Amazing tribes of Africa. Africa: life in another dimension What peoples live on the continents

Africa is perhaps the most contrasting and mysterious of the 5 continents of our planet. Researchers and tourists from all over the world are attracted not only by its natural and animal diversity, but also by numerous tribes and nationalities, of which there are about 3,000. are not surprised.

Mursi

Men often arrange violent fights among themselves for leadership. If such a showdown ends with the death of one of the participants, the survivor has to give his wife to the family of the deceased in the form of compensation. It is customary for men to adorn themselves with fang earrings and horseshoe-shaped scars, which are applied in case of killing an enemy: first, the symbols are carved on the hands, and when there is no room left for them, other parts of the body are used.

Mursi women look very unusual. A stooped back, a sagging belly and chest, and instead of hair on the head, a headdress made of dry branches, animal skin and dead insects is an amazing description of a typical representative of the beautiful half of Mursi. Complements their image - a clay disc (debi), inserted into the cut on the lower lip. Girls themselves have the right to decide whether to cut their lips or not, but for brides without such decoration they give a much smaller ransom.

Dinka

The whole Dinka people living in Sudan has about 4,000,000 representatives. Their main occupation is cattle breeding, therefore, from childhood, boys are taught to take care of animals, and the welfare of each family is measured by the number of cattle. For the same reason, girls are more valued by the Dinka than boys: in the event of marriage, the bride's family receives a whole herd as a gift from the groom.

The appearance of the Dinka is no less surprising: men usually do not wear clothes and adorn themselves with bracelets and beads, while women wear robes only after marriage and are often limited to a goatskin skirt or beaded corset. In addition, this people is considered one of the tallest in Africa: the average height of men is 185 cm, and for many it goes beyond 2 m. Another feature of the Dinka representatives is deliberate scarring, which is practiced even among children after reaching a certain age and according to local measures adds to the attractiveness.

Bantu

Numerous representatives of the Bantu people, whose number reaches 200 million people, live in Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. They have a peculiar appearance: tall (from 180 cm and above), dark skin, hard spirally curled curls.

Bantu is one of the most amazing and most developed peoples in Africa, among which there are politicians and cultural figures. But, despite this, the Bantu managed to preserve the traditional flavor, centuries-old traditions and rituals. Unlike most peoples inhabiting the hot continent, they are not afraid of civilization and often invite tourists to their excursions, which provide them with a good income.

Masai

Representatives of the Masai are often found on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, which occupies a special place in the beliefs of this amazing tribe. Its representatives imagined themselves to be the highest people of Africa, true beauties and favorites of the gods. In connection with such self-conceit, they often treat other nationalities with contempt and do not hesitate to steal animals from them, which sometimes leads to armed conflicts.

The Maasai live in a dwelling made of twigs smeared with dung, often built by women. They feed mainly on the milk and blood of animals, and meat is a rare guest in their diet. In the absence of food, they pierce the cow's carotid artery and drink blood, and then close up this place with fresh manure in order to repeat the "meal" after a while.

A distinctive sign of the beauty of this amazing tribe is drawn earlobes. At the age of 7-8 years, the earlobes are pierced with a piece of horn and gradually expanded with pieces of wood. Due to the use of heavy jewelry, the earlobes sometimes hang down to shoulder level, which is considered a sign of superior beauty and respect for their owner.

Himba

In the north of Namibia, the original Himba tribe lives, whose representatives carefully protect the established way of life from strangers, practically do not wear modern clothes and do not enjoy the benefits of civilization. Despite this, many residents of the settlements can count, write their own name and speak some phrases in English. These skills come from state-organized mobile elementary schools, in which most of the Himba children study.

