If we go along with the biblical account, man and woman, in the form of Adam of Eve, recognised that they were naked only after they ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. They subsequently searched for leaves and used them to cover themselves after “their eyes had been opened”. However, millions, or possibly billions, of years later, some people still appear and walk naked, despite the impact of civilisation in their countries. This piece, therefore, examines the naked tribes across the world.
Table of Content hide 1Africa 1.1Jibu tribe (Nigeria) 1.2Kambari tribe (Nigeria) 1.3Koma tribe (Nigeria) 1.4Nyae Nyae tribe (Namibia) 2World 2.1Korowai Tribe (Indonesia) 2.2Dani Tribe (Indonesia) 2.3The Zo’é tribe (Brazil) 2.4Sanuma tribe (Brazil and Venuzuela)Africa
First, is a list of tribes whose people still appear naked in Africa.
Jibu tribe (Nigeria)
The Jibu tribe are descendants of the Kwararafa Kingdom and are located in the mountains in the Gashaka Local Government Area of Taraba State. Stephen Osu was the journalist that discovered and publicised.
The Jibu people prefer to live naked and only cover parts of their bodies with leaves. Also, their bed is a bamboo mat, which consists of leaves and grasses as their holding structure and cover.
Regarding marriage for the tribe, the prospective husband must serve his bride-to-be’s family in their house for five years. The woman must get pregnant for her man during this period. If the woman fails to conceive, it is assumed that their gods are against the union.
Kambari tribe (Nigeria)
This ancient rural community is located in Birnin Amina in Rijau Local Government Area of Niger State. The inhabitants of this tribe cover only the bottom half of their bodies with leaves and proudly move around their community. While on their way to the farm to sell their produce, the people tie only wrappers.
Their means of transportation are donkeys, just as in ancient times. Also, despite being located in a predominantly Hausa-speaking state, the Kambari people speak only their native language – Kambari.
In a tete-a-tete with some journalists a while ago, the local chief, known as Maiunguwa, said the Kambari people are content with their way of living and do not need to be buoyed to accept civilisation by either government or religious bodies. According to him, the nudity of their women is not what attracts their men, instead, what the men look out for in their women is their hairstyle, tattoos and, more importantly, good manners.
Their men are allowed to marry up to four wives, but their tradition insists that the husband must take adequate care of the women under his roof. Their marriages become official only after the parents of the bride slaughter goats and cows, cook for the groom and his family and the food is consumed.
In addition, they are strict idol worshippers and believe in their god, Migaro.
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Koma tribe (Nigeria)
Another tribe whose people dwell in the mountains, the Koma people are located in the Alantika Mountains, which is situated in the area between Yola, the Adamawa State capital, and Northern Cameroon.
According to a July 2010 edition of The Spectator, a Nigerian newspaper, the Koma people were uncovered by a corps member in the then-Gongola State (now Adamawa State) in northern Nigeria. They move around naked or near-naked in leaves or loincloths.
The Koma people are predominantly farmers and hunters. They also purchase farming implements and scarce items of clothing used by men from other tribes in the lowlands and use them during ceremonies. They are also idol worshippers, and the name of their god is called Zum or Nu.
Regarding circumcision, both boys and girls go through puberty rituals when they attain 14 and 17 years, respectively. The bride price in their tradition is goats, chickens and two Naira.
Nyae Nyae tribe (Namibia)
The Nyae Nyae tribe are members of the Ju/’hoansi clan in Namibia in Southern Africa. They are the second-largest group of San Bushmen in Namibia and are located on a small portion of land near the Botswana border.
The Nyae Nyae tribe choose to be naked by choice. Their traditional dress which is their bare skin and their people only cover certain parts of their body with loincloths. Their main occupation is farming, with their farmers armed with the traditional bow and arrows for agricultural and defence purposes.
The tribe was granted permission by the Namibian government in 1998 to make decisions about the use of their ancestral land, particularly about managing wildlife and tourism and raking in the proceeds. Despite the absence of formal education in their area, the Nyae Nyae tribe run a Conservancy, which attracts tourists to visit the area. One important area of the conservancy that tourists visit is the Living Hunter’s Museum.
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World
Below is a list of other naked tribes across the world.
Korowai Tribe (Indonesia)
The Korowai tribe are located in Southeastern West Papua in the Indonesian province of Papua. Their dress nature is nudity and they make a piece made of dry leaves and wear it around their waist.
Unlike the naked tribes in Nigeria, the Korowai tribe live in the forest. They are mainly hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists. Their men are can marry more than one woman as their tradition encourages polygamy.
Their belief is in their god, Gimigi, and they sacrifice domesticated pigs to the spirits of their ancestors in troubled times.
Dani Tribe (Indonesia)
Also dwelling in Indonesia, the Dani tribe are from the central highlands of western New Guinea. Estimated to be around 200,000 people, the Dani tribe were first met by an expedition team led by Hendrikus Albertus Lorentz in 1909.
These people walk around naked as part of their customs. The men wear only thongs, while the women walk around topless.
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The Zo’é tribe (Brazil)
This tribe lives in the Amazon rainforests of northern Brazil. Their first point of contact with the outside world was when missionaries visited their place of dwelling in 1982. However, definitive contact occurred in 1987.
Members of the Zo’é tribe walk around starkly naked. They, however, use cotton grown in their community to make body ornaments and hammocks, bind arrowheads and weave slings for carrying babies.
A very prominent feature of this tribe is the ‘m’berpót’ – a long wooden plug inserted into their lower lip. The plug is from a sharp bone from a spider monkey’s leg. It is inserted into girls when they are about seven years old and for boys at about nine years old.
They are polygamous, with both men and women allowed to have more than one partner.
Following their exposure to diseases following the visit of the missionaries to their area, the Brazilian government has limited access to the place in order to protect the inhabitants, as they are not immunised.
Sanuma tribe (Brazil and Venuzuela)
The Sanuma tribe are the indigenous people of Brazil and Venezuela. They are a branch of the Yanomami tribe, who live in the tropical rain forest on both sides of the Venezuelan and Brazilian border.
This tribe are miles away from civilisation as they do not wear clothes covering their bodies in their communities. Their men wear only a small piece of clothing to protect the part of their bodies while farming. They are basic nomadic farmers.
Sanuma women marry young, often before puberty, although the couple would not sleep together for some years. Men are can have more than one wife.
They practice a religion called shaman. They believe that the world is occupied by the spirits of everything around them.
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