The dirtiest tribe on the planet — how people who never wash live

Korney Chukovsky's poem about Moidodyr we all remember from childhood, it ends with life—affirming verses: "And in the bath, and in the bath, always and everywhere — eternal glory to water!" But the Bergdams — residents of a distant African tribe - clearly would not appreciate the poet's skill. In their opinion, bathing can bring misfortune, so they avoid any bath procedures in every possible way. How the dirtiest people of our planet live, read in the review.

Bergdams are nicknamed "black people", and this is not surprising: they have blue-black skin, and on top of it you can often see a dense layer of dirt. Why the fear of water is so firmly rooted in their culture is unclear. In addition, representatives of this tribe cannot be called absolute dirty — they carefully take care of the whiteness of their teeth, constantly cleaning them with a piece of leather and special wooden brushes. However, they do not manage to keep a Hollywood smile for a long time: bergdams often eat coarse food (roots or insects), teeth are quickly worn off. As soon as the tooth becomes unusable, the healer knocks it out with an ordinary wand, which is driven under the tooth into the gum.

The main value in the Bergdam settlement is the sacred fire. Only men have the right to approach him, the elders light a bonfire after a special ritual. The main deity for the Bergdam tribe is Kamabu, the sun god. Sorcerers turn to him, asking for good luck in hunting, as well as "consulting" about the health of members of the tribe. The fact is that when the representatives of the tribe have symptoms of the disease, they go to the sorcerer-healer. He, guided by the hints of the sun god, makes a verdict: if the disease is fatal, then no one will take care of the victim, it is believed that he should die alone. If the sorcerer receives a sign that this is only a test, then he will perform a healing rite. To do this, he collects the "disease" from the human body in one place, and then conducts cauterization — often the most terrible scars remain on the patient's body.

An important stage in the life of the Bergdams is the rite of initiation. Girls are considered adults when they develop mammary glands. Up to this point, the girl is forbidden to eat food that women use. For initiation, incisions are made over the chest, they are sprinkled with products ground into flour and wait for the wounds to heal. With the onset of the first menstrual cycle, the tribe arranges a ritual sacrifice of a goat, and the girl receives instructions that she should not have sex before marriage.

The rite of initiation of young men is of a group nature. To be considered men, boys must go hunting two days in a row. The first prey is eaten by tribesmen (the young men are left with nothing), and they can already start the second meal on a par with everyone.

It is also worth mentioning about the ritual actions on the occasion of the birth of a child. The father of a newborn should roast a piece of meat on a fire, smear his skin with fat, roll up dirt and collect it in a leather bag. This is how the amulet for the baby is prepared. The father hangs a bag around the child's neck, while he spits on his chest, rubs the spit and calls the new person by name.

The tribe has an even more terrifying tradition associated with the birth of children. If twins are born, it is akin to a curse. To get rid of it, you need to perform a rite of burial alive of one of the two kids.