Nine facts for 9 August: UN Indigenous Day

The Moken ‘sea gypsies’ of the Andaman Sea have developed the unique ability to focus under water, in order to dive for food. The eyesight of Moken children is 50% more powerful than that of European children.

Picture © Cat Vinton/Survival

Hadza hunters in Tanzania use the song of an African bird to guide them to bees’ nests in baobab trees.

Picture © Joanna Eede/Survival

The language of the Bolivian Kallawaya healers, still spoken today, is believed to be the secret language of the Inca Kings.

Picture © Yoshi Shimizu / www.yoshi-shimizu.com

The Sentinelese tribe is thought to have lived on the Andaman Islands for about 55,000 years.

Picture © Christian Caron – Creative Commons A-NC-SA

Tribal people of the Baliem valley of New Guinea probably developed agriculture long before the ancestors of the Europeans

Picture © Grenville Charles/Survival

Tribal peoples developed some of the world’s staple foods. Manioc (cassava), maize and potatoes are all the product of indigenous husbandry.

Picture © Victor Engelbert/Survival

Awá women in Brazil care for orphaned baby monkeys by suckling them.

Picture © Domenico Pugliese/Survival

One in every 6 languages spoken on the planet comes from New Guinea.

Picture © Grenville Charles/Survival