The African Kung tribe is one of the mysterious peoples that has practically no contact with civilization and lives according to its primitive laws. These people do not have surnames, they do not keep track of time, and they live on average no more than 30 years, but in their short life they comprehend the art of hunting wild animals and obtaining water in the desert. Kung Bushmen became famous for their mystical rituals …
Kung children
In southern Africa, there is the Kalahari Desert. It was in it twenty thousand years ago that the Bushmen Kung tribes settled. They hunt and gather, believe in spirits and communicate with them during ritual dances. Bushmen are outwardly different from other representatives of the Negroid race: they have lighter skin and thin lips. Living according to ancient customs, this African people roam the shroud in groups of 20 - 60 people, who are related. Groups settle at great distances from each other, to reach neighbors, it may take from several days to several weeks of walking.
Kung woman with child
For twenty years, scientists have observed the life of 900 Bushmen and have revealed an interesting pattern: in the Kung language there are no words for the number more than three, and they also do not use writing. Anthropologists decided to tie the age of the Bushmen to certain events in the tribe, but nothing came of it. The Bushmen simply do not have events known to civilization.
Bushmen use poison arrows to hunt
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During a severe drought, when crops burn out and livestock die, their way of life hardly changes. They can satisfy their hunger by eating "Bushin rice" - ant larvae, and fried locusts are a real delicacy for them.
Kung man fishes for water during a drought
To get water during the dry season, the Bushmen do the following: they dig a hole at the bottom of a dry spring, stick a pipe into it, and draw water out of it with their mouths. The container for collecting moisture is the shell of an ostrich egg.
Kung Elder
The only event that is usually significant for the tribe is the murder among the Bushmen themselves. For twenty years there were 3 - 4 such cases. Once it was connected with the theft of honey, since honey is considered the property of the person who found it. Another conflict occurred over the relationship of a young bachelor with one of the two wives of an elderly relative, but, however, it did not come to murder.
As a rule, any conflicts are resolved with the help of poison arrows. A man just needs to grab the poisoned arrows, and his fate is predetermined. In this regard, there is a custom - when meeting unfamiliar men, put bows aside.
Men on the hunt
If the murder did happen, then for the tribe it could become a landmark event. It happens that women report that they gave birth to a child at the time when the murder was committed. If a child was born when there was no murder, it is almost impossible to determine his age.
Over the years of observation, scientists have come to the conclusion that representatives of the Kung tribe live on average no more than 30 years. This figure is due to the huge infant mortality rate. The Bushmen are calm about the death of children, he believes that this is a common occurrence, supposedly God takes the kids.
During ritual dances, many Bushmen fall into a state of trance.
Healers are considered the most respectable members of the Kung tribe, as a rule, they are men in old (by their, of course, standards) age. To protect the entire settlement, healers perform a ritual dance, during which they fall into a trance. The action may be accompanied by the use of drugs and last up to 36 hours. Having reached ecstasy, the healer bends over the patient and literally takes the disease from him into his body. After - "shakes out" it from itself. Often in this case, the healer can injure himself, lowering his head to the flame of the fire, and get burns. Kung believe that this time he is half-dead, and with this sacrifice he saves his fellow tribesmen.