Appearance is of great importance in Himba culture. Women wear soft leather skirts and adorn their neck, waist, wrists and ankles with countless bracelets. They cover the body daily with an ointment made from oil, herbal extracts and crushed volcanic pumice, which gives the skin a reddish tint and protects the body from insect bites and sunburn. When they scrape off the ointment at the end of the day, the dirt comes off with it, which also contributes to maintaining personal hygiene and cleanliness. Perhaps due to this amazing ointment, Himba women have perfect skin and are considered one of the most beautiful tribes in Africa. With the help of the same composition and other people's hair (often the father of the family), women build their own hairstyle and in the form of numerous "dreadlocks".

Hamar

Hamar rightfully belong to the amazing tribes of Africa and one of the friendliest in southern Ethiopia. One of the most famous Hamar customs is initiation into men after reaching adulthood, for which a young man needs to run 4 times from side to side on the backs of bulls. If after three attempts he fails to do this, the next rite can be performed only after a year, and if successful, he receives from his father the first property (a cow) and can look for a wife. It is noteworthy that the rite of the young men are naked, which symbolizes childhood, with which they say goodbye.

At the Khamar, another rather cruel ritual is performed, in which all willing girls and women can take part: they perform a traditional dance in front of men and receive blows from them on the back with thin rods in response. The number of scars left is the main source of pride, an indicator of a woman's strength and endurance, which increases her value as a wife in the eyes of men. At the same time, the Khamars are allowed to have as many wives as they are able to pay ransoms (dauri) for them in the form of 20-30 heads of cattle. But the highest status remains with the first wife, which is confirmed by wearing a collar with a handle made of metal and leather.

noob

An amazing Nuba tribe lives on the border of Sudan and South Sudan, which has family customs unusual even for Africa. At the annual dances, girls choose future husbands for themselves, but before receiving such a status, a man is obliged to build a house for his future family. Until that time, young people can only secretly meet at night, and even the birth of a child does not give the right to the status of a legal spouse. When the housing is ready, the girl and the guy are allowed to sleep under the same roof, but in no case eat. Such a right is given to them only a year later, when the marriage will pass the test of time and will be considered official.

A distinctive feature of the noob for a long time was the absence of any division into classes and monetary relations. But in the 70s of the XX century. the government of Sudan began to send local men to work in the city. They returned from there in clothes and with little money, so they felt like real rich people among their fellow tribesmen, which gave rise to envy among others and contributed to the prosperity of theft. Thus, the civilization that reached the Nuba did them much more harm than good. But still, among them there are representatives who continue to ignore the benefits of civilization and adorn their bodies only with numerous scars, and not clothes.

Karo

Karo is one of the smallest African tribes, in which there are no more than 1000 people. They are mainly engaged in cattle breeding, but men can spend long months hunting and even work in nearby cities. Women at this time have to do household chores and another important craft - dressing skins.

Representatives of this tribe can top the list of the most amazing masters in Africa in terms of decorating their bodies. To this end, they cover themselves with ornaments applied with vegetable paints, chiseled chalk or ocher, use feathers, beads, shells and even beetle elytra and corn cobs as decorations. At the same time, the male half of the population is painted much brighter, since it is important for them to have the most intimidating appearance. Another notable detail in Karo men and women is a pierced lower lip, into which nails, flowers, and simply dried twigs are threaded.

This is only a small part of the unusual peoples living on the territory of the African continent. Despite the global spread of the benefits of civilization, the way of life of most of them is fundamentally different from the life of a modern person, not to mention the outfits, traditions and unique value system, so each of the peoples of Africa can be considered amazing in its own way.

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

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

Squalid huts, modest food and a minimum of clothes suit them, and they are not going to change this way.

Their customs

There are about 3 thousand different wild tribes in Africa, but it is difficult to name their exact number, since most often they are either densely mixed with each other, or vice versa, separated. The population of some tribes is only a few thousand or even hundreds of people, and often only 1-2 villages are inhabited. Because of this, there are dialects and dialects on the territory of the African continent, which can sometimes be understood only by representatives of only a particular tribe. And the variety of rituals, dances, customs and sacrifices is enormous. In addition, the appearance of the people of some tribes is simply amazing.

