Bantu tribe. Wild tribes of Africa

Multifaceted Africa, on a vast territory in 61 countries, with a population of more than a billion people, surrounded by cities of civilized countries, in the secluded corners of this continent more than 5 million people of almost completely wild African tribes still live.

Members of these tribes do not recognize the achievements of the civilized world and are content with the modest benefits that they received from their ancestors. Poor huts, modest food and a minimum of clothing suit them, and they are not going to change this way of life.

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There are about 3 thousand different tribes and nationalities in Africa, but it is difficult to name their exact number, since most often they are either densely mixed together, or, on the contrary, radically separated. The population of some tribes is only a few thousand or even hundreds of people, and often inhabit only 1-2 villages. Because of this, on the territory of the African continent there are adverbs and dialects that sometimes only representatives of a particular tribe can understand. And the variety of rituals cultural systems, dances, customs and sacrifices are enormous and amazing. In addition, the appearance of the people of some tribes is simply amazing.

However, since they all live on the same continent, all African tribes still have something in common. Some cultural elements are characteristic of all nationalities living in this territory. One of the main defining features of African tribes is their focus on the past, that is, the cult of the culture and life of their ancestors.

The majority of African peoples deny everything new and modern and withdraw into themselves. Most of all, they are attached to constancy and immutability, including in everything that concerns everyday life, traditions and customs that originate from their great-grandfathers.

It’s hard to imagine, but among them there are practically no people who are not engaged in subsistence farming or cattle breeding. Hunting, fishing or gathering are completely normal activities for them. Just like many centuries ago, African tribes fight among themselves, marriages most often take place within one tribe, intertribal marriages are very rare among them. Of course, more than one generation leads such a life; every new child from birth will have to live the same fate.

Tribes differ from each other by their own unique system of life, customs and rituals, beliefs and prohibitions. Most tribes invent their own fashion, often stunningly colorful, the originality of which is often simply amazing.

Among the most famous and numerous tribes today are the Maasai, Bantu, Zulus, Samburu and Bushmen.

Maasai

One of the most famous African tribes. They live in Kenya and Tanzania. The number of representatives reaches 100 thousand people. They are most often found on the side of a mountain, which features prominently in Maasai mythology. Perhaps the size of this mountain influenced the worldview of the tribe members - they consider themselves the favorites of the gods, the highest people, and are sincerely confident that there are no more beautiful people in Africa than them.

This opinion of oneself gave rise to a contemptuous, often even derogatory attitude towards other tribes, which became the cause of frequent wars between tribes. In addition, it is the Maasai custom to steal animals from other tribes, which also does not improve their reputation.

The Maasai dwelling is built from branches coated with dung. This is done mainly by women, who also, if necessary, take on the duties of pack animals. The main share of nutrition is milk or animal blood, less often meat. Distinctive feature The beauty of this tribe is considered to be the elongated earlobes. Currently, the tribe has been almost completely exterminated or dispersed; only in remote corners of the country, in Tanzania, are some Maasai nomads still preserved.

Bantu

The Bantu tribe lives in Central, Southern and Eastern Africa. In truth, the Bantu are not even a tribe, but an entire nation, which includes many peoples, for example, Rwanda, Shono, Konga and others. They all have similar languages ​​and customs, which is why they were united into one large tribe. Most Bantu people speak two or more languages, the most commonly spoken of which is Swahili. The number of members of the Bantu people reaches 200 million. According to research scientists, it was the Bantu, along with the Bushmen and Hottentots, who became the progenitors of the South African colored race.

Bantus have a peculiar appearance. They have very dark skin and an amazing hair structure - each hair is curled in a spiral. Wide and winged noses, a low bridge of the nose and high stature - often above 180 cm - are also distinctive features of people from the Bantu tribe. Unlike the Maasai, the Bantu do not shy away from civilization and willingly invite tourists on educational walks around their villages.

Like any African tribe, a large part of Bantu life is occupied by religion, namely, traditional African animist beliefs, as well as Islam and Christianity. The Bantu home resembles a Maasai house - the same round shape, with a frame made of branches coated with clay. True, in some areas Bantu houses are rectangular, painted, with gable, lean-to or flat roofs. Members of the tribe are mainly engaged in agriculture. A distinctive feature of the Bantu is the enlarged lower lip, into which small discs are inserted.

Zulu

The Zulu people, once the largest ethnic group, now number only 10 million. The Zulus use their own language, Zulu, which comes from the Bantu family and is the most widely spoken in South Africa. In addition, English, Portuguese, Sesotho and other African languages ​​are in circulation among members of the people.

The Zulu tribe suffered a difficult period during the apartheid era in South Africa, when, being the most numerous people, was defined as a second-class population.

As for the beliefs of the tribe, most of the Zulus remained faithful to national beliefs, but there are also Christians among them. Zulu religion is based on the belief in a creator god who is supreme and separate from everyday routine. Representatives of the tribe believe that they can contact the spirits through fortune tellers. All negative manifestations in the world, including illness or death, are considered as the machinations of evil spirits or the result of evil witchcraft. In the Zulu religion, the main place is occupied by cleanliness, frequent bathing is a custom among representatives of the people.

Samburu

The Samburu tribe lives in the northern regions of Kenya, on the border of the foothills and the northern desert. About five hundred years ago, the Samburu people settled in this territory and quickly populated the plain. This tribe is independent and confident in its elitism much more than the Maasai. The life of the tribe depends on livestock, but, unlike the Maasai, the Samburu themselves raise livestock and move with them from place to place. Customs and ceremonies occupy a significant place in the life of the tribe and are distinguished by the splendor of colors and forms.

Samburu huts are made of clay and skins; the outside of the home is surrounded by a thorny fence to protect it from wild animals. Representatives of the tribe take their houses with them, reassembling them at each site.

Among the Samburu, it is customary to divide labor between men and women, this also applies to children. Women's responsibilities include gathering, milking cows and fetching water, as well as collecting firewood, cooking and looking after children. Of course, the female half of the tribe is in charge of general order and stability. Samburu men are responsible for herding livestock, which is their main means of subsistence.

Most important detail The life of the people is childbearing, sterile women are subjected to severe persecution and bullying. It is normal for the tribe to worship the spirits of ancestors, as well as witchcraft. The Samburu believe in charms, spells and rituals, using them to increase fertility and protection.

Bushmen

The most famous African tribe among Europeans since ancient times is the Bushmen. The name of the tribe consists of the English “bush” - “bush” and “man” - “man”, however, calling members of the tribe this way is dangerous - it is considered offensive. It would be more correct to call them “san,” which means “stranger” in the Hottentot language. Externally, the Bushmen are somewhat different from other African tribes; they have lighter skin and thinner lips. In addition, they are the only ones who eat ant larvae. Their dishes are considered a feature of the national cuisine of this people. The way of society of the Bushmen also differs from that generally accepted among wild tribes. Instead of chiefs and sorcerers, the ranks choose elders from among the most experienced and respected members of the tribe. The elders lead the lives of the people without taking any advantage at the expense of others. It should be noted that the Bushmen also believe in the afterlife, like other African tribes, but they do not have the cult of ancestors adopted by other tribes.

Among other things, the Sans have a rare talent for stories, songs and dances. Musical instrument they can make almost all of them. For example, there are bows strung with animal hair or bracelets made from dried insect cocoons with pebbles inside, which are used to beat the rhythm during dance. Almost everyone who has the opportunity to observe the musical experiments of the Bushmen tries to record them in order to pass them on to future generations. This is all the more relevant given that present century dictates its own rules and many Bushmen have to deviate from centuries-old traditions and work as workers on farms in order to provide for their family and tribe.

