5 MOST INTERESTING CULTURES OF THE WORLD

5 min readMay 11, 2020

Starting with what culture is? Culture is a base term that surrounds the social behavior and norms in human societies, as well the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities and habits of the individuals in these groups. According to American novelist Thomas Clayton Wolfe:

“Culture is the arts elevated to a set of beliefs.”

Here are the 5 most interesting cultures of the world:

1.Huli:

The Huli Wigmen tribe is located in Papua New Guinea. The tribe has 300,000 to 400,000 people. Body decoration is their famous means of expression. They invest their time and energy daily in beautifying their bodies. Huli people wear facial paints almost every day. They apply greater amounts of body and face paint during major celebrations like courtship parties. The Huli language is a Trans-New Guinea; language(spoken by the Huli people). The Huli people also speak Tok Pisin, a language spoken in Papa New Guinea that combines words from English, German, and indigenous Melanesian languages. The ages of Huli people are based on multiples of 15 i.e, ‘ngui’ means 15, ‘ngui nk’ means 30.

Huli people are Animists. They believe that everything has a soul i.e, rocks, water, plants, etc. They believe all illness and bad luck comes with witchcraft and sorcery. Boys usually live with their mothers until they’re 8 years old. After this, they go to live with their fathers to learn to become a man. They go to bachelor school to learn about the ritual and biological processes of becoming a man. This school period can be from 18 months to 3 years. During this time, any contact with women(including their mothers) is completely forbidden.

Huli bachelor who wishes to marry, must have a proper wig. Bachelor must attend a wig school wig master teaches them how to grow hair properly. Gender roles in Huli society vary greatly among men with much less diversity granted to women. Men and women do not interact much throughout their lives. Men and women rarely eat together, except at a variety of rituals. Many traditional Huli males will not eat food that is prepared by a woman.

2.Kazakhs:

The Kazakh tribe originally migrated throughout Central Asia, Russia, China, and Mongolia. The majority live in Kazakhistan. Many still live in Mongolia and China.

Their tradition is close to the livestock. They kill the best livestock for their 4 festival to celebrate liberty and happiness.

The Kazakhs speak Kazakh language. This language has Turkish roots but, is unique. The Kazakhs believed in supernatural forces of good and evil spirits before Islam and other religions were introduced to them. Islam is the largest religion and nearly 40,000 Kazakhs are Christians.

The Kazakhs used music often for celebrations regarding their religion and hunting success. Their popular instrument is ‘Dombra’.

3.Rabari:

Rabari is an ethnic group located primarily in India. The Rabari tribe is known as ‘those who live outside’. The Rabari live on the outskirts of cities, towns, and villages.

Their exact origin is not known. They migrated to India 1000 years ago. The tribe is of 400,000.

Keeping animals is regarded as very who see themselves as there Leras custodians rather than their owners. They speak Hindi, Marwari, Haryanui, and Devanagari script. They greet with ‘Namaste’. They don’t wear tight or revealing clothes. They don’t eat food or pass objects with the left hand. Most Rabari are vegetarians. They live in a hot desert therefore, they wear loose and white-colored clothes.

4.Loba:

Loba people live in the Mustang district of northern Nepal. Loba people are traditional practitioners of the Buddhist sect of Sakya. The Loba people practice ‘Polyandry’ where a woman marries multiple men. This is a unique trait to the LOBA, and is practiced so that there is less of a chance of a woman becoming a widow in her lifetime. This being rejected by younger Loba people as modernization sets in. This practice will likely be lost to the ages in only a few generations.

Loba people live in houses of white clay and mud. The Loba people never build their homes facing to the south due to intense winds that roar through Mustang.

The Loba’s traditions are closely related to early Buddhism. Most people in Mustang still believe that the world is flat, illness is caused by evil spirits and monks heal diseases with exorcisms. Honoring custom, a woman can marry brothers at the same time. In Loba society, a person may have as many as three names. The first is given by a Lama, or Buddhist monk, the second from the parents, and the third is given by the guru, or the Hindu spiritual teacher, is to be kept as secret.