Interesting facts about the smallest people that you did not know before. Lilliputians from Africa: how the shortest people in the world live

Pygmies differ from other African tribes in their height, which ranges from 143 to 150 centimeters. The reason for such a small growth of pygmies is still a mystery to scientists, although some researchers believe that their growth is due to adaptation to difficult living conditions in the tropical forest.

Pygmies were sold to zoos!

The origin of the pygmies still remains a mystery to scientists. No one knows who their distant ancestors were and how these little people ended up in equatorial forests Africa. There are no legends or myths that help answer these questions. There is an assumption that in ancient times the pygmies occupied the entire central part of the Dark Continent, and were later forced out by other tribes into the tropical forests. From Greek, pygmies translates as “people the size of a fist.” The scientific definition interprets pygmies as a group of short Negroid peoples living in the forests of Africa.

Pygmies are mentioned in ancient Egyptian sources of the 3rd millennium BC. e., later Herodotus and Strabo, Homer wrote about them in his Iliad. Aristotle considered the pygmies to be a very real people, although in ancient sources a lot of fantastic things were written about them: for example, Strabo listed them along with big-headed, noseless, cyclops, dog-headed and others mythical creatures ancient period.

It is worth noting that because of their growth, pygmies have suffered many disasters and humiliations since ancient times. The taller Africans drove them out of the most favorable places and driven into green hell equatorial forests. Civilization also brought them some joy, especially at the beginning of contact with white people. Some travelers and colonial officials captured the pygmies and took them with them to Europe and the USA as a curiosity. It got to the point that the pygmies, especially their children, late XIX- at the beginning of the 20th century they were sold as living exhibits to Western zoos...

It would seem that now these people can live much calmer and more confident in their future, but, alas, this is not so. It's hard to believe, but in the period 1998-2003 during civil war In the Congo, it often happened that pygmies were caught and eaten like wild animals. In the same area, a sect of “erasers” is still operating, whose members are hired to clear the territory of pygmies if mining is planned on it. Cultists kill pygmies and feed on their flesh. Enlightenment has not yet penetrated into the deep layers of the African population, so many inhabitants of the Dark Continent believe that by eating a pygmy, they gain a certain magical power, protecting them from witchcraft.

The presence of a considerable number of peculiar pygmy slaves will also seem incredible, although slavery is legally prohibited in all countries. Pygmies become slaves in the same Republic of the Congo, and they are even inherited; according to the tradition existing here, their owners are representatives of the Bantu people. No, pygmies do not walk in shackles, but their owner can simply take away from the slaves fruits and meat obtained in the forest, sometimes he still provides them with some kind of provisions, tools and metal for arrowheads. Amazingly, the pygmies do not organize any uprisings against slave owners: as some researchers say, without maintaining relations with the Bantu, things can only get worse for them,

Why are they so small?

The height of pygmies ranges from 140 to 150 cm. The smallest people in the world are considered to be the pygmies of the Efe tribe, in which the average height of men does not exceed 143 cm, and for women - 130-132 cm. Of course, as soon as scientists learned about the existence of pygmies, they The question immediately arose - what is the reason for their such insignificant growth? If the small pygmies made up only a small part of their tribe, their diminutiveness could be explained by a genetic failure. However, due to the universal low growth, this explanation had to be immediately discarded.

Another explanation, it would seem, lies right on the surface - the pygmies have no good nutrition, and they are often malnourished, which affects their growth. The study showed that the diet of African pygmies is almost the same as that of their neighboring farmers (the same Bantus), but their daily amount of food consumed is very small. It is possible that this is why their bodies, and therefore their height, decreased from generation to generation. It is clear that little man Even less food is enough to survive. There was even a very interesting experiment conducted: long time a small group of pygmies was fed to their fill, but, alas, neither the pygmies themselves nor their offspring grew up because of this.

There is also a version about the effect of deficiency on the growth of pygmies sunlight. Spending your whole life under the canopy dense forest, pygmies do not receive enough sunlight, which leads to insignificant production of vitamin D by the body. The lack of this vitamin causes growth inhibition bone tissue, so the pygmies end up with a very miniature skeleton.

Some researchers believe that the miniature size of pygmies is caused by an evolutionary process that adapts them to life in dense thickets. It is clear that it is much easier for a small and nimble pygmy to make his way through a palisade of trees, fallen trunks, entangled in vines than for a tall European. It is also known that the pygmies are addicted to collecting honey. While searching for honey, pygmy men spend approximately 9% of their lives in trees in search of wild bee habitats. Of course, climbing trees is easier for a person of short stature and weighing up to 45 kilograms.