This is a very small number of tribes living in Africa. There are so many of them that it would take several volumes to describe them all, but each of them boasts a unique value system and way of life, not to mention rituals, customs and costumes.

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PEOPLES OF AFRICA

Africa is a continent, almost all of whose countries until recently were completely colonially dependent on European states. For several centuries, colonialists exploited indigenous people and plundered the natural resources of African countries. In the 15th-17th centuries, during the era of initial accumulation of capital, Africa became the main territory from which slaves were exported for the American colonies of European states. As K. Marx put it, it turned into a “reserved hunting ground for blacks.” The slave trade led to a long delay in the development of productive forces and degradation of the economy, reducing the population of Africa. The total loss of Africa's population from the slave trade, including those killed during slave hunts and those killed en route, amounted to tens of millions of people.

The colonial division of Africa was completed at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, during the period when the development of capitalism entered its highest and final stage. At this time, according to V.I. Lenin, “a huge “rise” of colonial conquests begins, the struggle for the territorial division of the world intensifies to an extreme degree.” Almost all of Africa was divided between European powers. On the eve of the Second World War, only Egypt, Liberia and the Union of South Africa were considered independent states. These three states accounted for 7.7% of the African continent's area and 17% of the population.

After the Second World War, the collapse of the world colonial system and the collapse of imperialist domination in the countries of Asia and Africa began. The colonialists are trying to maintain their dominance by using new methods and forms of colonial enslavement, increasing their economic influence on African countries.

The decline and disintegration of the world system of capitalism, the growth of power and strengthening of the influence of the world socialist system, the liberation of the peoples of Asia from colonial rule - all of this served as the most important factors contributing to the sharp rise of the national liberation movement in Africa. In many African countries, a struggle unfolded against the colonial regime and for national liberation. The national liberation struggle has already brought political independence to most African peoples. In 1951 she achieved independence Libya, in 1955 - Eritrea, in 1956 - Morocco, Tunisia and Sudan. Gold Coast and British Togo formed the independent state of Ghana in 1957. Guinea became independent in 1958. In 1960, which is rightly called the “year of Africa,” the French trust territories of Cameroon and Togo, the French colonies of Senegal, Sudan (Mali), Madagascar (Malagasy Republic), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta, Niger, Dahomey were freed from colonial oppression , Chad, Oubangui-Chari (Central African Republic), Congo (with its capital Brazzaville), Gabon and Mauritania 3 . The Belgian colony of the Congo, the British protectorate of Somaliland and the Italian trust territory of Somalia (the latter two united into the single Republic of Somalia), as well as the most large country Africa - Nigeria. In April 1961, the independence of another British colony and protectorate, Sierra Leone, was declared. At the end of 1961, trusteeship of the British Trust Territory of Cameroon ended. As a result of the referendum, the southern part of this territory was reunited with the Republic of Cameroon, and the northern part was annexed to Nigeria. Tanganyika gained independence. Thus, by the end of 1962, independent states in Africa already occupied 81% of the territory, and their population amounted to almost 88% of the total population of the continent.

New, independent African states, as a rule, were created within the boundaries of the old colonial possessions, established at one time by the imperialists and not corresponding to ethnic boundaries. Therefore, the vast majority of African states are multinational. Some peoples of Africa are settled in several states. Thus, the Mandingo, numbering 3.2 million people, live in Senegal, Mali, the Ivory Coast, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Portuguese Guinea, Liberia and the Republic of Guinea. The Fulbe are settled in Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Cameroon, Niger, Upper Volta, Dahomey, Mauritania, Gambia and other countries. The Akan people, who form the majority in Ghana, also live in the Ivory Coast. My peoples are divided by state borders between Upper Volta and Ghana; Hausa - between Nigeria and Niger, Banya-Rwanda - between Rwanda and Congo, etc. The discrepancy between political and ethnic borders is a serious obstacle to the national development of many peoples in Africa; it complicates relations between new states.

Population of the African continent together with the surroundings islands surrounding it reaches 250 million peoplecatcher In the countries of North and North-East76.3 million live in Africa, in Western Sudan -69.2 million, in Central and Eastern Sudan - 19.3 million, in Tropical Africa -52.1 million, in South Africa - 26.6 million, on the islands (Madagascar, etc.) - 6.4 million people. For most countries in Africa, especially in last years, is relatively typical fast growth population. On the continent as a whole, from 1920 to 1959 it increased by 77%. The influx of immigrants to African countries from Europe and Asia is insignificant - no more than 100-150 thousand people per year. According to the UN demographic directory, in Africa (from 1950 to 1959), on average, 46 people were born per 1000 people each year, and 27 people died, i.e., natural population growth was 1.9%, which is higher than the average population growth rate for around the world as a whole (1.7%).

The structure of natural population growth in most African countries is characterized by high fertility and high mortality. Until quite recently, the unusually difficult economic living conditions of the population of African countries that were under colonial rule and the lack of basic medical care were the cause of high mortality. A comparison of data on fertility and mortality for individual population groups is very revealing in this regard. In Algeria in 1949-1954. the birth rate among Arabs fluctuated between 3.3-4.4% per year, mortality - 1.3-1.5%, while among Europeans the birth rate was 1.9 - 2.1%, mortality - 0.8 -1.0%.

In African countries, until very recently, there was a very high infant mortality rate. In a number of African regions of the Republic of South Africa, until recently, out of 1,000 children born, 295 people died in the first year. Among the European population, infant mortality was many times lower. In recent years, there has been a slight decrease in mortality while the birth rate remains high. First of all, this applies to countries that have gained independence and are rapidly developing their economies, caring about the growth of material and cultural level population (Morocco, Tunisia, Mali, Ghana, etc.)? which caused a sharp increase in natural population growth in these countries. In Tunisia it increased from 1.5% (1940) to 3.7 (1958), in Ghana from 1.0 (1931-1944). to 3.2% (1958). In Sudan, natural population growth reached 3.3% in 1956. On the contrary, where colonialism has persisted in its most severe forms, mortality is still very high and natural increase is negligible. In Portuguese Guinea, natural population growth in 1957 was only 0.5%. In the Congo (a former Belgian colony), the average annual increase for 1949-1953. equaled 1.0%, in Mozambique from 1950-1954 - 1.2%, etc.

Low natural population growth is also typical for countries where the population still maintains a nomadic lifestyle. In Libya, where nomads make up 1/3 of the population, there is a very high mortality rate (4.2% in 1954). From 1921 to 1958, that is, in 37 years, Libya's population increased by only 26% (almost three times less than the continental average).

The African population consists of many nations, with modern nationalities and tribes. Their modern placement by ethnic compositionon the African continent - the result of complexethnic history, about which very little is still known. Its main stages are associated, firstly, with multiple movements in Tropical Africa of indigenous, predominantly Negroid peoples (the most significant of these movements was the gradual penetration of the Bantu peoples into East and Southern Africa in the first millennium AD); secondly, with the resettlement in the 7th-11th centuries. to North Africa by Arabs from Asia and the process of Arabization of local Berber-speaking peoples; thirdly, with European colonization and colonial conquests.

