6 Most Popular Tribes In Africa And What They Are Known For

Spread the love

Africa is made up of 54 countries with a combined population of more than 1.3 billion people and more than 3,000 tribal groups distributed across the continent. Some tribes stand out from others due to their unique culture. Let’s look at the first five that have outstanding and extraordinary practices.

1. South Africa’s Zulu

One of the reasons this tribe is famous is because of Shakaland, which is commonly regarded as the birthplace of the legendary leader Shaka Zulu and is thus celebrated around the world. They have an estimated population of 11 million people.

2. Ethiopian Karo

They live in Southern Ethiopia on the Omo River’s east bank. They are estimated to be around 2,000 people and are known for their body painting.

They paint their bodies with a mixture of white chalk, yellow, mineral rock, iron ore, and charcoal to give themselves a distinctive appearance. Furthermore, they frequently engage in ceremonial scarification, utilizing scars to identify themselves from others. The scarification on the man’s chest implies that he has slain opponents during the war from surrounding tribes and is highly revered and honored within his community.

The ladies are regarded to be exceedingly sensual and appealing when serious cuts are inflicted on their chests and torsos and ash is rubbed in. The ash’s enhanced appearance adds to their charm and makes them more beautiful with time. This is mainly done to adolescent girls who are about to be married off.

3. Yoruba of Nigeria

The Yoruba are indisputably Africa’s most populous ethnic group, with a population of 35 million people. However, Nigerians from the country’s southern and western regions make up the bulk of members. They have a diverse cultural legacy dating back to the Oyo Empire.

4. The Himba Tribe of Namibia

The most distinguishing attribute of this tribe is their brilliant red coloring of the body. To achieve this look, the individuals’ skin is smeared with red ochre. They are pastoral and semi-nomadic people who are known for raising cattle and goats from neighboring communities. Their population is 36,675 individuals accused of riding to the 2020 census.

Women are more likely than men to work in labor-intensive jobs like transporting water to communities, building houses, and milking cows, to name a few. According to Namibia Tourism, men are in charge of political obligations and legal actions.

5. The San

This tribe’s members are descended from a variety of Khoesn-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer tribes regarded to be among Southern Africa’s founding nations. Six countries make up the block.

The San are the world’s oldest tribe, having existed for at least 20,000 years in Southern Africa.

6. Kalenjins from Kenya

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*