Multifaceted Africa, on a vast territory in 61 countries, with a population of more than a billion people, surrounded by cities of civilized countries, in the secluded corners of this continent more than 5 million people of almost completely wild African tribes still live.
Members of these tribes do not recognize the achievements of the civilized world and are content with the modest benefits that they received from their ancestors. Poor huts, modest food and a minimum of clothing suit them, and they are not going to change this way of life.
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There are about 3 thousand different tribes and nationalities in Africa, but it is difficult to name their exact number, since most often they are either densely mixed together, or, on the contrary, radically separated. The population of some tribes is only a few thousand or even hundreds of people, and often inhabit only 1-2 villages. Because of this, on the territory of the African continent there are adverbs and dialects that sometimes only representatives of a particular tribe can understand. And the variety of rituals, cultural systems, dances, customs and sacrifices is enormous and amazing. 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 cultural elements are characteristic of all nationalities living in this territory. One of the main defining features of African tribes is their focus on the past, that is, the cult of the culture and life of their ancestors.
Majority African peoples denies everything new and modern, withdraws into himself. Most of all, they are attached to constancy and immutability, including in everything that concerns everyday life, traditions and customs that originate from their great-grandfathers.
It’s hard to imagine, but among them there are practically no people who are not engaged in subsistence farming or cattle breeding. Hunting, fishing or gathering are completely normal activities for them. Just like many centuries ago, African tribes fight among themselves, marriages most often take place within one tribe, intertribal marriages are very rare among them. Of course, more than one generation leads such a life; every new child from birth will have to live the same fate.
Tribes differ from each other by their own unique system of life, customs and rituals, beliefs and prohibitions. Most tribes invent their own fashion, often stunningly colorful, the originality of which is often simply amazing.
Among the most famous and numerous tribes today are the Maasai, Bantu, Zulus, Samburu and Bushmen.
Maasai
One of the most famous African tribes. They live in Kenya and Tanzania. The number of representatives reaches 100 thousand people. They are most often found on the side of a mountain, which features prominently in Maasai mythology. Perhaps the size of this mountain influenced the worldview of the tribe members - they consider themselves the favorites of the gods, the highest people, and are sincerely confident that there are no more beautiful people in Africa than them.
This opinion of oneself gave rise to a contemptuous, often even derogatory attitude towards other tribes, which became the cause of frequent wars between tribes. In addition, it is the Maasai custom to steal animals from other tribes, which also does not improve their reputation.
The Maasai dwelling is built from branches coated with dung. This is done mainly by women, who also, if necessary, take on the duties of pack animals. The main share of nutrition is milk or animal blood, less often meat. A distinctive sign of beauty among this tribe is their elongated earlobes. Currently, the tribe has been almost completely exterminated or dispersed; only in remote corners of the country, in Tanzania, are some Maasai nomads still preserved.
Bantu
The Bantu tribe lives in Central, Southern and Eastern Africa. In truth, the Bantu are not even a tribe, but an entire nation, which includes many peoples, for example, Rwanda, Shono, Konga and others. They all have similar languages and customs, which is why they were united into one large tribe. Most Bantu people speak two or more languages, the most commonly spoken of which is Swahili. The number of members of the Bantu people reaches 200 million. According to research scientists, it was the Bantu, along with the Bushmen and Hottentots, who became the progenitors of the South African colored race.
Bantus have a peculiar appearance. They have very dark skin and an amazing hair structure - each hair is curled in a spiral. Wide and winged noses, a low bridge of the nose and high stature - often above 180 cm - are also distinctive features of people from the Bantu tribe. Unlike the Maasai, the Bantu do not shy away from civilization and willingly invite tourists on educational walks around their villages.
Like any African tribe, a large part of Bantu life is occupied by religion, namely, traditional African animist beliefs, as well as Islam and Christianity. The Bantu home resembles a Maasai house - the same round shape, with a frame made of branches coated with clay. True, in some areas Bantu houses are rectangular, painted, with gable, lean-to or flat roofs. Members of the tribe are mainly engaged in agriculture. A distinctive feature of the Bantu is the enlarged lower lip, into which small discs are inserted.
