When it comes to the mystical continent of Africa, many people are eager to visit because of its vast wildlife and diverse rare plant species. Besides, there are many mysterious tribes waiting to be discovered.
In fact, indigenous tribes have become a prominent feature of Africa. Most of them live in dense forests and have never been in contact with the outside world, thus forming unique customs and languages.
Of course, the most significant feature of many tribes is their peculiarity, not only towards outsiders but also in all aspects of life, such as nudity for beautification or injuring certain body parts to complete inheritance and adulthood rituals. One of the strangest features is that each foot has only two toes. They are called the "ostrich people" living in Zimbabwe.
Despite knowing the reason for their foot deformity, the people of this tribe still don't want to step into the outside world.
In the Zambezi River basin in Zimbabwe and Botswana, there is a tribe called Vadoma, which was forgotten until recently.
The biggest difference between the people of the Vadoma tribe and other tribes is their external appearance. At first glance, the people of the Vadoma tribe look no different until you look at their feet. Normally, feet have 5 toes, but they only have 2, which is very unusual and likened to the feet of ostriches. Therefore, the Vadoma people are also called "ostrich people."
This special foot structure doesn't cause any trouble for the Vadoma people; in fact, they are very skilled at climbing trees. Of course, because of these special feet, the Vadoma people cannot wear shoes, and regardless of the weather, they always walk barefoot.
Many people are curious about why the feet of the Vadoma tribe are like this. Some believe that their ancestors were not from Earth but from another planet, resembling birds. After coming to Earth, they mixed with humans and gave birth to offspring with feet similar to ostrich claws.
However, most people believe in science more than legends. Scientists think this is a mutation. Some studies show that this condition is due to intermarriage within the tribe. Those who marry closely if they have children will produce a deformed child, and this condition is hereditary, so most people in the tribe have ostrich feet.
Besides, the ostrich feet are not the only unusual condition in the Vadoma tribe. It has appeared in many places worldwide and is called "lobster claw syndrome." People named the condition this way because at that time, the foot looked like the claw of a lobster.
As long as these tribespeople leave the tribe and go out into the world, this symptom will disappear after several generations.
But for the Vadoma tribe, they don't think it's a disease but a gift from paradise and never leave the tribe.
According to reports, although this rare condition makes it difficult for many people to move, for the Doma tribe, this is not considered a disability. Instead, they see it as a cause for celebration because those who own these special feet can climb trees faster than normal people.
Climbing trees is a useful skill for members of the tribe as they practice their traditional hunting and gathering lifestyle.
The ancient legend of the Doma people tells that, initially, they had normal feet, but when a woman in the village gave birth to a boy with strange two-toed feet, everyone was extremely terrified. They thought the child was cursed by spirits. The people in the tribe decided to kill the boy to avoid disaster.
A year later, the woman gave birth to another child with similarly unusual feet, but this time, the attitude of the people in the tribe changed completely.
They believed it was a gift bestowed by the spirits, so they joyfully held celebrations, offering the most precious offerings to thank the spirits. Those with normal feet are not respected by the tribe.
They even appear disappointed and disheartened every time a child is born with five normal toes.
For decades, the indigenous Vadoma people have continued to refuse to integrate with other minority communities in Zimbabwe, despite being given many opportunities by local authorities.
Isolated from human civilization, with no schools, no medical services, the Vadoma people seem to be very satisfied with their current lives. Perhaps that's why the Ostrich People tribe has survived intact to this day.
Rejecting contact with the outside world like the Vadoma tribe can even lead to worse consequences because close marriages can cause more harm in the future, and other defects may occur, leading to the collapse of the tribe. That's why local authorities are pushing the Vadoma tribe to interact more with the outside world.
In fact, indigenous tribes have become a prominent feature of Africa. Most of them live in dense forests and have never been in contact with the outside world, thus forming unique customs and languages.
Of course, the most significant feature of many tribes is their peculiarity, not only towards outsiders but also in all aspects of life, such as nudity for beautification or injuring certain body parts to complete inheritance and adulthood rituals. One of the strangest features is that each foot has only two toes. They are called the "ostrich people" living in Zimbabwe.
Despite knowing the reason for their foot deformity, the people of this tribe still don't want to step into the outside world.
In the Zambezi River basin in Zimbabwe and Botswana, there is a tribe called Vadoma, which was forgotten until recently.
The biggest difference between the people of the Vadoma tribe and other tribes is their external appearance. At first glance, the people of the Vadoma tribe look no different until you look at their feet. Normally, feet have 5 toes, but they only have 2, which is very unusual and likened to the feet of ostriches. Therefore, the Vadoma people are also called "ostrich people."
This special foot structure doesn't cause any trouble for the Vadoma people; in fact, they are very skilled at climbing trees. Of course, because of these special feet, the Vadoma people cannot wear shoes, and regardless of the weather, they always walk barefoot.
Many people are curious about why the feet of the Vadoma tribe are like this. Some believe that their ancestors were not from Earth but from another planet, resembling birds. After coming to Earth, they mixed with humans and gave birth to offspring with feet similar to ostrich claws.
However, most people believe in science more than legends. Scientists think this is a mutation. Some studies show that this condition is due to intermarriage within the tribe. Those who marry closely if they have children will produce a deformed child, and this condition is hereditary, so most people in the tribe have ostrich feet.
Besides, the ostrich feet are not the only unusual condition in the Vadoma tribe. It has appeared in many places worldwide and is called "lobster claw syndrome." People named the condition this way because at that time, the foot looked like the claw of a lobster.
As long as these tribespeople leave the tribe and go out into the world, this symptom will disappear after several generations.
But for the Vadoma tribe, they don't think it's a disease but a gift from paradise and never leave the tribe.
According to reports, although this rare condition makes it difficult for many people to move, for the Doma tribe, this is not considered a disability. Instead, they see it as a cause for celebration because those who own these special feet can climb trees faster than normal people.
Climbing trees is a useful skill for members of the tribe as they practice their traditional hunting and gathering lifestyle.
The ancient legend of the Doma people tells that, initially, they had normal feet, but when a woman in the village gave birth to a boy with strange two-toed feet, everyone was extremely terrified. They thought the child was cursed by spirits. The people in the tribe decided to kill the boy to avoid disaster.
A year later, the woman gave birth to another child with similarly unusual feet, but this time, the attitude of the people in the tribe changed completely.
They believed it was a gift bestowed by the spirits, so they joyfully held celebrations, offering the most precious offerings to thank the spirits. Those with normal feet are not respected by the tribe.
They even appear disappointed and disheartened every time a child is born with five normal toes.
For decades, the indigenous Vadoma people have continued to refuse to integrate with other minority communities in Zimbabwe, despite being given many opportunities by local authorities.
Isolated from human civilization, with no schools, no medical services, the Vadoma people seem to be very satisfied with their current lives. Perhaps that's why the Ostrich People tribe has survived intact to this day.
Rejecting contact with the outside world like the Vadoma tribe can even lead to worse consequences because close marriages can cause more harm in the future, and other defects may occur, leading to the collapse of the tribe. That's why local authorities are pushing the Vadoma tribe to interact more with the outside world.
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