9 Tribal Communities You Had No Clue Existed

1. Herero (Namibia)

The Herero is a uniquely ethnic group inhabiting parts of Southern Africa. The majority reside in Namibia, with the remainder found in Botswana and Angola.

Although the Herero are not physically distinct from other ethnic groups found in Namibia, it is their uniquely preserved cultural and linguistic differences that define them. Moreover, the Herero are traditionally Pastoralists; meaning that they make a living out of rearing domestic animals, such as: cattle, goats, sheep and horses.

Because cattle is believed to be a gift passed on from their ancestors and thereby kept in their honor, most rituals held within the Herero tribe involve the use and often, the sacrifice of animals.

Today, the Herero are often said to be secular; although some are nominally Christian, most disavow any religious belief.

2. Tana Toraja (Indonesia)

A life that revolves around death?

The Tana Toraja tribe is located in a small village in the highlands of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The tribe co-exists in a village that is made up of several wooden huts (referred to as ‘Tongkonan’) that are uniquely identified by their boat-shaped roofs, with an exterior piled high with horns of various buffalo, signifying the wealth of the families living within.

The Tongkonan family houses are not built to be lived in, instead serve a ceremonial role. Thousands of U.S Dollars are spent on equipment to be used to build the house which is used to store embalmed corpse until the family is financially able to hold a funeral. However, what makes their ritual an intriguing one is the belief that accompanies the ritual. During the period before the burial, the family considers their deceased one to still be alive but ill. The corpse is dressed daily and served several meals.

Their traditions and ceremonies revolve around extravagant funerals and burial rituals due to their strong belief in the after-life.

Members of the tribe are thereby buried with equipment believed to be needed in the beyond.

3. Sentinelese Tribe (North Sentinel Island)

The most isolated tribe in the world?

The Sentinelese people (also referred to as Sentineli) are known as a hunter-gatherer society, located in the Bay of Bengal on the Andaman Islands. The tribe is said to be directly descended from the first human population to emerge from Africa and have been on the islands of Andaman for more than 60,000 years.

The Sentinelese obtain survival through hunting and fishing. With no contact to the outside world, the tribe relies solely on the creation of necessary tools using natural and earthly findings (such as stones, bones and metal pieces washed up at the shore).

Interestingly, the Sentinelese are the only remaining tribe in the Andaman chain to maintain their isolation. Any attempts of contact with the tribe had resulted with a defensive greeting of arrows and stones.

4. Ruc Tribes (Vietnam)

One of the world’s most remaining mysterious tribes

Although the Ruc were first discovered by North Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War there are valid records stating how long they’ve existed.

Attempts by the Vietnamese government to provide the tribe with a civilized habitat have been rejected; refusing to abandon their territory, the tribe remains to live in caves in the eastern Quang Binh province.

Ruc people are known to favor a primitive lifestyle, avoiding contact with the outside world. The tribe live hidden in the mountains, in little tents along the mountainsides. They do not have schools, clinics nor markets and live solely off of farming.

Interestingly the majority of the members of the tribe are elderly people (over 80 years of age) with the youth being the minority. In addition to that, Ruc people are known for their witch-craft rituals as well as their charms to avoid beasts and expel demons.

Refusing to loosen their primitive ways, the Ruc people remain to be in the top 10 mysterious tribal communities of the world.

5. Huli- Papua New Guinea Tribes

Found in the central mountains of Papua New Guinea is the Huli tribe. With a population of almost 90,000 individuals, the tribe has preserved their territory for nearly 1,000 years. Being one of the largest tribes in the world, Huli traditions and rituals are found to be highly intriguing for members of the outside world.

The Huli rely predominantly on Sweet potato for food along with several types of garden greens. Pigs are the Huli traditional form of currency and wealth used for Compensation Bride Price and land payments.

Traditionally men and women live in separate houses. Women represent a biological threat to Huli men and menstrual blood is believed to be potentially threatening to men within the tribe. The first time a Huli man makes love to his bride he will pour tree oil on her vagina to protect his manhood from her impurity.

Moreover, the Huli are recognized as the best singing performers in new Guinea, having won the Mount Hagen show more times than any other group. Unlike a number of existing tribal communities, the Huli tribe welcome communication from outsiders and greet them with kindness and hostility.

6. Kayapo (Brazil -Xingu River)

The Kayapo Indians are one of the main Amerindian(native) groups that remain in the rain forest around the Amazon River in Brazil. The Kayapos resisted assimilation (absorption into the dominant culture) and were known traditionally as fierce warriors.