Of course, the pygmies were carefully studied by doctors and geneticists; they found that the concentration of growth hormone in their blood is not very different from the average ordinary person. However, the level of insulin-like growth factor was 3 times lower than normal. According to researchers, this explains the small growth of newborn pygmies. In addition, the low concentration of this hormone in the blood plasma prevents the onset of a period of active growth in pygmy adolescents, who completely stop growing at the age of 12-15 years. By the way, genetic research has made it possible to call the pygmies the descendants of the most ancient people who appeared on Earth about 70 thousand years ago. And here genetic mutations scientists have not identified them.

The small stature of pygmies is also explained by their short life span. Alas, these little people live on average only from 16 to 24 years; those who reach 35-40 years old among them are already long-livers. Due to small life cycle in pygmies it occurs earlier puberty, causing inhibition of body growth. Pygmies reach puberty at the age of 12, and the highest birth rate in women is observed at 15.

As you can see, there are many factors that contribute to the small growth of pygmies. Perhaps one of them is the main one, or maybe they all act together. Yes, due to their short stature, some scientists are even ready to distinguish pygmies as a separate race. It is curious that in addition to height, pygmies have other differences from Negroid race- This is light brown skin and very thin lips.

"Lilliputians" from the rainforest

Now pygmy tribes can be found in the forests of Gabon, Cameroon, Congo, Rwanda, and the Central African Republic. The life of these little people is constantly connected with the forest, they spend the main part of their lives in it, get their food, give birth to children and die. They do not engage in agriculture; their main activities are gathering and hunting. Pygmies lead a nomadic lifestyle; they leave their camp as soon as there is no game, fruit, or food left around the camp. edible plants, no honey. Resettlement occurs within boundaries established with other groups; hunting on someone else's land can become a cause for conflict.

There is another reason for relocation. It happens when someone dies in a small pygmy village. Pygmies are very superstitious, they believe that since death visited them, it means that the forest does not want them to continue living in this place. The deceased is buried right in his hut, funeral dances are held at night, and in the morning, abandoning their simple buildings, the pygmies move to another place.

The main occupation of pygmy men is hunting. Unlike “civilized” hunters who come to Africa to stroke their pride and get hunting trophies pygmies never kill Living being, if there is no need for it. They hunt with bows with arrows poisoned with plant poison and spears with metal tips. Their prey includes birds, monkeys, small antelopes and deer. Pygmies do not store meat for future use; they always divide the spoils fairly. Despite the usual luck of small hunters, the meat they hunt makes up only 9% of their diet. By the way, pygmies often hunt with dogs; they are very hardy and, if necessary, are ready to protect their owner from the most ferocious beast at the cost of their lives.

A significant portion of the pygmies' diet consists of honey and other forest products. Honey is extracted by men who are ready to climb the most tall trees, but women collect the gifts of the forest. Around the camp they look for fruits, wild roots, edible plants, and do not disdain worms, larvae, snails, frogs and snakes. All this goes into food. However, at least 50% of the pygmies’ diet consists of vegetables and fruits, which they exchange with farmers for honey and other forest products. In addition to food, through exchange, the pygmies obtain the fabrics they need, pottery, iron and tobacco.

The name "pygmies" literally means "people the size of a fist." Equatorial Africa is home to many peoples whose height could be described as “one meter in a cap” if these people wore traditional headdresses. The record holders among the “forest midgets” are Mbuti, their height usually does not exceed 135 cm!

Having visited the Mbuti tribe, any Slav will feel like a giant. Getting to know the short nomads will be interesting, since the Mbuti culture is distinctive, and the structure of society is fundamentally different from the models we are used to. The total number of this ethnic group reaches about 100 thousand people. All Mbuti live in harmony with nature, hunting and gathering, but taking from the forest only as much as they need to survive. The basis of their worldview is a thrifty attitude towards resources.

The Mbuti have no social hierarchy and live in large groups of at least 7 families. There is no leader in the group; everyone has their own responsibilities depending on gender and age. All members of the tribe take part in the hunt: men set up nets, women and teenagers drive the beast, children and elders remain in the camp to light the sacred fire.

The Mbuti constantly change their locations; they build houses very quickly, using tree shoots and leaves for this. They traditionally made clothes from tree bark, kneading it with an elephant tusk. Loincloths were especially popular among the tribesmen. Modern Mbuti do not refuse ordinary clothes, which they exchange for game from residents of nearby settlements.

The Mbuti consider themselves an integral part of the forest and react painfully to tree cutting and poaching. All their amulets and charms are made from natural materials; at birth, a baby is bathed in forest water, special magical rituals men use amulets woven from vines and tree bark when they go hunting.