Zulu
The Zulu people, once the largest ethnic group, now number only 10 million. The Zulus enjoy 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 members of the people.
The Zulu tribe suffered a difficult period during the apartheid era in South Africa, when, being the most numerous people, was defined as a second-class population.
As for the beliefs of the tribe, most of the Zulus remained faithful to national beliefs, but there are also Christians among them. Zulu religion is based on the belief in a creator god who is supreme and separate from everyday routine. Representatives of the tribe believe that they can contact the spirits through fortune tellers. All negative manifestations in the world, including illness or death, are considered as the machinations of evil spirits or the result of evil witchcraft. In the Zulu religion, the main place is occupied by cleanliness, frequent bathing is a custom among representatives of the people.
Samburu
The Samburu tribe lives in the northern regions of Kenya, on the border of the foothills and the northern desert. About five hundred years ago, the Samburu people settled in this territory and quickly populated the plain. This tribe is independent and confident in its elitism much more than the Maasai. The life of the tribe depends on livestock, but, unlike the Maasai, the Samburu themselves raise livestock and 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 hides; the outside of the home is surrounded by a thorny fence to protect it from wild animals. Representatives of the tribe take their houses with them, reassembling them at each site.
Among the Samburu, it is customary to divide labor between men and women, this also applies to children. Women's responsibilities include gathering, milking cows and fetching water, as well as collecting firewood, cooking and looking after children. Of course, the female half of the tribe is in charge of general order and stability. Samburu men are responsible for herding livestock, which is their main means of subsistence.
The most important detail in the life of the people is childbirth; sterile women are subjected to severe persecution and bullying. It is normal for the tribe to worship the spirits of ancestors, as well as witchcraft. The Samburu believe in charms, spells and rituals, using them to increase fertility and protection.
Bushmen
The most famous African tribe among Europeans since ancient times is the Bushmen. The name of the tribe consists of the English “bush” - “bush” and “man” - “man”, however, calling members of the tribe this way is dangerous - it is considered offensive. It would be more correct to call them “san,” which means “stranger” in the Hottentot language. Externally, the Bushmen are somewhat different from other African tribes; they have lighter skin and thinner lips. In addition, they are the only ones who eat ant larvae. Their dishes are considered a specialty national cuisine of this people. The way of society of the Bushmen also differs from that generally accepted among wild tribes. Instead of chiefs and sorcerers, the ranks choose elders from among the most experienced and respected members of the tribe. The elders lead the lives of the people without taking any advantage at the expense of others. It should be noted that the Bushmen also believe in the afterlife, like other African tribes, but they do not have the cult of ancestors adopted by other tribes.
Among other things, the Sans have a rare talent for stories, songs and dances. Musical instrument they can make almost all of them. For example, there are bows strung with animal hair or bracelets made from dried insect cocoons with pebbles inside, which are used to beat the rhythm during dance. Almost everyone who has the opportunity to observe the musical experiments of the Bushmen tries to record them in order to pass them on to future generations. This is all the more relevant given that present century dictates its own rules and many Bushmen have to deviate from centuries-old traditions and go to work as workers farms for the sake of providing for family and tribe.
This is a very small number of tribes living in Africa. There are so many of them that it would take several volumes to describe them all, but each of them boasts a unique value system and way of life, not to mention rituals, customs and costumes.
Video: Wild tribes of Africa:...
In our age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a corner of the globe untouched by civilization. Of course, in some places the so-called national flavor still remains the main attraction for tourists. But all this is mostly feigned and artificial exoticism. Take, for example, the formidable Maasai - business card Kenya. Hearing the sound of an approaching bus engine, representatives of this tribe hide their TVs, phones and jeans away and urgently give themselves a primitive look. It's a completely different matter Himba- small tribe in northern Namibia. They have preserved the traditions of the Stone Age in their everyday life not for the sake of tourists, but because they do not want to live differently.
The climate of the Kunene province, where the Himba roam, cannot be called mild. During the day, the thermometer inexorably tends to the +60° mark; at night, frost sometimes falls. The breath of the oldest desert on the planet - the Namib - takes its toll.