Modern African peoples are at different stages of socio-economic development and at different stages of the formation of ethnic communities. Most of them have not yet formed into a nation, and the colonial system is primarily to blame for this, which in every possible way hampered the economic, cultural and national development African peoples. Defenders of colonialism spent a lot of effort to prove that African peoples are not yet “ready” for independent life, that “ethnic chaos” and extraordinary ethnic fragmentation reign in Africa, and that the backwardness of the African population is connected with this. Indeed, the ethnic composition of Africa's population is complex. However, behind the apparent diversity of ethnic names they often hide large ethnic communities. There is an intensive process of merging and mixing small ethnic groups. The penetration of capitalism into the colonial village and the development of capitalist forms of economy, the widespread spread of highly commercial plantation crops, the growth of the mining industry and the increase in the urban population, the seasonal movements of large masses of workers in search of work - all this is accompanied by the destruction of the natural economy and the associated primitive communal and patriarchal-feudal orders . Tribal differences are erased, common ones are formed literary languages, national self-awareness is growing. In a powerful liberation movement against the shameful colonial system, previously disparate tribes and nationalities are merging into a single whole. The process of formation of large nationalities and nations is underway.

The classification of African peoples is usually based on the principle of linguistic proximity. African languages ​​are grouped into families, divided into groups, and into groups equivalent to families. A language family includes languages ​​related by origin with a similar grammatical structure and basic vocabulary that goes back to common roots. There are several such language families in Africa: Semitic-Hamitic, Bantu, Mande (Mandingo) and Nilotic. There are many languages ​​in Africa that, due to their insufficient knowledge, cannot be classified as specific. language families and their relationship is not completely proven. Such languages ​​are grouped into groups: Hausa, Eastern Bantoid, Gur (Central Bantoid), Atlantic (Western Bantoid), Songhai, Guinean, Kanuri, Khoisan.

In Central and Eastern Sudan there are languages ​​that are almost unstudied (Azande, Banda, Bagirmi, etc.). The peoples who speak these languages ​​are conditionally united into one group - the peoples of Central and Eastern Sudan.

Three main linguistic regions can be distinguished on the African continent: in the northern and northeastern parts, the languages ​​of the Semito-Hamitic family are spoken almost exclusively; in the tropical and southern - the languages ​​of the Bantu family predominate; in Sudan (Western, Central and Eastern), the population speaks languages ​​that are united in various language families and groups (Hausa, Eastern Bantoid, Gur, Atlantic, etc.).

In Northern and North-Eastern Africa (Maghreb, Sahara, United Arab Republic, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eastern Sudan) peoples who speak the languages ​​of the Semitic-Hamitic family are settled. This family combines the Semitic, Cushitic and Berber groups. Total number There are 82.5 million people speaking these languages, which is about a third of the total population of Africa. Semitic languages ​​are spoken by 66.2 million people, Cushitic languages ​​by about 11 million people, and Berber languages ​​by 5.3 million people. Of the Semitic languages, Arabic is the most widely spoken. It is used by over 52 million people. Literary Arabic is very different from spoken Arabic, which in Africa is divided into three main dialects: Maghreb, Egyptian and Sudanese.

Arabs appeared in North Africa in the 7th-11th centuries. The ancient peoples of North Africa (Maghreb and Sahara), whom ancient authors called Libyans, spoke Berber languages ​​before the Arab conquest. Mass migration of Arab tribes (Hilal and Sulaym) in the 11th century. had a significant influence on the Berbers. The Berbers adopted the Muslim religion, and most of them gradually Arabized. There is no difference between Arabs and Berbers in the nature of their economy: on the coast of North Africa and in the oases of the desert zone, these peoples are engaged in irrigated agriculture, in the mountainous regions of the Maghreb and in the Sahara they are engaged in cattle breeding and lead a nomadic lifestyle.

Currently, it is difficult to draw a clear line between the Arab and Berber populations. Over the past 30-50 years, in most Maghreb countries, the process of mixing Arabs and Berbers has noticeably intensified. Back in the 1930s, Berber dialects were spoken by 40% of the population in Morocco, about 30% in Algeria, and 2% in Tunisia. Currently, in Morocco the Berber-speaking population is 30, in Algeria - 15, in Tunisia - 1.4%. The majority of the Berber-speaking population of the Maghreb speaks Arabic outside the home, professes Islam and considers themselves Arabs. The process of formation of large nations is being completed: Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian.

In the United Arab Republic, the population consists almost exclusively of Arabs (Egyptians). The UAR is a country of ancient African culture. Back in the IV-III millennium BC. here, on the basis of plow irrigation agriculture, a powerful slaveholding state emerged. Beginning in the mid-7th century, after the Arab conquest, Egypt was repeatedly part of a number of Muslim feudal states, and the local Egyptian population of the country gradually adopted the Arabic language and the Muslim religion.

Moving from Arabia and Syria, Arab tribes gradually penetrated south into the interior of Sudan, partly mixing with the local Negroid population. Most of these peoples learned Arabic and converted to Islam. In the middle reaches of the Nile, the Arab population is geographically mixed with the Nubians and is engaged in agriculture. In the desert regions of Eastern Sudan, nomadic tribes of Arab pastoralists still survive: Bakkara, Kababish, Hawavir, Hassanie, etc.

Of the other peoples of the Semitic group, the largest is the Amhara (over 10.6 million), which represents the core of the emerging Ethiopian nation, as well as the Tigrayans (over 2 million) and Tigre (about 0.5 million) living in the mountainous regions of northern Ethiopia and Eritrea . Human).

The Cushitic peoples, the Galla (culturally close to the Amhara) and Sidamo, predominate in southern Ethiopia. The Somali inhabit the plains of the Somali Peninsula and lead a predominantly nomadic lifestyle. In the desert areas of the Red Sea coast (United Arab Republic, Sudan and Ethiopia) live the tribes of Beja pastoralists, whose language - Bedauye - also belongs to the Cushitic group.

The Berber group unites peoples living in the mountainous regions of North Africa (Kabiles, Rifs, Shlohs, etc.) and in the Sahara (Tuaregs); many of them are bilingual and speak Arabic.

Sub-Saharan regions - Sudan (translated from Arabic "Bilad es-Sudan" means "Country of Blacks"), Tropical and South Africa inhabited by Negroid peoples. The ethnic composition of the population of Sudan (Western, Central and Eastern) is especially complex, which differs both from North Africa, where the peoples of the same Semitic-Hamitic family live, and from Tropical and Southern Africa, where closely related Bantu peoples predominate. Sudan is inhabited by peoples who unite in a number of separate groups, differing both in material and spiritual culture, and in language. However, no matter how complex the ethnic composition and different culture of the population, there are many similarities historical and cultural features that unite the peoples of Sudan. Ancient African slave and feudal states invested in this area, within which they formed on the basis of economic, cultural and linguistic communities large nationalities. The most ancient state known to us - Ghana - was apparently created back in the 4th century. n. e. One of the Mandingo people is the Soninke. IN early XIII V. Mali separated from Ghana, the ethnic basis of which was the Malinke. The borders of Mali (which reached its peak in the 13th-14th centuries) covered the upper reaches of Senegal, the upper and middle reaches of the Niger. It was the largest state of medieval Sudan. In addition to Mali, other states were formed in Sudan at this time: Moi (XI-XVIII centuries), Kanem (X-XIV centuries), Hausa (XII-XVIII centuries), etc. By the end of the 15th century. the largest territory was occupied by the Songhai state. On the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in the 18th-19th centuries. there were the states of Ashanti, Benin, Dahomey and others, which were barbarically destroyed by the English and French colonialists. The imperialist division of Western Sudan created an extraordinary patchwork of colonial possessions. The domination of imperialism, the dismemberment of peoples by colonial borders, the artificial preservation and imposition of feudal orders complicated and delayed the process of national consolidation of the peoples of Sudan, which began to develop rapidly only in recent years due to the strengthening of the national liberation movement and the emergence of new independent states.