Pygmies (Greek Πυγμαῖοι - “people the size of a fist”) are a group of short Negroid peoples living in the equatorial forests of Africa.

Testimonies and mentions

Mentioned already in ancient Egyptian inscriptions of the 3rd millennium BC. e., at a later time - in ancient Greek sources (in Homer’s Iliad, Herodotus and Strabo).

In the XVI-XVII centuries. they are mentioned under the name "Matimba" in the descriptions left by explorers of West Africa.

In the 19th century, their existence was confirmed by the German researcher Georg August Schweinfurt, the Russian researcher V.V. Junker and others, who discovered these tribes in the tropical forests of the Ituri and Uzle river basins (various tribes under the names: Akka, Tikitiki, Obongo, Bambuti, Batwa) .

In 1929-1930 P. Shebesta's expedition described the Bambuti pygmies; in 1934-1935, researcher M. Guzinde found the Efe and Basua pygmies.

At the end of the 20th century, they lived in the forests of Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, and Rwanda.

The most ancient mention of pygmies is contained in the story of the Egyptian Hirkhuf, a nobleman from the era of the Old Kingdom, who boasted that he managed to bring a dwarf from his campaign for the amusement of the young king. This inscription dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. e. In an Egyptian inscription, the dwarf brought by Hirkhuf is called dng. This name has been preserved to this day in the languages ​​of the peoples of Ethiopia: in Amharic the dwarf is called deng, or dat. Ancient Greek writers tell all sorts of stories about African pygmies, but all their reports are fantastic.

Pygmies lead a hunting lifestyle. In the economy of the pygmies, gathering apparently occupies the first place and mainly determines the nutrition of the entire group. Women do most of the work, since plant food- a woman's business. Every day, women of the entire living group, accompanied by children, collect wild root vegetables, leaves of edible plants and fruits around their camp, catch worms, snails, frogs, snakes and fish.

The pygmies are forced to leave the camp as soon as all the suitable plants in the vicinity of the camp are eaten and the game is destroyed. The entire group moves to another area of ​​the forest, but wanders within established boundaries. These boundaries are known to everyone and are strictly observed. Hunting on other people's lands is not permitted and may lead to hostile conflicts. Almost all groups of pygmies live in close contact with the tall population, most often the Bantu. Pygmies usually bring game and forest products to villages in exchange for bananas, vegetables and iron spearheads. All pygmy groups speak the languages ​​of their tall neighbors.

Pygmy house made of leaves and sticks

The primitive nature of the pygmy culture sharply distinguishes them from the surrounding peoples of the Negroid race. What are pygmies? Is this population autochthonous? Central Africa? Do they constitute a special anthropological type, or is their origin the result of the degradation of the tall type? These are the main questions that form the essence of the pygmy problem, one of the most controversial in anthropology and ethnography. Soviet anthropologists believe that pygmies are aborigines tropical Africa a special anthropological type, of independent origin.

Height ranges from 144 to 150 cm for adult males, light brown skin, curly, dark hair, relatively thin lips, large torso, short arms and legs, this physical type can be classified as a special race. The possible number of pygmies can range from 40 to 280 thousand people.

In terms of external type, the Negritos of Asia are close to them, but genetically there are strong differences between them.

First, let's get acquainted with the facts and reports of scientists about the pygmy tribes. There is not as much information about mysterious short people as we would like, so all of them are important. Where and how they live, who they are: a “mistake” or a “regularity” of Nature; Perhaps, having understood their “features”, we will be able to take a better look at ourselves? After all, we are all children of one planet, their problems cannot be alien to us.

“The first ancient evidence of pygmies was left by a Greek historian of the 5th century. to x. e. Herodotus. When he was traveling in Egypt, he was told a story about how one day young men from African tribe Nasamonov decided to “take a trip around Libyan desert with the goal of penetrating further and seeing more of all those who had previously visited its most remote parts, “...” the Nasamons returned safely and that all the people [pygmies] to whom they came were magicians.”

“Another evidence about the pygmies was left to us by the largest Roman scientist Pliny the Elder (24-79 AD). In his Natural History he writes: “Some report a tribe of pygmies living among swamps, of which the Nile begins"".(1*)
“One of the civilizations where the pygmies lived and which has now gone into oblivion located on Hawaiian Islands. "..." Today, pygmy tribes live in Africa (Central equatorial zone) And South-East Asia(Andaman Islands, Philippines, and Malacca Rainforests)."