The Himba moved to northern Namibia about several hundred years ago from East Africa. Once it was a large tribe, but in mid-19th century it was divided. Most of it migrated south, to an area richer in water. The people who broke away from the Himba became known as the Herero. They came into contact with Europeans, which ultimately killed them.
Several decades ago, Namibia realized that there were only a few indigenous people left who had preserved the way of life and beliefs of their ancestors. In general, they decided to leave the Himba alone and let them live the way they want. Any laws of Namibia on their territory come into force only after the approval of the tribal leader, who is called the king.
Like hundreds of years ago, the tribe leads a semi-nomadic life. The main occupation is breeding cows, goats and sheep. The number of cows determines social status, Burenki also serve as a means of payment. Himbas are practically not interested in money, because they do not use any industrial goods in everyday life. The exception is plastic canisters for storing and carrying water and various small items that accidentally fall into your hands.
The Himba live in kraals that have a circular layout. In the middle is a barnyard surrounded by a wicker fence. There are round or square huts around. They are built from poles dug into the ground and held together leather straps. The frame is coated with clay, and the roof is covered with straw or reeds. The huts have earthen floors and no furniture. The Himba sleep on mattresses stuffed with straw. At the entrance to the hut there is a fireplace, which is heated in black.
As the pastures become depleted, they dismantle the huts and migrate. The Himba used to extract water by digging deep holes in the sand, and found suitable places for this in one way they knew. They never place the kraal close to the source, so that outsiders cannot see where the water comes from. Not long ago, by order of the government, artesian wells were dug along nomadic routes. But the aborigines do not drink this water, except to feed their flocks with it.
In the old-fashioned way, life-giving moisture can only be obtained for one’s own use, and even then only in short supply. There is no question of washing. A magic ointment helps, to which the Himba owe their red skin tint. This is a mixture of butter whipped from cow's milk, various plant elixirs and bright red volcanic pumice crushed into the finest powder. It is mined in one and only place - on a mountain on the border of the plateau occupied by the Himba. The mountain, naturally, is considered sacred, and they do not reveal the recipe for the ointment to anyone.
Himba women apply this mixture to their entire body and hair several times a day. The ointment protects against sunburn and insect bites. In addition, when the ointment is scraped off in the evening, the dirt comes off with it, which is strange, but effective means personal hygiene. Surprisingly, Himba women have perfect skin. Using the same ointment, they make a traditional hairstyle: someone else's hair - usually a man's, most often from the father of the family - is woven into their own, creating “dreadlocks” on the head.
As a rule, one kraal is occupied by one family, but there are larger settlements. Almost all Himba can read, count, write their name and know a few phrases in English. This is thanks to the mobile schools that almost all the children of the tribe attend. But only a few graduate from more than two or three classes; to continue their studies, they need to go to the city.
Only women work in the kraals. They carry water, care for livestock, churn butter, sew and mend simple clothes. In addition, the weaker sex is engaged in gathering, so that the diet of the tribe consists not only of dairy products. Of course, women are also involved in raising children. By the way, children are not divided into friends and strangers.
Old people and teenagers graze the cattle. Himba men do not overwork themselves. Assembling and dismantling the kraal - that, by and large, is all they do. Hunting is not one of the regular activities of the tribe; it is rather a hobby of Himba men. The constant duty of the representatives of the stronger sex is the extraction of that very reddish rock that is used to prepare body paint. However, the composition is also made by women.
The weaker sex is also a kind of engine of progress. If tourists want to buy some souvenir from the tribe, they only have to bargain with women. IN recent years Bright plastic bags began to enjoy unprecedented popularity among the people of the tribe. The Himba are ready to give their last for them. After all, these bags are so convenient to store your modest belongings, jewelry and, of course, scallops. With the help of the latter it is very convenient to create fantastic hairstyles for which Himba women are famous. They, by the way, are considered the standard of beauty on the African continent.
By the age of 12-14, every Himba is missing four lower teeth. This is a consequence of the initiation rite. Teeth are knocked out with a stone. If you want to be an adult, be patient. By the age of 14, Himba are allowed to marry, but weddings do not happen often, since a large bride price must be paid for the bride.
