, women wear sarongs, while men cover their body only with a loincloth and feathers, or jewelry. The entire community works together to hunt and harvest, followed by celebrations. In general, Bataks are shy, peaceful people who prefer to hide deep in the jungle without engaging in confrontations with outsiders. Like other local tribes, disease, territorial conquests, and other modern invasions have devastated the Batak population. Currently there are approximately 300-500 people. Surprisingly, environmental protection was among the tribe's biggest concerns. The Philippine government has banned logging in certain protected areas, and the Batak have traditionally practiced tree cutting. Without the ability to grow food efficiently, many suffer from malnutrition.
Andamanese
Andamanese are also classified as Negroids, but due to their extremely short height (adult males are under 150 centimeters), they are usually referred to as pygmies. They inhabit the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Like the Bataks, the Andamanese are one of the first groups to migrate from Africa, and developed in isolation until the 18th century. Up until the 19th century, they didn't even know how to start a fire. The Andamanese are divided into separate tribes, each with their own culture and language. One group disappeared when its last member died at the age of 85 in 2010. Another group, the Sentinelese, are so fiercely resistant to outside contact that even in the modern technological world very little is known about them. Those who have not integrated into the larger Indian culture still live like their ancestors. For example, they use a single type of weapon - a bow and arrow - to hunt pig, turtle and fish. Men and women collect roots, tubers and honey together. Clearly, their lifestyle is working for them, as doctors rate the Andamanese's health and nutritional status as "optimal." The biggest problems they have are the impact of Indian settlers and tourists who force them off the land, bring diseases and treat these people like animals in a safari park. Although the exact size of the tribe is not known, as some still live in isolation, there are approximately 400-500 existing Andamanese.
Piraha tribe
Although there are many small primitive tribes throughout Brazil and the Amazon, the Pirahã stand out because they have their own culture and language, unlike many other people on the planet. This tribe has some quirky features. They do not have colors, numbers, past tense or subordinate clauses. While some might call the language simplistic, these features are a result of Piraha values of living only in the moment. In addition, because they live completely together, they have no need to ration and divide property. A lot of unnecessary words are eliminated when you have no history, don't have to track anything, and only trust what you see. In general, the Pirahã differ from Westerners in almost every way. They sincerely rejected all missionaries, as well as all modern technologies. They have no leader and do not need to exchange resources with other people or tribes. Even after hundreds of years of external contact, this group of 300 people has remained largely unchanged since ancient times.
People of Takuu Atoll
The people of Takuu Atoll are Polynesian in origin, but are considered one of the isolated cultures as they live in the Melanesian region instead of the Polynesian triangle. Takuu Atoll has a particularly distinct culture, which some call the most traditionally Polynesian. This is because the Takuu tribe are extremely protective of their way of life and protect themselves from suspicious outsiders. They even enforced the ban on missionaries for 40 years. They still live in traditional thatched buildings. Unlike most of us, who spend most of our time working, Takuu devote 20–30 hours a week to singing and dancing. Surprisingly, they have over 1,000 songs that they repeat from memory. The 400 members of the tribe are somehow connected to each other, and they are controlled by one leader. Unfortunately, climate change may destroy the Takuu's way of life as the ocean soon engulfs their island. Rising sea levels have already polluted freshwater sources and drowned crops, and although the community has created dams, they are proving ineffective.
Spirit Tribe
The Duha are the last group of nomadic herders in Mongolia with a history dating back to the Tang Dynasty. About 300 members of the tribe remain, carefully protecting their cold homeland and believing in a sacred forest where the ghosts of their ancestors live. This cold, mountainous region has very few resources, so the Dukha rely on reindeer for milk, cheese, transportation, hunting and to attract tourists. However, due to the small size of the tribe, the Spirit's way of life is in jeopardy as the reindeer population rapidly declines. There are many factors contributing to this decline, but the most important are overhunting and predation. To make matters worse, the discovery of gold in northern Mongolia has brought in a mining industry that is destroying local wildlife. With so many problems, many young people are leaving their ancient roots and choosing life in the city.
El Molo
The ancient El Molo tribe of Kenya is the smallest tribe in the country and also faces many threats. Due to the almost constant persecution of other groups, they have already isolated themselves on the remote shoreline of Lake Terkana, but still cannot breathe easy. The tribe depends solely on fish and aquatic animals for survival and trade. Unfortunately, their lake evaporates by 30 centimeters every year. This contributes to water pollution and a decrease in fish populations. It now takes them a week to catch the same amount of fish they previously caught in a day. El Molo must take risks and dive into crocodile-infested waters to catch his catch. There is fierce competition for fish, and the El Molo are under threat of invasion by warring neighboring tribes. In addition to these environmental hazards, the tribe experiences cholera outbreaks every few years that wipe out most of the people. The average lifespan of an el molo is only 30-45 years. There are approximately 200 of them, and anthropologists estimate that only 40 of them are “pure” El Molo.