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

The majority of African peoples reject everything new and modern, withdrawing into themselves. Most of all, they are attached to constancy and immutability, including in everything related to everyday life, traditions and customs, leading their existence from great-grandfathers.

It is hard to imagine, but among them there are practically no those who would not be engaged in subsistence farming or cattle breeding. Hunting, fishing or gathering are completely normal activities for them. Just like many centuries ago, African tribes are at war with each other, marriages are most often concluded within one tribe, intertribal marriages among them are very rare. Of course, more than one generation leads such a life, each new child from birth will have to live the same fate.

Tribes differ from each other in their own unique system of life, customs and rituals, beliefs and prohibitions. Most of the tribes invent their own fashions, often stunningly flamboyant, often astonishing in their originality.

Of the most famous and numerous today, tribes can be considered: Masai, Bantu, Zulu, Samburu and Bushmen.

Masai

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

This self-image gave rise to a contemptuous, often even derogatory attitude towards other tribes, which caused frequent wars between the tribes. In addition, it is customary for the Maasai to steal animals from other tribes, which also does not improve their reputation.

The dwelling of the Maasai is built from branches smeared with manure. This is done mainly by women, who also, if necessary, take on the duties of pack animals. The main share of nutrition is milk or blood of animals, less often - meat. A distinctive sign of beauty in this tribe are elongated earlobes. At present, the tribe is almost completely exterminated or dispersed, only in the remote corners of the country, in Tanzania, there are still separate Masai nomad camps.

Bantu

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

Bantu have a peculiar appearance. They have very dark skin and amazing hair structure - each hair is curled in a spiral. Wide noses and wings, a low nose bridge, and tall stature—often over 180 cm—are also hallmarks of Bantu people. Unlike the Maasai, the Bantu do not shy away from civilization and willingly invite tourists to study tours of their villages.

Like any African tribe, a major part of Bantu life is occupied by religion, namely, traditional African animistic beliefs, as well as Islam and Christianity. The Bantu dwelling resembles a Maasai house - the same round shape, with a frame of branches covered with clay. True, in some areas Bantu houses are rectangular, painted, with gable, single-pitched or flat roofs. The members of the tribe are mainly engaged in agriculture. A distinctive feature of the Bantu can be called an enlarged lower lip into which small discs are inserted.

Zulu

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

The Zulu tribe suffered a difficult period during the apartheid era in South Africa, when, being the most numerous people, it was defined as a second-class population.

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

Samburu

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

Samburu huts are made of clay and skins, outside the dwelling is surrounded by a thorny fence to protect it from wild animals. Representatives of the tribe carry their houses with them, assembling anew at each parking lot.

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

The most important detail of the life of the people is childbearing, sterile women are subjected to severe persecution and abuse. Normally, the tribe worships the spirits of ancestors, as well as witchcraft. The Samburu believe in charms, spells, and rituals for fertility and protection.

Bushmen

The most famous, for a long time, European African tribe is the Bushmen. The name of the tribe consists of the English "bush" - "bush" and "man" - "man", but it is dangerous to call representatives of the tribe this way - it is considered offensive. It is more correct to call them "san", which in the language of the Hottentots means "foreign". Externally, the Bushmen are somewhat different from other African tribes, they have lighter skin and thinner lips. In addition, they are the only ones who eat ant larvae. Their dishes are considered a feature of the national cuisine of this people. The Bushmen's way of life also differs from that generally accepted among savage tribes. Instead of chieftains and sorcerers, the elders choose elders from among the most experienced and respected members of the tribe. Elders lead the life of the people, without using any advantages at the expense of others. It should be noted that the Bushmen also believe in an afterlife, like other African tribes, but they do not have the ancestor cult adopted by other tribes.