The wedding ceremony is very original. The newlyweds spend the night in the bride's family's hut. In the morning, they, accompanied by friends of their future wife, leave their parents' house, going out into the street without fail on all fours. Then everyone rises to their feet and, taking each other by the loincloths, head towards the “sacred fire”, where the leader is already waiting for the newlyweds to perform the ceremony. If someone from the procession stumbles, the ritual will have to be repeated, but not earlier than in a few weeks.
The ceremony participants sit around the fire, and the leader is presented with three vessels of milk - one each from the huts of the groom, the bride and the leader himself. He takes a sample, after which the rest of the tribe members take turns applying it to the vessels. After this, everyone present heads to the leader’s hut, where the newlyweds will spend three days. In order for the first wedding night to be successful, in front of the hut the bride and groom again get down on all fours and walk around the house counterclockwise.
Even if a Himba man and woman are married, they are not obliged to observe marital fidelity. Each Himba can have as many wives as he can support. You can change wives, and if a man goes to long journey, then arranges for his wife to live with someone he knows.
Such freedom of morals is disturbing local authorities. More than 20% of the Namibian population has AIDS, so the Himba are a kind of risk group. However, the tribe takes a philosophical approach to medical problems. The gods give life, but they can also take it away, the Himba say. In general, they are long-livers: almost all live up to 70 years, and some up to a hundred.
The Himba justice system is also interesting. If, for example, a husband kills his wife or one of her relatives, he must pay compensation of 45 cows. If a wife or one of her relatives kills her husband, then no ransom is provided. The Namibian authorities do not punish the Himba in any way, considering it all their internal matter.
The Himba believe that their tribe descended from the ancestor Mukuru, who, along with his wife, emerged from the sacred Omumborombongo tree. Mukuru created all things and endowed the souls of the deceased Himba ancestors with supernatural powers. But then the enemies drove the tribe from its ancestral lands and captured the tree. Someday the Himba will return there. By the way, without any idea of geography, any head of the clan will point with his hand in the direction where to look for Omumborombongo.
In the middle of the 19th century, the Himba almost disappeared from the face of the earth. They were attacked by the largest and most powerful tribe in Namibia - the Nama. As a result of brutal raids, the Himba lost all their herds and fled to the mountains. There they had to hunt, but they did not like such a life, and they went north to Angola.
For some time it was believed that the Himba had died out or mixed with other tribes, when they suddenly reappeared in their old place. This happened in 1903, when the Nama rebelled against the German colonialists. European troops quickly defeated the Nama and the Herero allies, after which they committed a real genocide. As a result, both tribes practically ceased to exist. The Germans and Himba did not ignore them. Almost all the Himba were killed or captured and sent to camps for blacks. Fortunately, after the First World War the colonies were taken away from Germany. And if the Herero and Nama never recovered from the blow, the Himba “rose up” like a phoenix from the ashes.
The third time they were considered extinct was in the mid-1980s. A terrible multi-year drought destroyed 90% of the livestock, and in 1988 the last outbreak in the last Himba kraal went out. The remaining people of the tribe were resettled in the city of Opuwo as refugees. But in the early 1990s, the Himbas returned. Now they number just under 50 thousand, and the population is growing. At the same time, they live exactly the same as their ancestors hundreds of years ago.
Photographer Jimmy Nelson travels the world photographing wild and semi-wild tribes who manage to maintain their traditional way of life in modern world. Every year it becomes more and more difficult for these peoples, but they do not give up and do not leave the territories of their ancestors, continuing to live the same way they lived.
Asaro tribe
Location: Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Filmed in 2010. The Asaro Mudmen ("Mud-Covered People of the Asaro River") first encountered the Western world in the mid-20th century. Since time immemorial, these people have been smearing themselves with mud and wearing masks to instill fear in other villages.
“Individually they are all very nice, but because their culture is under threat, they are forced to fend for themselves.” - Jimmy Nelson.
Chinese fishermen tribe
Location: Guangxi, China. Filmed in 2010. Fishing with a cormorant is one of the oldest methods fishing with the help of waterfowl. To prevent them from swallowing their catch, fishermen tie them around their necks. Cormorants easily swallow small fish, and bring large ones to their owners.