Hunters and gatherers in Africa are represented by three main groups - the Pygmies of Central Africa, the Bushmen South Africa and Hadza East Africa. Neither the Pygmies nor the Bushmen are a single monolith - each of these groups consists of tribes or other ethnic communities at different levels of socio-historical and cultural development.

Name pygmies comes from the Greek pygmaios (literally, the size of a fist). Main countries of settlement: Zaire - 165 thousand people, Rwanda - 65 thousand people, Burundi - 50 thousand people, Congo - 30 thousand people, Cameroon - 20 thousand people, Central African Republic - 10 thousand. people, Angola - 5 thousand people, Gabon - 5 thousand people. They speak Bantu languages.

Pygmies were one of the races that came out of Africa and settled in southern Asia, where they were very common in ancient times. The modern population of pygmies lives not only in Africa but also in some areas of South Asia, such as Aeta and Batak in the Philippines, Semang in Malaysia, Mani in Thailand. The average height of an adult man is about 140 cm. Women are about 120 cm. Increasingly tall pygmies are the result of interracial mixing with neighboring tribes.

“PYGMIES. Have proportional healthy body , only in a reduced size. Anatomy and physiology are close to normal".

“Among the pygmies there are those who are a little sexual (Amazonians) and easily excitable (Bushmen, who have a constant erection), there are very infantile ones - and very masculine (bearded, muscular, with large facial features, chests, unlike Negroids, hairy). African pygmies are very musical and flexible. They hunt elephants. Nilotic giants live next to them, the most tall people on the ground. They say that Nilotes willingly take pygmy women as wives, but are afraid of men.”

Previously, it was believed that the short stature of the pygmies was due to the poor quality of food and some special diet, but this version has not been confirmed. There are other races living nearby - the Masai and Sumburu in Kenya, who do not eat much better, but are considered the highest in the world. At one time, for the purpose of experimentation, a group of pygmies were fed fully and for a long time, but their growth and the growth of their offspring did not increase.

Pygmies Central Africa can be divided into three geographically distinct groups: 1) the Pygmies of the Ituri River basin, known as the Bambuti, Wambuti or Mbuti and linguistically divided into three subgroups: the Efe, Basua or Sua, and aka (about which more in this article); 2) the pygmies of the Great Lakes region - the Twa, inhabiting Rwanda and Burundi, and scattered groups surrounding them; 3) pygmies of the western regions tropical forest- Baguielli, Obongo, Akoa, Bachwa, Bayele, etc. In addition, there is another group of East African pygmies - Boni.

Now the pygmies have come tough times, they are dying out due to diseases like measles and smallpox, which, in combination with poor nutrients food and heavy exercise lead to high mortality. In some tribes average duration life is only 20 years. The taller and stronger black tribes oppress the pygmies and force them into unsuitable areas for existence.

Some scientists are also trying to connect short period the lives of pygmies with their growth (compare the life expectancy of an elephant and a mouse). In general, all researchers of this people agree that the study of pygmies helps to better understand the principles of evolution and human adaptability to different conditions environment.

The high demand for bushmeat forces pygmies to poach in reserves. The unreasonable extermination of endangered animals may soon become a threat to the existence of the pygmy tribes themselves - a vicious circle from which it is no longer possible to escape.

Pygmies go poaching in the reserve, weapons - trapping nets and spears.

Here is the prey, catching an antelope is a great success.

“Pygmies are a nomadic people. Several times a year they leave their homes and, together with all their simple belongings, go along hidden paths into the most remote corners of the forest.”
“... pygmies live in huts that look like small green tubercles.”

“The pygmies constantly keep the fire going. When moving to another site, they carry burning brands with them, since striking a fire with flint is very long and difficult.”

“There is no real clay capable of holding buildings together, and the rains destroy the pygmy “structures.” Therefore, they have to be repaired frequently. You can always see this activity only women. Girls who have not yet started a family and own home, according to local customs they are not allowed to do this work.”

Do you know how the word “pygmies” is translated? People the size of a fist. This is the smallest people on the planet.

Most people by the word “pygmies” mean short people living in Africa. Yes, this is partly true, but even African pygmies- this is not one people. Various nationalities live on the Dark Continent: the pygmies Batwa, Bakiga, Baka, Aka, Efe, Sua, and this is not the whole list. The height of an adult man usually does not exceed 145 centimeters, and a woman - 133 cm.

How do the smallest people on the planet live?

The life of pygmies is not easy) They live in temporary villages in the forests. Why temporary, you ask? The smallest people have a nomadic lifestyle, they are constantly in search of food and look for places rich in fruits and honey. They also have ancient customs. So, if a person dies in the tribe, then he is buried under the roof of the hut and the settlement is abandoned forever.

