Most Dangerous Tribes From Around The World

1. Learning about people

Image Source: USAToday

It is important to learn about, recognize and respect the diversity of people around the world, and learning about remote indigenous people is no different.  There is a wealth of knowledge and practices to learn about from around the world and many researchers have taken a particular interest in very isolated tribes.

2. The Sentinelese

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The Sentinelese are said to be the most isolated tribe in the world.  Their home is a small island called North Sentinel and they resist any contact with the outside world, attacking and even killing anyone who gets near them.  These include two Indian fishermen who moored their boat to sleep after poaching the waters around the island and accidentally drifted to shore.

3. The Caribs

Image Source: FloridaMuseum

Researchers of The Caribs have spent the last few years attempting to disprove damaging and controversial descriptions from Christopher Columbus that claimed the Caribs were blood-thirsty cannibals.  Recent studies have now dispelled these claims as false.

4. The Aztecs

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Past accounts of The Aztecs describe the tribe's approach to war as ferocious and their elaborate warrior costumes depicted various animals.  Some accounts have described the Aztecs as also partaking in human sacrifice and in their society, theft was one of the most serious crimes, punishable by death!

5. Ayoreo Tribe

Image Source: SurvivalInternational.org

The Ayoreo people live in an area that spans both Bolivia and Paraguay and it is estimated that there are around 5,600 people in the population.  They live in rather small communities and lots of Ayoreo people have moved out of the forests they once called home.  Lots of the population have had to face continual invasions and were forced out of their homes but some people still remain.

6. Yaifo Tribe

Image Source: TheTelegraph

The Yaifo people are a really remote tribe who live in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.  They're a particularly isolated tribe and their home is incredibly difficult to get to with its hard-to-navigate roads and paths.  It is also known for its active volcanoes and crocodile-infested waters.

7. Papuan

Image Source: Wikipedia

Indigenous people of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia are commonly referred to as Papuan.  

This area of the world is home to many indigenous people, including some uncontacted

people.  In fact, it is believed that this area is home to up to 312 different tribes too!

8. Awa

Image Source: NationalGeographic.co.uk

The Awa are indigenous people who live in the rainforest of Brazil.  There are only an estimated 350 people within this group and it is believed that at least 100 of them have never had any contact with the outside world.  And because of their low numbers and logging interests in their home, it is said that the Awa are considered endangered.

9. Mashco Piro

Image Source: TheEcologist.org

The Mashco Piro people are nomadic hunter-gatherers who live within the Amazon.  And it is only in the last decade that this Amazonian tribe has started to make contact with the outside world.  But no one really knows why they have suddenly started to emerge.

10. Palawan

Image Source: Wikipedia

The Palawan people live in central and northern Palawan.  They are known for their practice of shifting cultivation

of rice which is seen as a divine gift.  In fact, they are also known for their rice wine ritual called Pagadiwata.  They also believe that deities can be found in their surroundings in nature.

11. Yanomami Tribe

Image Source: Britannica.com

The Yanomani people live within the rainforests and the mountains of Brazil in small villages that are semi-permanent as they tend to move to a new place once the soil is worn out.  The tribe practices slash-and-burn agriculture

and they keep dogs for both the security of the village and for hunting.  As well as food, they also grow tobacco for personal use and cotton for hammocks, strings, and cords, and also for trade.

12. Korowai

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The Korowai people are an isolated tribe of Papua New Guinea and they live in 140-foot-high tree houses.  And the reason they live so far up is to protect their families from wild animal attacks also from evil spirits.  Many of the people are still independent with excellent survival skills.

13. Moken Tribe

Image Source: SurvivalInternational.org

The Moken people are also known as sea nomads 

or sea gypsies 

and they live in southeast Asia.  They catch their food in the sea using harpoons, spears, and handlines.  Their history and vast knowledge of the sea, lunar cycles, and nature are not written down anywhere, so their culture, history, and traditions are passed on orally.  It is also believed that children learn to swim before they can walk!

14. Korubo/Dslala Tribe

Image Source: Smithsonianmagazine.com

The Korubo, Dsala, or 'clubbers' 

tribe live in the Amazon basin in Brazil.  And their first recorded contact with the outside world was in 1996.  They are a very isolated tribe and have been described as a "proud war-like tribe" who hunt with blowpipes and large wooden clubs.