Maasai
Location: Kenya and Tanzania. Filmed in 2010. This is one of the most famous African tribes. Young Maasai go through a series of rituals to develop responsibility, become men and warriors, learn to protect livestock from predators, and provide security for their families. Thanks to the rituals, ceremonies and instructions of the elders, they grow up to be real brave men.
Livestock are central to Maasai culture.
Nenets
Location: Siberia – Yamal. Filmed in 2011. The traditional occupation of the Nenets is reindeer herding. They lead a nomadic lifestyle, crossing the Yamal Peninsula. For more than a millennium, they have survived at temperatures as low as minus 50°C. The 1,000 km long annual migration route lies across the frozen Ob River.
“If you don’t drink warm blood and don’t eat fresh meat, then you’re doomed to die in the tundra.”
Korowai
Location: Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Filmed in 2010. The Korowai are one of the few Papuan tribes that do not wear kotekas, a type of sheath for the penis. The men of the tribe hide their penises by tightly tying them with leaves along with the scrotum. Korowai are hunter-gatherers who live in tree houses. This people strictly distributes rights and responsibilities between men and women. Their number is estimated at approximately 3,000 people. Until the 1970s, the Korowai were convinced that there were no other peoples in the world.
Yali tribe
Location: Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Filmed in 2010. The Yali live in the virgin forests of the highlands and are officially recognized as pygmies, since the men are only 150 centimeters tall. The koteka (gourd sheath for the penis) serves as part of traditional clothes. It can be used to determine whether a person belongs to a tribe. Yali prefer long thin cats.
Karo tribe
Location: Ethiopia. Filmed in 2011. The Omo Valley, located in Africa's Great Rift Valley, is home to approximately 200,000 indigenous peoples who have inhabited it for thousands of years.
Here, tribes have traded among themselves since ancient times, offering each other beads, food, cattle and fabrics. Not long ago, guns and ammunition came into use.
Dasanech tribe
Location: Ethiopia. Filmed in 2011. This tribe is characterized by the absence of a strictly defined ethnicity. A person of almost any origin can be admitted to Dasanech.
Guarani
Location: Argentina and Ecuador. Filmed in 2011. For thousands of years, the Amazonian rainforests of Ecuador were home to the Guarani people. They consider themselves the bravest indigenous group in the Amazon.
Vanuatu tribe
Location: Ra Lava Island (Banks Islands Group), Torba Province. Filmed in 2011. Many Vanuatu people believe that wealth can be achieved through ceremonies. Dance is an important part of their culture, which is why many villages have dance floors called nasara.
Ladakhi tribe
Location: India. Filmed in 2012. Ladakhis share the beliefs of their Tibetan neighbors. Tibetan Buddhism, mixed with images of ferocious demons from the pre-Buddhist Bon religion, has underpinned Ladakhi beliefs for over a thousand years. The people live in the Indus Valley, engage mainly in agriculture, and practice polyandry.
Mursi tribe
Location: Ethiopia. Filmed in 2011. “It is better to die than to live without killing.” Mursi are pastoralists, farmers and successful warriors. Men are distinguished by horseshoe-shaped scars on their bodies. Women also practice scarring and also insert a plate into the lower lip.
Rabari tribe
Location: India. Filmed in 2012. 1000 years ago, representatives of the Rabari tribe were already roaming the deserts and plains that today belong to Western India. Women of this people devote long hours to embroidery. They also manage the farms and decide all financial issues, while the men tend the herds.
Samburu tribe
Location: Kenya and Tanzania. Filmed in 2010. The Samburu are a semi-nomadic people, moving from place to place every 5-6 weeks to provide pasture for their livestock. They are independent and much more traditional than the Maasai. Equality reigns in Samburu society.
Mustang tribe
Location: Nepal. Filmed in 2011. Most of the Mustang people still believe that the world is flat. They are very religious. Prayers and holidays are an integral part of their life. The tribe stands apart as one of the last strongholds of Tibetan culture that has survived to this day. Until 1991, they did not allow any outsiders into their midst.
Maori tribe
Location: New Zealand. Filmed in 2011. Maori are adherents of polytheism and worship many gods, goddesses and spirits. They believe that the spirits of ancestors and supernatural beings omnipresent and help the tribe in difficult times. In originated in distant times Maori myths and legends reflected their ideas about the creation of the Universe, the origin of gods and people.
