Madagascar Nguyen Noah met a group of leaf-eating, civilized forest people in September and said it was a unique experience.
During his trip around Africa, travel blogger Noah Nguyen (Itchy Feet Again) set foot in Madagascar, but not to see the famous baobab trees. Instead, he traveled west to meet the Mikea tribe - the world's last remaining forest people.
According to Mada magazine, the origin of the Mikea tribe is still a mystery. They live in small groups, in huts made of wood and leaves. Their main food is potatoes and leaves. Most of them live in the Mikea Forest Reserve - which may become a national park in the future. This tribe is so mysterious that many Malagasy people do not even know about their existence.
Locals help Noah push his cart through quicksand. Photo: Itchy Feet Again
From Madagascar’s ancient town of Fianarantsoa, Noah traveled by car to the Mikea Forest Reserve. According to his guide, the group of Mikea people he met lived outside the reserve and did not like the presence of strangers.
To reach the Mikea area, Noah had to travel through roads covered in sand. During the nearly two-hour journey, Noah's car got stuck in the sand seven times, and he had to rely on the help of the locals to continue his journey. When he got close to the forest, Noah continued walking for about an hour to get inside. The surrounding landscape was literally thorny due to the barrenness of the land, dotted with only sharp, cactus-like thorns.
As they neared the place, Noah saw from afar some Mikea people standing outside. Hearing a strange noise, they immediately crawled back into the hut. After Noah's guide persuaded them, these forest people came out to talk. Because the door of the hut was low, they crawled out.
Noah's guide convinced the family to go outside. Photo: Itchy Feet Again
After about 4 minutes, all 9 family members came out, including 5 men and 4 women. They were naked, the men used loincloths to cover their lower body and the women wrapped cloth around their bodies. They seemed scared, sitting in a huddle, their faces down and not looking directly at Noah.
Responding to VnExpress , Noah said he was "really surprised" by the primitive lifestyle of the Mikea people. He had visited many tribes around the world and saw more or less signs of civilization such as pots, pans, and pans. However, after observing, Noah did not see any furniture in their living area.
After searching for a while, Noah discovered empty snail shells neatly placed under the tree. The guide said that this family caught the snails to eat the insides. The shells were kept as knives and forks, used for things like cutting the umbilical cords of children. In addition to snails, they also ate leaves, and occasionally sweet potatoes brought by the local people living nearby.
After about 10 minutes of confusion, a middle-aged man in the family showed the male tourist how to make fire. He used a round-headed stick, a bunch of leaves, and a tool to make a fire. After more than a minute, smoke began to rise from the bunch of leaves below. Then, he took the bunch of leaves, blew with all his might, and after a while, fire flared up.
"To my surprise, I understood a little bit about how primitive people lived in the past," Noah said.
However, showing off skills does not mean openness. After lighting the fire, the man sat huddled in a corner, head down, not saying another word. Through an interpreter, Noah joked with them that he was sent by the government to bring his family back to the city to live, where they had a house and clothes. The middle-aged man replied in a low voice: "I don't like it," and continued to lower his head.
Noah tried many ways to get the family's attention, such as taking pictures and showing them photos on his phone. However, the reaction was the same. Some people didn't care, others responded with a mumbled "um". Even when Noah offered them lollipops, they refused to accept them out of fear. It was only when Noah's guide opened them and tried them in front of them that they dared to accept them. Noah said that the Mikea people are afraid of things they have never seen before, so they are always on high alert.
Throughout the day, Mikea's family barely did anything. However, that was enough to make Noah excited because it was the first time he met people who were "afraid of the civilized world". Saying goodbye to the family, Noah was lucky to receive a wave from a child, which he said was "enough to warm his heart".
Tu Nguyen
Source link
Comment (0)