The languages ​​spoken by the peoples of Sudan are grouped into the following groups: Hausa, Eastern, Central (Tur) and Western (Atlantic) Bantoid, Songhai, Mande (Maidingo), Guinean, languages ​​of the peoples of Central and Eastern Sudan, Kanuri and Nilotic. Despite the ethnic diversity of the Sudanese countries, in almost each of them two or three largest peoples or a group of closely related peoples can be identified, which make up the majority of the population and play the role of the ethnic core in the processes of national consolidation. For example, in Guinea there are Fulbe, Mandingo and Susu, in Mali - Mandingo and Fulbe, in Senegal - Wolof, Fulbe and Serer, in Ghana - Akan and Moi, in Nigeria - Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulbe, etc.

The Hausa group includes the peoples of Northern Nigeria and neighboring countries: Hausa, Bade, Bura, Kotoko, etc. The languages ​​of the Hausa peoples are close to the languages ​​of the Semito-Hamitic family and at the same time have a number of common features with the Bantoid languages. The number of peoples belonging to the Hausa group is 10.7 million people. During the period of colonial division, the single territory of the largest people of this group - the Hausa - was divided between Nigeria, where the bulk of the people now live (7.4 million people), and Niger (1.1 million people). The Hausa language is widely spoken as a second language among many neighboring peoples, and total number There are at least 12-15 million speakers of it.

The Eastern Bantoid group unites the peoples of Nigeria (Tiv, Ibibio, Birom, Kambari, etc.) and Cameroon (Bamileke, Tikar, etc.). The languages ​​of these peoples are very close to the Bantu languages ​​and, apparently, have a common root system with them. The grammatical structure of these languages ​​is also related to the Bantu languages. The total number of peoples of the eastern Bantoid group is over 6.2 million people.

The Gur group (central Bantoid), sometimes called the Mosi-Grusi group, unites the peoples of the interior regions of Western Sudan (Upper Volta, Ghana, etc.). The languages ​​of these peoples are characterized by a common basic vocabulary and similar grammatical structure. The languages ​​of this group are spoken by the following peoples: Moi, Lobi, Bobo, Dogon, Senufo, Gurma, Grusi, etc. The total number of these peoples is over 7.4 million people (including the largest of them, Moi - 3.2 million . Human).

The Atlantic (Western Bantoid) group unites the Fulbe, Wolof, Serer, Balante and other peoples. The Fulbe (7.1 million people) are found in many areas of Western and Central Sudan. A small part of them still leads a nomadic lifestyle and is engaged in cattle breeding, others are semi-nomads and combine dairy farming with farming, but the majority of Fulani settled (especially in Nigeria) and began to engage in farming. In Nigeria, some Fulani live among the Hausa and have adopted their language. The total number of peoples of the Atlantic group is about 11 million people.

Song troupe and. Songhai speak a language that shows no similarities with other languages ​​and is therefore singled out in special group. The Songhai and the related Jerma and Dandi, occupying the valley along the middle reaches of the Niger River, combine agriculture with fishing. The number of Songhai is over 0.8. million people.

The Mande (Mandingo) family unites the peoples of a vast territory in the upper reaches of the Senegal and Niger rivers. The Mandingo peoples are characterized by the closeness of their languages ​​and culture, which is explained by their long-term communication within the medieval states of Sudan (Ghana, Mali, etc.). Based on a number of linguistic features, the languages ​​of the peoples of this group are divided into northern and southern. The northern ones include the Mandinto proper (Malinke, Bambara and Diula), Soninke and Vai; to the south - Susu, Mende, Kpelle, etc. The total number of Mandingo peoples is over 7.1 million people.

The Guinean group is characterized by heterogeneity in composition and includes three subgroups: Kru, Kwa and Ijo. Kru unites Bakwe, Grebo, Crane, Bete, Gere, Bassa, Sicon, etc.; They live in Liberia and the Ivory Coast. They speak very close languages, which are essentially dialects of the Kru language, and gradually merge into a single Kru people. The Kwa subgroup unites large nations: Akan (4.5 million), Yoruba (6.3 million), Ibo (6.2 million), Ewe (2.7 million), etc., occupying the eastern part of the Guinea coast. The Akan peoples are settled in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. In the life of the population, especially in everyday life, the division of the Akan into a number of ethnic groups and tribes has retained its significance: Ashanti, Fanti, Baule-Anya, Gonja, etc. The Akan language has four literary forms: Twi, or Ashanti, Fanti, Akwapim and Akim. The Ashanti and Fanti can be seen as the ethnic core of the emerging Ghanaian nation.

The Ewe are divided between Ghana (over 0.9 million), Togo (about 0.6 million), Dahomey (1.1 million) and Nigeria (0.1 million). The Ewe, who live in Dahomey and Nigeria and are also called the Fon, differ quite significantly from the rest of the Ewe in language and in a number of elements of material and spiritual culture and are distinguished by some authors as a separate people. The Yoruba, Ibo, Bini and Nupe are settled in the plains of the lower Niger River in southern Nigeria. The Ijaw, whose language is conventionally classified as Guinean, live in the Niger Delta.

The total number of peoples of the Guinean group is 24.3 million people.

A group of peoples of Central and Eastern Sudan - Azande, Banda, Bagirmi, Moru-Mangbetu, Fora and others - inhabit Chad, the Central African Republic, partly the Congo and the southwestern outskirts of Sudan. These peoples speak little-studied languages. Their combination into one group is arbitrary. The total number is 6.7 million people.

The K aya u r group unites the Kanuri people and related inhabitants of Tibesti - the Tubu (or Tibba), as well as the Zaghawa; peoples saying speakers of these languages ​​live in the desert regions of the Central Sahara and differ sharply in language from the neighboring Sudanese peoples. The total number of peoples of the Kanuri group is 2.2 million people.

The Nilotic family includes the peoples living in the Upper Nile basin. According to linguistic and ethnographic characteristics, they are divided into three groups: the northwestern, or Nilotic, proper, which is characterized by a significant unity of languages ​​that have a common basic vocabulary and grammatical structure (the largest peoples are the Dinka, Nuer, Luo, etc.); southeastern, also called Nilo-Hamitic and characterized by a wide variety of composition (Bari, Lotuko, Tezo, Turkana, Karamojo, Masai, etc.), and the Nuba group. In the past, the Nilotic peoples were dispersed much more widely. Their settlement area extended from Ethiopia to Lake Chad, reaching in the south to Kenya and Tanganyika. During the colonial division of Africa, the single territory of the Nilotes was divided between Eastern Sudan, Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika. The Nuba group includes the Nubians living along the middle Nile; a significant part of them speak Arabic. The total number of Nilotic peoples is 7.9 million people.