“My tongue is my awakening, my tongue is the window of my soul.”
Goroka tribe
Location: Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Filmed in 2011. Life in high mountain villages is simple. Residents have plenty of food, families are friendly, people honor the wonders of nature. They live by hunting, gathering and growing crops. Internecine clashes are common here. To intimidate the enemy, Goroka warriors use war paint and jewelry.
“Knowledge is just rumors while they are in the muscles.”
Huli tribe
Location: Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Filmed in 2010. These indigenous people fight for land, pigs and women. They also spend a lot of effort trying to impress the enemy. Huli paint their faces with yellow, red and white dyes, and also have a famous tradition of making fancy wigs from their own hair.
Himba tribe
Location: Namibia. Filmed in 2011. Each member of the tribe belongs to two clans, father and mother. Marriages are arranged for the purpose of expanding wealth. Appearance is vital here. It talks about a person's place within a group and their phase of life. The elder is responsible for the rules in the group.
Kazakh tribe
Location: Mongolia. Filmed in 2011. Kazakh nomads are descendants of the Turkic, Mongolian, Indo-Iranian group and the Huns, who inhabited the territory of Eurasia from Siberia to the Black Sea.
The ancient art of eagle hunting is one of the traditions that the Kazakhs have managed to preserve to this day. They trust their clan, count on their herds, believe in the pre-Islamic cult of the sky, ancestors, fire and in the supernatural powers of good and evil spirits.
Lives on the banks of the Meikhi River wild tribe Pirahu, numbering about three hundred people. The natives survive by hunting and gathering. The peculiarity of this tribe is their unique language: there are no words denoting shades of colors, there is no indirect speech, and also interesting fact, it does not contain numerals (Indians count - one, two and many). They have no legends about the creation of the world, no calendar, but despite all this, the Pirahu people have not been found to have the qualities of reduced intelligence.
Video: Amazon Code. In the deep jungle of the Amazon River lives the wild Piraha tribe. Christian missionary Daniel Everett came to them to bring the word of God, but as a result of becoming acquainted with their culture, he became an atheist. But much more interesting than this is a discovery related to the language of the Piraha tribe.
Another known wild tribe of Brazil is the Sinta Larga, numbering about one and a half thousand people. Previously, this tribe lived in the rubber jungle, however, due to their deforestation, the Sinta Larga became a nomadic tribe. The Indians engage in fishing, hunting and farming. There is patriarchy in the tribe, i.e. a man can have several wives. Also, throughout his life, a Cinta Larga man receives several names, depending on individual characteristics or certain events in his life, but there is one special name that is kept secret and only those closest to him know it.
And in the western part of the Amazon River valley lives a very aggressive Korubo tribe. The main occupation of the Indians of this tribe is hunting and raids on neighboring settlements. Moreover, both men and women, armed with poisoned darts and clubs, take part in the raids. There is evidence that cases of cannibalism occur in the Korubo tribe.
Video: Leonid Kruglov: GEO: Unknown world: Earth. Secrets of the new world. " Great River Amazons." "Korubo Incident".
All these tribes represent a unique find for anthropologists and evolutionists. By studying their life and culture, language, and beliefs, one can better understand all stages of human development. And it is very important to preserve this heritage of history in your in its original form. In Brazil, a special government organization (National Indian Foundation) has been created to deal with the affairs of such tribes. The main task of this organization is to protect these tribes from any interference of modern civilization.
Adventure Magic - Yanomami.
Film: Amazonia / IMAX - Amazon HD.
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 that he is in pain. This 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 from 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, into which various objects can subsequently be inserted, for example, metal - 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.
Among one Australian tribe, 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 of sexual life, delight their wives with all the power 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 top of 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 Engvura 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 celebrations 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. Then 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 on the inside of the forearm and the blood was released 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 was large and index fingers left hand pulls back about an inch of flesh on his shoulders or chest and squeezes into 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 older and physically 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. Even in the use of water there are restrictions.
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 to initiate 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, for from now on he would be considered a “woman”, dressed in a woman’s dress and forced to do 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 sea travel 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 cannot even 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.