At the junction of three states - Libya, Niger and Chad, in the heart of the Sahara Desert lives the Tubu (Tibbu) - a mysterious tribe, one of the oldest in Africa. Most of all, it is surprising that these people, who live in harsh climatic conditions and eat very, very poorly, manage to be real long-livers and champions in endurance.
The tubu tribe has always been legendary. The people live on the practically waterless plateaus of Tibesti and Tenere, where there is not even sand - it is blown away by scorching winds. The surrounding landscapes resemble shots from a science fiction film: extinct volcanoes, stones, bare earth, and in some places - high sand dunes. Oases are rare in this kingdom of sand and stones.
Life in such a place is difficult, but the people of the Tubu tribe have long adapted to extreme conditions and even make gigantic trekking up to 90 kilometers a day. How do they do it? European researchers decided to explain this phenomenon.
More than a dozen scientists of various specialties went to the Sahara, equipped with the latest technology: air-conditioned jeeps, self-powered portable refrigerators, specially equipped tents.
Many doctors, ethnographers and ecologists have had considerable experience working on such expeditions in the most remote corners of the world, for example, in the Amazon and New Guinea. But what they saw in the Sahara exceeded their expectations.
In the morning, the scientists had a hearty breakfast, got into the jeeps, turned on the air conditioners, since it was 45 degrees outside the cars in the shade with a plus sign, and went after the tuba. The nomads drank only herbal decoction for breakfast, put bags of salt on the camels and set off.
Promotional video:
Salt is the most popular commodity, it is eagerly bought in the countries lying in the south of the Sahara, and since ancient times they have been selling salt to their neighbors, and with the proceeds they buy everything they need. The sun scorched mercilessly, and everyone walked and walked through the desert without stopping.
By noon, they covered more than 40 kilometers. At lunchtime they had a halt right in the open air. Only jeeps and camels cast a shadow. Scientists refreshed themselves with canned food and tea. The nomads ate a few dates each, drank some water and were ready for a new transition.
In the evening, the Europeans fell from their feet from the heat and fatigue, while the tuba held on like steadfast tin soldiers. But they waved about 90 kilometers across the desert. But heart rate and blood pressure were normal. For dinner, the natives boiled millet over the fire, spiced it with palm oil and grated root gravy. And they were content with this.
How do they manage to live to a ripe old age? How does the body resist dehydration? Finally, what allows them to cover such great distances on foot - long-term training, the endurance gene inherited from their ancestors, or maybe a special way of life?
Nomads are a privileged part of the Tubu tribe. When they go out with caravans to trade in salt, they, this "higher caste", are supplied with everything they need - dates, millet, medicinal herbs, so that they do not need anything on the way. The rest of the tribe does not see such diversity every day.
Therefore, the saying: “Tubu is content with one date a day. For breakfast he eats the peel, for lunch - the pulp, and for dinner - the bone,”- is not far from the truth. To say that the daily diet of tubu is very modest is to say nothing.
By the standards of European standards, it does not stand up to any scrutiny - solid dates every day. And only on big holidays - boiled barley, millet, wheat, dairy products (goats and camels are milked tuba). At the same time, no one falls off their feet from lack of strength, on the contrary, everyone feels cheerful.
The infant mortality rate among tubu is one of the lowest in Africa. The teeth of all members of the tribe are just a sight for sore eyes. Even the old people have almost everything in place, strong and healthy. Tubu does not have cardiovascular and oncological diseases.
But the tribe is in the sun all year round. What is the secret of such good health? Maybe it's all about a special way of life? But it is not very different from the way of life that other African tribes lead. There are some differences, though.
The customs of the tribe are rather harsh. Tubu women are real Amazons. All unmarried beauties carry a special knife like a sword - a sharpened antelope horn or a stick. Any Tubu girl is a masterful wielder of cold weapons, because at any moment she can be kidnapped by men from a neighboring tribe.
A young woman is considered a valuable prey, which gives a man weight in the eyes of his fellow tribesmen. True, there is one "but" - a woman can be abducted if his family is not familiar with her family. Every self-respecting man should marry a kidnapped damsel.
However, before they are combined by marriage, he is obliged to appease her relatives with considerable gifts, and sometimes bend his back on future relatives. Sometimes the process of “buying out” a wife takes a couple of years. If we consider that at the age of 15 the girl is already married, then by the age of 17-18 she is just getting married.
If you cannot steal the girl, then it is enough to steal one of her jewelry. Thus, the guy makes it clear that he likes her. The wedding lasts a week and the costs are high. So a guy and a girl, and at the same time their parents need to think ten times before arranging matchmaking.
After the wedding, the young people live for about a year under the roof of the bride's parents, and the relatives make sure that the son-in-law does not offend their blood and the young ones cope with family responsibilities. After the probationary period, the couple sets off for "free swimming".
Family life implies equality. The man makes the decision, but the woman has a say. There is no point in raising a hand to her husband. A young wife can run away to her relatives, and it is possible to lure her back only at the cost of serious conciliatory gifts.
The manner of communication in families is curious - the husband and wife talk, standing with their backs to each other, and after finishing the conversation, they disperse in different directions, without looking at each other. According to Muslim tradition, men can have several wives, but this is very costly, therefore, as a rule, they get by with one.
The men of the tribe are engaged in grazing livestock in the high mountain pastures, and the women are engaged in the household. Their duties include putting up a hut or tent, looking after children, and harvesting. The main food of the tuba is dates. They eat these fruits at least three times a day, without even realizing that this fruit is a real storehouse of vitamins and trace elements.
Scientists have found that a person can fully live for several years, eating only dates and water. These fruits contain a significant amount of protein, they are easily digested, strengthen immunity, increase resistance to various diseases and increase the overall endurance of the body. It is not for nothing that this fruit was called the bread of the desert in ancient times.
So it turns out that, eating this universal fruit three times a day, tuba, without knowing it, turn into the supermen of the desert. Today in Central Sahara there are more than 350 thousand tuba. Most of them live in Chad, a smaller part in Libya and Niger.
Used materials from the article by Lyubov Dyakova, magazine "Steps", No. 22