The entire remaining territory of the African continent - Tropical and Southern Africa - is inhabited primarily by peoples of the Bantu family, characterized by the extreme similarity of languages, similarity of occupations and cultural traditions. The Bantu people number 67.6 million people, representing over 27% of Africa's population. Bantu are divided by linguists (mainly on geographical grounds) into seven main groups: northwestern (Fang, Duala, Maka, etc.); northern (Banyarwanda, Barundi, Kikuyu, etc.); Congo (Bakongo, Mongo, Bobangi, etc.); central (baluba, bemba, etc.); eastern (Swahili, Vanyam-vezi, Wagogo, etc.); southeastern (Mashona, Xhosa, Zulus, etc.); Western (Ovimbundu, Ovambo, Herero, etc.). The history of the origin of the Bantu and their settlement of Tropical and Southern Africa is still largely unclear, however, linguistic and ethnographic data give reason to consider their homeland to be the northern outskirts of the tropical forests of Congo and Cameroon, where the peoples of the eastern Bantu group close to them live (Tiv, Ibibio, Bamileke, etc. ). The Bantu advance south began in the Neolithic; they moved around the rainforest through the savannas of East Africa. The Bantu were pushed back and partly assimilated by the Nilotic peoples and peoples who spoke Cushitic languages ​​living in the eastern part of the mainland. The aboriginal Khoisan population was also largely assimilated, from which only the Hadzapi and Sandawe tribes now survive in East Africa (in Tanganyika). The Bantu peoples, who occupied the fertile plateaus and plains of Inter-Zero Lakes, reached high degree social development and created in the XIV-XVIII centuries. the states of Unyoro, Buganda, Ankole, etc. The Bantu penetrated into the tropical forests of the Congo from the east and north. They pushed back and partly assimilated the hunting tribes of pygmies who lived there. In their southward advance, the Bantu reached the southern tip of the African continent (Natal) a thousand years ago. By the time Europeans arrived, the eastern part of South Africa was occupied by the southeastern Bantu - Mashona, Xhosa, Zulus, Basotho, etc.; the eastern Bantu were settled on the east coast - Makua, Malawi, etc.; in the northwest - the Western Bantu - Ovambo and Herero.

On historical destinies The Bantu people of the eastern coast of Africa were significantly influenced by the penetration of the Arabs in the Middle Ages. The latter created the trading settlements of Lamu, Malindi, Mombasa, Zanzibar, etc., where a mixed group of Swahili population (“coast dwellers”) gradually formed. Its ethnic basis was made up of local Bantu tribes and descendants of slaves captured in the interior regions of Tropical Africa. Swahili also included descendants of Arabs, Persians and Indians tsev. The Swahili language has spread widely throughout East Africa. At the beginning of the 20th century. Almost 2 million people spoke Swahili.

Most of the Bantu peoples at the time of the colonial division of Tropical Africa were at various stages of decomposition of the primitive communal system. Some of them already had their own state entities. European colonization destroyed these states. Currently, the Bantu still have many tribes, but there is an active process of merging them into nationalities and nations. In the struggle for national liberation from the colonial yoke, various Bantu tribes of Congo, Angola and other countries are uniting, and an intensive process of forming large nations is underway. This is also facilitated by the proximity of the languages ​​of individual tribes and Bantu peoples.

The Swahili language is becoming increasingly widespread, which the British authorities at one time recognized official language their colonies in East Africa. Currently, the majority of the population of this area speaks Swahili - two to three tens of millions of people. In East Africa, the contours of a large ethnic community - the East African nation - appear to be emerging. A serious obstacle to its development is the colonial regime.

The Bantu of Angola consist of two closely related groups of tribes: the Congo Bantu (Bakongo and Bambundu) and the Western Bantu - Ovimbundu, Wapianeka, Ovambo, etc. Despite the brutal regime of racial, political and economic oppression of the African population established in Angola by the colonial authorities, in Lately The national liberation movement there is gaining ever wider scope.

The Bantus of the Republic of South Africa, who live on reservations, on European farms, in cities (in suburban locations) under conditions of a heavy police regime and the so-called “color barrier,” are especially cruelly exploited. The racist policy of apartheid (separation of races) is being pursued against them. The Bantu of the Republic of South Africa have already formed into large nationalities: Kasa (over 3.3 million), Zulus (2.9 million), Basotho (1.9 million), etc. The languages ​​of these peoples are so close that they can be considered dialects of a single language. These peoples have a common culture, morals and customs. They are also united by a stubborn struggle against racial discrimination, for democratic freedoms and political rights.

In South Africa, in addition to the Bantu, there are also peoples belonging to the Khoisan language group. These include the Bushmen, Hottentots and mountain Damara. In the distant past, the peoples of the Khoisan group occupied all of South and partly East Africa. During the era of the Baytu peoples' advance to the south, they were pushed back to the southwestern regions and partly assimilated. In the 17th century, when the first Dutch colonists appeared in South Africa, Hottentots and Bushmen inhabited the entire southern tip of the African continent, but in the 18th-19th centuries. these peoples were largely exterminated by European colonists. The remnants of the Khoisan population are driven into the waterless areas of the Kalahari Desert. Their total number now does not exceed 170 thousand people.

The island of Madagascar is inhabited by Malagasy, by language, anthropological type and culture are sharply different from other peoples of the African continent. The Malgashi speak the language of the Indonesian group of Malayo-Polynesian Semyi. Earliest population The islands, apparently, were Negroid. The ancestors of the Malgash people moved from Indonesia in the 1st millennium AD. e. With the subsequent mixing of Indonesian settlers with the African population (Bantu) and partly with Arabs, several ethnographic groups, differing in some cultural features and speaking dialects of the Malgash language. These include merina, betzileo, sakalava, betzimizaraka, etc.

Due to the development of capitalist relations and frequent population movements, the boundaries of settlement of these groups are gradually erased, and differences in culture and language are significantly reduced. The struggle for national independence against French colonial rule accelerated the process of the formation of a single Malagasy nation.

The population of European origin in Africa (the British, Boers, French, etc.), despite its relative small number (about 8.5 million people), still occupies a dominant position in economic, and in a number of countries, political life. Among Europeans there is a significant layer of workers and small farmers who are in a privileged position compared to Africans. A significant group is the bourgeoisie - owners of plantations, farms, mines, various enterprises, etc.

The major colonial powers - England and France, now forced to grant independence to many of their colonies, stubbornly sought to maintain under colonial subordination the territories where there was a migrant European population. These include primarily Kenya, Southern and Northern Rhodesia.

In South Africa, the European (“white”) population numbers over 4 million people. It consists of Afrikaners, or Boers, Anglo-Africans, as well as Portuguese, Germans, French, Italians, etc. To the Europeans by language, national identity and culture is adjoined by a mestizo population of mixed origin (about 1.5 million people), which in the Republic of South Africa is classified as a separate ethnic group - “colored”. Most "coloreds" speak Afrikaans and are descended from mixed marriages between Europeans and the indigenous inhabitants of South Africa - Hottentots and Bushmen, partly Bantu. "Coloureds", along with the Bantu and Indian peoples, are subject to severe racial discrimination.

In North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, etc.) Europeans make up 2.2 million people. They live mainly in large cities and their environs. The French predominate numerically (about 1.5 million), Spaniards (0.3 million) and Italians (0.2 million).

In the countries of Western Sudan, the population of European origin (mainly French and English) does not exceed 0.3 million; in Tropical Africa there are about 0.4 million Europeans. On Madagascar and other African islands in the Indian Ocean (Reunion, Mauritius, etc.), the population of European origin (mainly descendants of French settlers and mestizos who speak French) numbers 0.6 million people.

The population of Asian origin consists mainly of people from India and Pakistan (1.3 million people) and Chinese (38 thousand people). Indians live mainly in the coastal cities of the south-east of the Republic of South Africa, as well as in Kenya and on the island of Mauritius, and on the latter they constitute up to 65% of the total population.

Most af Rican states and colonial possessions do not have correctly established demographic statistics; in 25 of them, demographic censuses were never conducted among the African population, and the population was taken into account by the administration only based on indirect data (number of taxpayers, etc.).