Among other things, the San have a rare talent for storytelling, song, and dance. Musical instrument they can make practically them all. For example, there are bows stretched with animal hair or bracelets made from dried insect cocoons with pebbles inside, which are used to beat the rhythm during the dance. Almost everyone who has the opportunity to observe the musical experiments of the Bushmen tries to record them in order to pass them on to future generations. This is all the more relevant because the current century dictates its own rules and many Bushmen have to deviate from centuries-old traditions and go as workers on farms in order to provide for their family and tribe.

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

The article contains information about the population of the continent. Forms an idea of ​​the zonal population of the mainland. It has interesting facts from the life and life of some of the most ancient African peoples living on the planet now.

peoples of africa

Africa is unique and amazing, the same can be considered the people who inhabit the mainland. The peoples of Africa are diverse in all its parts.

The main percentage of the peoples living here is quite small. Usually, they are represented by groups of hundreds or thousands of people. As a rule, they inhabit several nearby villages.

The modern peoples of Africa are related not only to various anthropological types, but also to various racial groups.

North of the Sahara and on the territory of the desert itself, you can meet individuals of the Indo-Mediterranean race, which belongs to the large Caucasoid race.

On the lands of the southern region, it was the Negro-Australoid race that became widespread. Small races are distinguished from it:

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• negro;
• negrillian;
• Bushman.

Peoples of North Africa

Now in the northern part of Africa there are many uninhabited territories. This is influenced by the features of the current climate. Once upon a time, the Sahara was transformed from a savannah into a desert. The inhabitants of these places moved closer to the water sources. At the moments of such forced migrations, such areas formed the centers of the birth of great civilizations and cultures.

During the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of the European powers often visited the African part of the Mediterranean coast. By the beginning of the 20th century, foreigners had become full-fledged masters in these territories. This significantly influenced the population of northern Africa, the local culture. The process took about fifty years.

Due to the regular presence of the inhabitants of the Arab and European powers, carriers of the traits of the Indo-Mediterranean race now live in North Africa:

• Arabs;
• Berbers.

Rice. 1. Berbers.

They have a dark skin color, hair and eyes of dark shades. A distinctive feature of the representatives of this race is the presence of a nose with a characteristic hump.

Among the Berbers there are people with a light color of eyes and hair.

Most of the locals are Muslim. Only Copts are an exception. They are direct descendants of the ancient Egyptians and profess Christianity.

As a rule, the peoples living in the northern region of Africa are engaged in agriculture. In these territories, such industries as horticulture and viticulture are actively developing.

The date palm is grown in the oases. Cattle breeding is typical for the Bedouins and Berbers, who live in mountainous or semi-desert areas.

Since ancient times, peoples who lead a predominantly nomadic lifestyle have settled in the southern part of the black continent.

Rice. 2. Nomads of Africa.

As a rule, they do not have a government with characteristic powers. Among the people of this area, the hallmarks are a predisposition to hunting, gathering and understanding the interaction of all living things in nature.

African Pygmies and Andaman Islanders are people who have no idea about the existence of fire.

Rice. 3. African pygmies.

About 590 million people live on the mainland.

The entire population of the continent can be conditionally divided into three main groups in order to get an idea of ​​what kind of peoples inhabit Africa. In the north of the mainland live Arab peoples and Berbers. The main part is inhabited by Negroids. Migrants live on the Mediterranean coast.

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From this article, we learned which peoples inhabit Africa. We learned in which territories representatives of certain racial groups live.

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Africa is unique and multifaceted, and so are the people living on the mainland. The peoples inhabiting Africa are diverse in its various parts, there are several thousand large and small ethnic groups, and 107 of them have a million or more representatives, and 24 of them number five million people.

Most of the peoples are not numerous, they are usually represented by several hundred or thousands of people and inhabit one or two nearby villages.

Modern peoples living in Africa belong not only to different anthropological types, but also to different races. So, north of the Sahara and on the territory of the desert itself, you can meet people of the Indo-Mediterranean race, which belongs to the large Caucasoid race. But on the lands to the south it is precisely the Negro-Australoid race that is distributed, in which the Negro, Negril and

Races, among which the largest number of inhabitants belongs to the first.