Interestingly, the beliefs held by the Kayapo tribe is distinctly different than those held by surrounding sub-groups.

Social insects such as bees play a vital role within the tribe as it is believed by the Kayapos that social insects aided their ancestors’ learning to live communally. That belief is his highly honored and represented through the various drawings painted on the bodies and faces of the members, each painting representing an animal or insect marking.

Moreover, the flamboyant Kayapo headdress is uniquely designed with feathers radiating outwards, believed to represent the universe. Its shaft is a symbol for the cotton rope by which the first Kayapo, it is said, descended from the sky. Kayapo fields and villages are built in a circle, representing a round universe.

In addition to this, Kayapos believe that upon death, an individual is sent to what is referred to as ‘the village of the dead’, where people sleep during the day and hunt during the night. There, time is reversed; the elderly grow young and the youth grow old.

The Kayapos live in thatched-roof huts without room divisions; roofs are made of palm trees and mattresses are replaced with hammocks. Furthermore, health protection is achieved through the use of medicinal roots and herbs. The Kayapos also have medicine men.

The Kayapos welcome visitors from other regions but refuse to let their traditions be altered.

7. Himba

The Himba people are located the Kunene region of northern Namibia with a population of 20–50,000 individuals. They are said to be closely related to the Herero tribe which is found in parts of Namibia, Angola and Botswana.

Today, the Himba tribe preserve their traditional habits by breeding and herding their cattle and goats and living a semi nomadic lifestyle

The tribe is known to be a nude tribe although certain garments act as traditional and cultural symbols.

Due to the environmental atmosphere that surrounds the region and a lack of sources; to somehow protect themselves from the sun they make a paste of butter fat, ochre, and herbs which is applied to the skin. Giving their skin a reddish-colour which is believed to symbolically reflect the unity earth. Moreover, different neck pieces and hair styles determines the importance and status of the individual person (A cone shell symbolizes marriage, for instance).

Being a highly spiritual tribal community, the Himba show their worship by lighting a fire every morning called Okuruwo, or holy fire. The fire represents their ancestors and by worshiping the fire of their ancestors, the Himba believe their ancestors will send messages to their god, Mukuru, as intermediates. Due to the symbolic significance of this fire, only the chief’s home can have its entrance facing it. The rest of the homes must face away.

8. Yanomami (Between Venezuela and Bolivia)

The Yanomami are the largest relatively isolated tribe in South America. They live in the rain forests and mountains of northern Brazil and southern Venezuela. Today, their population stands at 35,000 individuals.

A tuxawa (headman) acts as the leader of each village, but there is no single leader for the entire Yanomami tribe, as they do not identify themselves as being one entire group. Headmen gain their position by earning a reputation of being skilled peacekeepers and brave warriors.

Families live in shabonos which are made of rain forest plants and tree materials and receive damage through heavy rains, winds and insect infestation and are therefore rebuilt every 4–6 years.

Yanomani people are known to be skilled hunters and due to them being located in rain-forests they rely heavily on natural resources for food, shelter as well as for protection.

The Yanomami have a number of rituals, such as celebrating a good harvest with nearby villages (where bodies are decorated with feathers and flowers). Moreover, the spirit world plays a signficant role in Yanomami life. They believe that everything; rock, tree, mountain or creature, has its own spirit, good or bad. They believe that bad spirits can attack people and cause sickness. Shamans conduct healing rituals for the sick using hallucinogenic drugs, also known as yakoana or ebene. These drugs allow the consumer to communicate with spirits known as hekura, who are believed to be in charge of many aspects of this world.

9. Chukchi (Siberia)

The tribe of Chukchi is located in Chukchi peninsula in northeast Siberia with a population of 15,000 individuals.

The Chukchi who live in the interior of the Chukchi peninsula have traditionally been herdsmen and hunters of reindeer; those who live along the coasts of the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi Sea, and the Bering Sea have customarily hunted sea mammals such as seals, whales, walruses, and sea lions. The Chukchi call themselves the Lygoravetlat which means “genuine people” (and so they are said to be).

Interestingly, Chukchi religious beliefs and practices are best described as a form of shamanism. Animals, plants, heavenly bodies, rivers, forests, and other natural phenomena are considered to have their own spirits.

During their rituals, Chukchi shamans (sometimes with the aid of hallucinogenic mushrooms), communicate with the spirits and allow the spirits to speak through them, predict the future, and cast spells of various kinds.

The Chukchi tribe remains to be one of the many tribal communities that are unheard of around the world.