In the vast majority of African countries, statistics on the size of the indigenous African population by administrative region and even for the country as a whole are presented in official publications without taking into account nationality and tribal affiliation. Only for very few countries are there statistical data characterizing the ethnic composition of the population. In various reference books, statistical publications and ethnic maps published until recently by official colonial institutions, the African population is depicted as a conglomerate of unrelated tribes. For example, the South African Directory of African Peoples and Tribes, published in 1956 in Johannesburg, lists several thousand ethnic names in alphabetical order without any attempt to group them. Linguistic maps highlight many hundreds and even thousands of independent languages.

The German ethnographer and linguist Tessman identified areas of two hundred and twenty-five languages ​​in Cameroon alone. The Belgian linguist Bulck counted several thousand different ones in the former Belgian Congo. dialects of Bantu languages. The classification of peoples according to their ethnic and linguistic kinship is not carried out on the French ethnic map “Peoples of Black Africa”, which covers a vast territory from the Atlantic coast to the Congo River basin. The comparatively poor ethnostatistical material that is available for very few countries is characterized by great fragmentation.

Due to the lack of reliable data on the numbers of many African peoples, Africanists are forced to turn to linguistic statistics. Data on the distribution of languages ​​and language groups and the number of peoples speaking them are of paramount importance. There are very few generalizing works devoted to these issues. Until recently, the most famous was the American reference book on the languages ​​and press of Africa by McDougald. However, it was published in 1944, and therefore its information is largely out of date. In addition, the reference book does not contain generalizing data on the number of peoples by linguistic groups generally. The number of speakers of the main African languages ​​often includes the population that uses them along with their native languages.

IN post-war years Africa's role in world politics and economics has increased; interest in the African population increased and the number of regional linguistic and ethnographic works increased sharply. Particularly valuable ethnostatistical and cartographic materials are contained in the linguistic and ethnographic series of the International African Institute, as well as in the publications of the French Institute of Black Africa. The publication of demographic yearbooks with updated demographic data on countries of the world, including African states and possessions, is carried out by the United Nations. Comparison of various linguistic and ethnostatistical information with official data on the population but made it easier for individual states and small administrative units to compile a summary of the number of African peoples for 1958 and 1959

To characterize the countries of North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, the United Arab Republic), where the Muslim Arab population predominates, the main sources were statistical yearbooks. Population censuses in these countries were carried out repeatedly, but the population was counted only by religious affiliation and nationality. These data were used to determine the number of national minorities of European origin and Maghreb Jews. The number of Berbers has been determined from linguistic and other works.

Since there are no census data for Ethiopia and Somalia, the number of peoples of these countries was determined solely from linguistic publications, which provide far from complete information for 1940-1945.

The number of peoples in 1959 was determined taking into account natural population growth.

For the Republic of Sudan, in addition to preliminary data from the 1956 census, linguistic works characterizing the languages ​​of the Nilotic peoples and some peoples of Eastern Sudan (Fora, Azande, etc.) were used.

For the most ethnically complex territory - Western Sudan, where there are now 21 states, when compiling tables of the ethnic composition of the population, the linguistic works of D. Westerman and M. A. Bryan, de Tressan and the ethnostatistical tables of the ethnographic atlas of French West Africa, published in 1927. In addition, the census of the Gold Coast and Togo, conducted in 1948, and the census of Nigeria were also used. Amendments were made to the published data of these censuses, in particular, the list of peoples included in the category of others when the census was published was clarified. Their numbers were calculated based on a detailed list of tribes and peoples of Nigeria from the 1921 census.

In determining the size of individual peoples of Western Sudan, we used a number of works and monographs from the ethnographic series of the International African Institute.

The countries of Western Tropical Africa - Gabon, Congo (with its capital Brazzaville), Congo (with its capital Leopoldville), Rwanda and Burundi, etc., where exclusively Bantu people live, are less provided with ethno-demographic materials than other parts of the African continent. The ethnic composition of the population of these countries and the number of peoples living in them can so far be judged only from a few linguistic studies, which provide some data on languages. Among these works, the linguistic works of M. A. Bryan, M. Ghasri and others should be noted.

The ethnic composition of the population of most countries of Eastern Tropical Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika) is known from publications 1948 census resultsIn addition, a partial census was again carried out in Tanganyika in 1952. In 1957 and 1959 the census covered the entire population of Tanganyika and Uganda, but these materials have not yet been published.

In this work, statistical data from the 1948 census are recalculated for 1959, taking into account the latest ethnographic and linguistic materials. In particular, with the help of the latter, a large group of other peoples of Tanganyika (about 2 million people) was dismembered. By analyzing this group, the researchers established the number of Swahili, the most important East African people, who were absent from the list of peoples of Tanganyika given in the official materials of the 1948 census.

The size of the population of European and Asian (Indian) origin is given for 1959 according to the latest reference materials. The ethnic composition of the population of Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia is illuminated in the ethnographic works of M. Tew, W. Whiteley , W. M. Haley , as well as in articles by L. D. Yablochkov, which were taken as the basis for compiling tables of the number of peoples.

For the countries of Southern Africa (Southern Rhodesia, Mozambique, the Republic of South Africa, etc.), characterized by a very complex ethnic composition of the population, the main sources of tables were the publication of the 1946 population census, the atlas of settlement of the southern Bantu tribes compiled by Van Warmelo, and the monograph by I I. Potekhin on the formation of the national community of the South African Bantu, where modern ethnic processes in the Republic of South Africa are explored. In compiling the tables for South Africa, in addition to the works mentioned above, the results of the 1946 census for South West Africa, published in 1947, were used, as well as a large literature on the Bushmen and Hottentots. The number and settlement of the Bushmen are given according to the work of van Tobias, published in 1955.

The population of Madagascar and neighboring islands in the Indian Ocean is covered in UN publications and other reference publications, as well as in the work of A. S. Orlova.

Africa is perhaps the most contrasting and mysterious of the 5 continents of our planet. Researchers and tourists from all over the world are attracted not only by its natural and animal diversity, but also numerous tribes and nationalities, of which there are about 3,000. The amazing tribes of Africa with their untraditional way of life for the Slavs arouse enthusiastic interest, and incomprehensible traditions often frighten rather than surprise.

Mursi

Men often engage in fierce fights among themselves for leadership. If such a showdown ends with the death of one of the participants, the survivor has to give his wife to the family of the deceased in the form of compensation. It is customary for men to decorate themselves with fang earrings and horseshoe-shaped scars, which are inflicted in case of killing an enemy: first, the symbols are carved on the hands, and when there is no room left on them, other parts of the body are used.

Women of the Mursi tribe look very unusual. A stooped back, a sagging belly and chest, and instead of hair on the head there is a headdress made of dry branches, animal skin and dead insects - amazing description a typical representative of the fair half of Mursi. Their image is complemented by a clay disk (debi) inserted into a cut on the lower lip. Girls have the right to decide for themselves whether to cut their lips or not, but for brides without such decoration they give a much smaller ransom.

Dinka

The entire Dinka people living in Sudan number about 4,000,000 representatives. Their main occupation is cattle breeding, so from childhood boys are taught to respect animals, and the number of heads of livestock measures the well-being of each family. For the same reason, girls are valued more than boys by the Dinka: in case of marriage, the bride's family receives a whole herd as a gift from the groom.