The largest nations on the mainland:

• Egyptian;
• Yoruba;
• Moroccan;
• Sudanese Arabs;
• hausa;
• Algerian;
• fulbe;
• amhara;
• igbo.

Peoples of South Africa

South Africa has long been inhabited by nomadic peoples who did not have a pronounced government and were excellent hunters, gatherers and specialists in the life of nature.

Then from the north, most of all from Central Africa, new peoples began to arrive in the southern lands. They were mainly Bantu, who brought with them agriculture and mining. These immigrants led a sedentary life, it was on the basis of such peoples inhabiting Africa in the south that the first states began to appear in the region.

The next influence on the southern population was the Europeans, who first arrived there in 1652, although they had passed through before. Foreigners subsequently dominated and ruled all of South Africa for about 350 years, which influenced the social and cultural situation.

Peoples of South Africa:

• braid;
• swazi;
• suto;
• tsonga;
• Zulu;
• herero;
• Ndebele;
• venda;
• tswana;
• matabele;
• shawn;
• pedi;
• ovambo;
• Bushmen;
• Hottentots;
• Hindustanis;
• Gujaratis;
• Biharis;
• Tamils;
• Telugu

Today, the Bantu peoples are still engaged in agriculture, growing legumes, corn, millet and vegetables. They also raise small and large livestock.

For the Hottentots, cattle breeding is a priority, but one of their groups, the Topnar-Nama, used to be engaged in hunting at sea all the time.

The Bushmen, on the other hand, remained nomads, they still hunt and gather food. Their home is windscreens made from twigs, grass, and skins. They wear loincloths and, if necessary, cover themselves with cloaks.

Cattle breeders and sedentary farmers live in hemispherical huts - kraal, and dress in loincloths with aprons, used leather cloaks are called kaross.

Peoples living in North Africa

Now in North Africa there are many practically uninhabited territories, which is associated with the peculiarities of the modern climate. When the Sahara turned from savannah to desert thousands of years ago, its inhabitants were forced to move closer to the water, for example, to the Nile Valley and to the coast. Then such populated areas became the beginnings of great civilizations and cultures.

During the Middle Ages, Europeans increasingly visited the African coast of the Mediterranean Sea. And by the beginning of the twentieth century, foreigners began to rule in these territories, thereby influencing their culture, which lasted about half a century.

Due to the constant presence of residents of Arab and European countries, representatives of the Indo-Mediterranean race live in North Africa:

• Arabs;
• Berbers.

They have dark skin, hair and eyes of dark shades, a nose on a narrow face has a hump. Among the Berbers, people with light eyes and hair are not excluded.

Most of the local population professes Islam, with the exception of the Copts, who are the direct descendants of the ancient Egyptians, they are Monophysite Christians.

Most often, the peoples inhabiting Africa in the north are engaged in agriculture, horticulture and viticulture are also developed, and date palms are cultivated in oases. Cattle breeding is carried out by the Bedouins and Berbers, who live in the mountains or semi-desert places.

Peoples of Central Africa

In Central Africa, the population belonging to the Negroid race is predominant:

• athara;
• Yoruba;
• Bantu;
• oromo;
• house.

Representatives of this race are distinguished by dark shades of skin, hair, eyes, their lips are thick, their nose is also pronounced - the bridge of the nose is low, and the wings are wide.

The structure of such ethnic groups is complex, often researchers know very little about them. Those who live in virgin impenetrable forests are almost not studied.

In the conditions of dense and impenetrable tropical forests, one can observe a special anthropological type - pygmies, which are distinguished by short stature (around 141 centimeters). They have lighter skin and thinner lips than other representatives of the Negroid race. In addition, they have a feature of the body structure - short lower limbs and a large head.

It is possible to observe various religions in these territories, among which there are a large number of adherents of Islam and Christianity, and the beliefs of ancient ancestors are not forgotten.