Near temporary villages, pygmies hunt deer, antelope and monkeys. They also collect fruits and honey. With all this, meat makes up only 9% of their diet, and they exchange the bulk of their production for garden vegetables, metal, fabrics, and tobacco from people who keep farms near the forest.

Little people are considered excellent healers: they prepare medicinal and poisonous potions from plants. It is because of this that other tribes dislike them, as they attribute magical powers to them.

For example, the pygmies have a curious way of catching fish: first, they poison the pond, which causes the fish to float to the surface. And that’s it, the fishing was a success, all that remains is to collect the catch. No gatherings with fishing rods on the shore or harpoon fishing. After a few hours, the poison stops working and the live fish returns to its normal life.

The lifespan of pygmies is very short: from 16 to 24 years. People who live to be 40 years old are truly long-livers. Accordingly, they reach puberty much earlier: at 12 years of age. Well, they start having offspring at the age of fifteen.

Still in slavery

Africa is the most controversial continent. Slavery has long been prohibited throughout the world, but not here. For example, in the Republic of Congo, according to established tradition, pygmies are inherited among the Bantu people. And these are the real slave owners: the pygmies give them their spoils from the forest. But, unfortunately, the small people are forced to endure such treatment, since the “owners” give them the products and goods necessary for survival, without which it is impossible to live in the forest. Moreover, the pygmies use tricks: they can be “slaved” by several farmers at the same time in different villages. If one owner did not provide food, then perhaps another will make him happy.

Pygmy genocide

The smallest people have been under constant pressure from other tribes for many centuries. And here we are talking not only about slavery, but even about... cannibalism! Moreover, in our modern world, in the 21st century. So, during the civil war in the Congo (1998-2003), pygmies were simply caught and eaten. Or, for example, in one of the African provinces, North Kivu, at one time there was a group working to prepare the territory for mining. And during the cleansing process they killed and ate the pygmies. And some peoples of the Dark Continent generally believe that the flesh of a pygmy will give magical power, and a relationship with a woman from some low-statured tribes will relieve diseases. That's why rape happens very often here.

Of course, all this affects the life of a small people: there are no more than 280 thousand people left, and this figure is decreasing every year.

Why is he so short?

In fact, the miniature nature of these peoples is explained by evolution. Moreover, in different peoples the reasons are different, this is exactly the conclusion scientists came to. Thus, genetic analyzes have shown that in some tribes (for example, among the Sua and Efa pygmies), a child’s growth limiter is activated already in the womb and babies are born very small. And in other nations (Baka), children are born normal, the same as among representatives of European races, but in the first two years they grow very slowly. All these changes at the genetic level are provoked various factors.

Thus, poor nutrition contributes to short stature: the body of pygmies has decreased in the process of evolution. The fact is that they need much less food to survive than larger nations. It is also believed that the tropics “helped” short stature: after all, body weight affects the amount of heat produced, so large peoples have a much greater chance of overheating.

Well, another theory says that miniature makes life easier in the tropics, making pygmies more nimble, because in impenetrable forests this is an excellent quality. This is how evolution helped little people adapt to their lifestyle and climate.

Interesting facts about pygmies that you didn't know before

Fact #1. Many people believe that pygmies live in forests. However, this is not always the case: for example, the Twa pygmies live in deserts and swamps.

Fact #2. Moreover, some anthropologists classify dwarf peoples as pygmies, where a man’s height does not exceed 155 centimeters. In their opinion, pygmies live in different parts of the world: in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Bolivia and Brazil. Here, for example, are the Philippine pygmies:

Fact #3. Most of the words among pygmies are associated with honey and plants. In general, they have lost their native language and now speak the languages ​​of the peoples around them.

Fact #4. Some researchers believe that pygmies are representatives of an ancient people who existed more than 70 thousand years ago.

Fact #5. Pygmies were known back in Ancient Egypt. Thus, black dwarfs were brought as gifts to rich nobles.

Fact #6. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, pygmy children were sold to zoos in the United States and Europe as exhibits.

Fact No. 7. The smallest people in the world are the Efe and Zaire pygmies. The height of women does not exceed 132 cm, and that of men - 143 cm.

Fact #8. In Africa live not only the most short people, but also the highest. In the Dinka tribe, the average height of a man is 190 cm, and a woman is 180 cm.

Fact #9. Pygmies even today do not use a calendar, so they do not know the exact age.

Fact #10. A Caucasian child aged 2.5 years is approximately the same height as a five-year-old pygmy.