The appearance of the Dinka is no less amazing: men usually do not wear clothes and adorn themselves with bracelets and beads, and women wear robes only after marriage and are often limited to a goatskin skirt or a beaded corset. In addition, this people is considered one of the tallest in Africa: the average height of men is 185 cm, and for many it goes beyond 2 m. Another feature of the Dinka representatives is deliberate scarring, which is practiced even in children after reaching a certain age and according to local measures adds attractiveness.

Bantu

Central, Eastern and Southern Africa are home to numerous members of the Bantu people, whose number reaches 200 million people. They have a peculiar appearance: tall (180 cm and above), dark skin, hard, spirally curled curls.

The Bantu are one of the most amazing and most developed peoples in Africa, among whom there are political and cultural figures. But, despite this, the Bantu managed to preserve their traditional flavor, centuries-old traditions and rituals. Unlike most peoples inhabiting the hot continent, they are not afraid of civilization and often invite tourists to their excursions, which provide them with good income.

Maasai

Representatives of the Masai are often found on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjdaro, which occupies a special place in the beliefs of this amazing tribe. Its representatives imagined themselves to be the highest people of Africa, true beauties and favorites of the gods. Due to this conceit, they often treat other nationalities with contempt and do not hesitate to steal animals from them, which sometimes leads to armed conflicts.

The Maasai live in a dwelling made of branches covered with dung, the construction of which is often done by women. They feed mainly on milk and blood of animals, and meat is a rare guest in their diet. In the absence of food, they pierce the cow’s carotid artery and drink the blood, and then cover this place with fresh manure in order to repeat the “meal” after a while.

A distinctive sign of the beauty of this amazing tribe is their drawn-out earlobes. At the age of 7-8, children have their earlobes pierced with a piece of horn and gradually widened using pieces of wood. Due to the use of heavy jewelry, earlobes sometimes droop to shoulder level, which is considered a sign of supreme beauty and respect for their owner.

Himba

In the north of Namibia lives the distinctive Himba tribe, whose representatives carefully protect their established way of life from strangers, practically do not wear modern clothes and do not enjoy the benefits of civilization. Despite this, many residents of the settlements can count, write their own names and speak some phrases in English. These skills come from government-run mobile primary schools where most Himba children attend.

Appearance is important in Himba culture. Women wear soft leather skirts and adorn their necks, waists, wrists and ankles with countless bracelets. Every day they apply an ointment made from oil, plant extracts and crushed volcanic pumice to the body, which gives the skin a reddish tint and protects the body from insect bites and sunburn. When they scrape off the ointment at the end of the day, the dirt comes off with it, which also helps maintain personal hygiene and cleanliness. Perhaps thanks to this amazing ointment, Himba women have perfect skin and are considered one of the most beautiful among the tribes of Africa. With the help of the same composition and someone else's hair (often the father of the family), women create their own hairstyle in the form of numerous “dreadlocks”.

Hamar

The Hamar are rightfully one of the most amazing tribes in Africa and one of the friendliest in Southern Ethiopia. One of the most famous Hamar customs is initiation into a man after reaching adulthood, for which young man you need to run from side to side along the backs of the bulls 4 times. If after three attempts he fails to do this, the next ceremony can be performed only a year later, and if successful, he receives his first property (a cow) from his father and can look for a wife. It is noteworthy that the young men undergo the ceremony in the nude, which symbolizes childhood, to which they are saying goodbye.

The Hamar have another, rather cruel ritual, in which all girls and women can take part: they perform a traditional dance in front of men and receive blows on their backs with thin rods in return. The number of scars remaining is the main source of pride, an indicator of a woman’s strength and endurance, which increases her value as a wife in the eyes of men. At the same time, Hamars are allowed to have as many wives as they are able to pay ransoms (dauri) for them in the form of 20-30 heads of cattle. But the highest status remains with the first wife, which is confirmed by wearing a collar with a handle made of metal and leather.

Nuba

On the border of Sudan and South Sudan lives the amazing Nuba tribe, which has unusual even for Africa family customs. At annual dances, girls choose future husbands for themselves, but before receiving such status, a man is obliged to build for his future family house. Until that time, young people can only meet secretly at night, and even the birth of a child does not give the right to the status of a legal spouse. When the housing is ready, the girl and the guy are allowed to sleep under the same roof, but under no circumstances eat. This right is given to them only after a year, when the marriage has passed the test of time and will be considered official.

A distinctive feature of the noob for a long time was the absence of any division into classes and monetary relations. But in the 70s of the XX century. The Sudanese government began sending local men to work in the city. They returned from there in clothes and with little money, so they felt like real rich people among their fellow tribesmen, which gave rise to envy among others and contributed to the prosperity of theft. Thus, the civilization that reached the Nuba brought them much more harm than good. But still, among them there are representatives who continue to ignore the benefits of civilization and adorn their bodies only with numerous scars, and not with clothes.

Caro

The Karo are one of the small African tribes, numbering no more than 1000 people. They are engaged primarily in cattle breeding, but men can spend long months hunting and even work in nearby towns. At this time, women will have to do household chores and another important craft - dressing skins.

Representatives of this tribe can top the list of the most amazing craftsmen in Africa when it comes to decorating their bodies. For this purpose, they cover themselves with ornaments applied with plant paints, chiseled chalk or ocher, and use feathers, beads, shells, and even beetle elytra and corn cobs as decorations. At the same time, the male half of the population wears much brighter makeup, since it is important for them to have the most intimidating appearance possible. Another remarkable detail among Karo men and women is the pierced lower lip, into which nails, flowers and simply dried twigs are inserted.

This is only a small part of the unusual peoples living on the African continent. Contrary to global distribution Thanks to the benefits of civilization, the lifestyle of most of them is radically different from the life of a modern person, not to mention their clothes, traditions and unique value system, so each of the peoples of Africa can be considered amazing in their own way.

, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Comoros
Region of residence: Africa

BANTU (from a-ba-ntu - "people", a name introduced by European explorers to designate speakers of Bantu languages), a group of peoples inhabiting most of Africa south of 6° north latitude (the so-called Bantu Africa). The total number is 200 million people. The largest nations: Rwanda, Makua, Congo, Shona, Rundi, Malawi, Zulu, Xhosa, Luba, Kikuyu, etc. Languages ​​of the Benue-Congo group of the Niger-Kordofan family. Many Bantu peoples are characterized by bilingualism and multilingualism. Swahili is widely spoken, the largest of the Bantu languages ​​in terms of the number of speakers (over 50 million people). Bantu are Christians and Sunni Muslims, some retain traditional beliefs, and there are adherents of Afro-Christian churches.

Linguistic and archaeological data suggest that the ancestors of modern Bantu - early farmers, apparently already familiar with iron - in the 1st millennium BC began to move from the area of ​​​​modern Cameroon to the south, into the tropical forest zone, and to the southeast , bypassing this zone. During the migration, the Bantu pushed aside and assimilated the indigenous population - hunters and gatherers (pygmies in the forest zone, the ancestors of modern Khoisan peoples in the savannas of East and South-East Africa). The Bantu peoples developed mainly in the zone of park forests and woodlands on the periphery of the tropical rainforest, where they brought a manufacturing economy and iron metallurgy; In the Congo Basin, the Bantu independently created a developed center of copper metallurgy. Migrations separate groups Bantu continued until mid-19th century.

There is an active process of ethnic consolidation of small Bantu groups into larger communities within the borders of modern states, and the formation of national-type communities among some peoples (for example, the Kikuyu).