15. Suri People

Image Source: TheGuardian.ng

The plains of southeastern Ethiopia are where the Suri people inhabit.  The region where they live is particularly unstable and they have had to fight for their homes over the years.  They are said to be particularly experts at stickfighting and cattle are really important in the status of a person or a family.

16. Huli People

Image Source: Journeysinternational.com

The Huli people live in the southern highlands of Papua New Guinea and are really well-known around the world for their incredibly brightly colored dress and decoration.  Traditionally, the men and women will sleep in different houses and boys will join the men to sleep when they reach 12 years old.

17. Mapuche

Image Source: Wikipedia

Mapuche means "people of the land" and these people live in southern Chile and in Argentina.  And they have a really rich history of wars, battles, traditions, and beliefs.  Interestingly, their lives are said to be filled with many ceremonies.  They are also famous for their 350-year struggle with the Spanish throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.

18. Cree

Image Source:

Wikipedia

The Cree people live primarily in Canada and were first contacted in 1682.  Historically, the Cree lived together in lodges

which were typically two related families and different lodges 

would make up a band.  

Bands

remained independent from each other and would occasionally go to war.

19. Maori

Image Source: Wikipedia

New Zealand's Maori people are known worldwide for their unique language, culture, and traditions.  One of these traditions includes the haka dance.

  They are known to be incredible storytellers because their history wasn't written and only oral until colonization in the 1800s.

20. Inga

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The Inga are indigenous people from Ecuador and Columbia and their population exceeds 1.1 million people.  Over the years, the Igna people have been negatively impacted by political violence and displacement and there's a worry that these challenges will start to wipe out indigenous communities in this area of the world.

21. Aborigines

Image Source: Britannica.com

The Aboriginal culture in Australia is around 50,000 years old and many English words are derived from Aboriginal languages.  The culture is based upon respect and Dreamtime is the Aboriginal cultural identity where the belief is that the ancestor spirits came to earth in human form and created many landforms, including rocks, animals, and plants.

22. Ainu

Image Source: Japan.travel

The Ainu people are historically residents of northern Japan and were a hunter-gatherer community where fish were important sources of food.  Their language is unrelated to Japanese and they believe that spirits dwell in all the corners of the world.

23. Guarani

Image Source: Yerbamatro.com

The Guarani people live mostly in Paraguay and believe in a creator, deities, and evil spirits.  They also believe that all earthly living things have their own protective spirits.  Religious ceremonies are a part of life and these include blessing the corn and other rituals.

24. Tlingit

Image Source: Britannica.com

The Tlinget is a First Nation of southern Alaska and their culture is rooted in a deep connection with ancestors.  They believe that the spirits of humans live on long after death so it's important to keep the spirits content and happy.  To survive, they typically fished for food in the ocean, including sea otters and seals.

25. Hmong

Image Source: Myhapa.org

The Hmong people believe in the self

as being part of something bigger, like a family and community.  For thousands of years, the Hmong people have lived in southwestern China but during the mid-1600s, China began to restrict their freedom so they moved to Laos near Thailand.

26. Mayan

Image Source: Britannica.com

The Mayans were an ancient society in an area known as Mesoamerica (now known as Mexico and Central America).  Researchers have found that the Mayan people were more violent than they originally thought when they found depictions of scenes of wars, massacres, and sacrifices.

27. Navajo

Image Source: Worldatlas.com

The Navajo is the second largest tribe population and their traditions have survived over the years.  Navajo life is rich in ceremonies and the religion explains that the universe is an ordered and harmonious place.  Their ceremonies and rituals are said to restore harmony within the universe that is disrupted by death, violence, and evil.

28. Challenges to Survival and Wellbeing

Image Source: NationalGeographic

With many indigenous communities around the world, it is important to truly understand the challenges they are currently facing, will face, and have faced in the past.  These challenges to their survival and well-being include climate change, land displacement, deforestation, and colonization.

29. Climate Change

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Many indigenous communities have a strong relationship and they rely on natural resources for survival and cultural practices.  However, climate change means that many indigenous communities face challenges and have to try to adapt and deal with the issues that climate change brings, including displacement and loss of biodiversity.

30. Promoting Cultural Preservation

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In order to promote cultural preservation, people must collaborate and consider a number of issues.  These issues include the recognition of cultural rights, community engagement, traditional knowledge preservation, language heritage, and support for cultural practices.