By the end of the 19th century, manual slash-and-burn agriculture was typical for the Bantu. Many peoples had a mixed agricultural-pastoral (Sukuma, Tonga, etc.) and predominantly pastoral (Suto, Xhosa, etc.) economy. Beekeeping and hunting played a significant role in the 19th century due to the increased demand for ivory and the spread firearms elephant hunting gains commercial nature. In the pre-colonial period, the Bantu knew the smelting and processing of iron, copper, and gold. They made highly artistic products from wood and bone, and had developed systems of equivalent exchange (exchange equivalents - cowrie shells, copper and iron products, livestock, special types mats). The northern and northeastern Bantu are culturally similar to the neighboring Cushites and Nilotes.

Bantu settlements are large and small villages of various layouts. The main type of traditional dwelling is round house with wicker walls, often coated with clay. In the south of the Bantu area, walls were plastered and painted; on the northern and East African coasts, a rectangular house with a gable, hipped or flat earthen roof was common.

In the Middle Ages, individual Bantu peoples created early political formations - Kitara among the Toro, Monomotapa among the Shona, etc., Swahili city-states on the east coast; in the late Middle Ages even larger, but economically weak earlier state entities- Congo among the Kongo people, Buganda among the Ganda people, Rwanda among the Rwanda people, Lunda among the Lunda people, etc. But by the beginning of the European colonial conquests, the majority of Bantu were at various stages of decomposition of the primitive communal system. The main production and social unit remained the agricultural community, and the main form of organization of power was the tribe-chiefdom and the union of tribes. The traditions of tribal relations were strong in all spheres of society.

Traditional Bantu clothing is loincloths or aprons made from skins or woven from grass. Since the end of the 19th century, European clothing has spread.

They have a developed folklore (ethnogenetic legends, epic tales, tales about animals, etc.).

Looking at the modern map of the settlement of the peoples of Africa and the spread of various languages, you notice an amazing feature. If all of West Africa (sub-Saharan Africa), a significant portion Central Africa(southern regions of Eastern Sudan and adjacent areas of neighboring states) are inhabited by peoples speaking languages ​​belonging to different language families, then all of Western Equatorial Africa, almost all of Eastern Tropical Africa and almost all of South Africa is inhabited by peoples speaking the languages ​​of one family of Bantu peoples - very similar in root and grammatical structure. Some of them are mutually intelligible.

The grammar of Bantu languages ​​is based on changes to the root using various prefixes. So, from the root “ntu” - “man” - comes the word “Bantu” - “people who speak similar languages”. Here are a few examples related to the languages ​​of the peoples of the area we are studying: “m”, “mu” - a singular prefix; “ba”, “va”, “banya” - plural prefix; “ki”, “kishi”, “chi” is a prefix indicating the name of the language. Thus, a mukongo is one Kongo person; Bakongo - all the Kongo people (self-name of the people); Kikongo (Kishikongo) is the language spoken by the Bakongo. Derivatives from the root “luba” - muluba - one person; baluba - all the people; Chiluba is the language spoken by the Baluba, etc. The Bantu peoples are related not only by linguistic affinity, but also by material and spiritual culture, which irrefutably testifies to the unity of their origin.

The question of the origins of the Bantu is still controversial among African historians. At present, three main theories of the origin of the Bantu peoples are most worthy of attention. One of them connects the slow movement of Negroid peoples to the south with the drying out of the Sahara region, which, according to all data, began around III millennium BC.
According to this theory, from the regions of West Africa, approximately from central Cameroon, where peoples live who speak languages ​​of the Bantu group, close to the Bantu languages, the settlement of the equatorial regions of the continent by Bantu peoples began in the first centuries of our era.
The settlers' route ran along the northern border of the equatorial forest and in the region of the Great African Lakes reached East Africa. Here the flow of immigrants divided into three branches. One group headed north, another to the south, and the third, rounding Lake Tanganyika, turned west and settled Shabu from the east, and then all of Western Equatorial Africa. The great migration of the peoples of the continent lasted many centuries.

This theory dominated science from the first decades of the 20th century until the early 60s, when very interesting works Africanist linguist Ghasri, who forced him to reconsider it. Through careful analysis and comparison of the close roots of two hundred Bantu languages, Ghasri came to the conclusion that the area of ​​​​the greatest concentration of the “main roots” of these languages ​​is the Shaba Plateau - the area of ​​​​settlement modern peoples Babemba and Baluba. Based on this, he concluded that this particular area was the ancestral home of the Bantu and it was from here that they moved north, south, west and east, populating vast areas of Africa.
Then works appeared whose authors try to reconcile the contradictions between these two theories.
Based on the study of archaeological, anthropological and linguistic materials, a new theory of the successive stages of migration of the ancestors of the Bantu peoples has been created. These views are most substantiated in the articles of Jerno, Oliver and Poznansky.

According to a new theory of the origin of the Bantu, initial cause What set the peoples of Africa in motion was the drying out of the Sahara and a sharp increase in population due to the emergence of productive forms of economy: agriculture, cattle breeding, as well as the development of techniques for making iron tools. The initial area of ​​migration of the Bantu ancestors was the plateau of central Cameroon (as in the first theory), but the movement early group migration did not bypass the tropical forest, but either through it, or along the ocean coast - to the south, into the Congo River basin. The abundance of tributaries made it easier to move deeper into the country - to the northern Shaba plateau. Here the settlers encountered favorable living conditions: a wooded savannah, abundant in game and convenient for farming, fishing grounds, and easily accessible deposits of copper and iron ores. All this, together with other factors, led to the fact that migrants - the ancient Bantus - stopped for a long time in this area. It was here that the core of the Bantu peoples formed, the center from where their further settlement began throughout Equatorial Africa, or, as experts say, “secondary migration.”
As we see, the latter theory takes into account the linguistic materials of Ghasri and explains how Shaba became the center of consolidation of the peoples of the Bantu group. New methods of dating archaeological sites make it possible to determine the approximate time of early migrations - the last quarter of the second millennium BC.

Secondary migrations to the Zambezi Valley date back to the 1st-2nd centuries. AD; to Interlake Region and East Africa - by the end of the 1st millennium AD. According to Arab sources, already in the 9th-10th centuries. on the east coast of Africa there were vast and powerful political associations - the Bantu “kingdoms”, which were under the rule of King Zenja (“King of the Blacks”). Scientists usually associate the stories of Arab chroniclers and sailors with the kingdom of Monomotapa (on the territory of modern Rhodesia), which left behind the ruins of giant stone fortresses (Zimbabwe, Dhlo-Dhlo, etc.). These materials indicate that in South-East Africa the Bantu were on the verge of a transition from a classless society to an early class society, and perhaps by the 9th century. We've already crossed it. In other words, the Bantu have gone through a long path of development, and the foundations of property and class stratification were laid during the stay of their ancestors in Shaba. Scientists estimate the duration of the “secondary” Bantu migration, including the settlement of all of Western Equatorial Africa by these peoples, at five to six centuries. However, already in the XIII-XVI centuries. the ancestors of all the most significant peoples now living in the vast savannah of Western Equatorial Africa inhabited approximately the same areas.

Thus, the ancestors of the Bakongo, the Bavili close to them, and others inhabited the Atlantic coast north and south of the mouth of the Congo River and the vast provinces along its lower course. To the south of them (south of the Dande River) lived the Ambundu (Bambundu) - the future founders of the state of Angola. The ancestors of the Bakuba came to the Kasai-Sankuru interfluve. The ancestors of the Balunda occupied the vast plateaus of northeastern Angola and neighboring areas of Zaire. The Baluba constituted the main population of Shaba.