In photos: World's most captivating tribes

Tribes are groups of people who share a common language, ancestry, culture, and distinct beliefs, customs, and traditions. These have been passed down through generations, and often have deep connections with the land and environment.

If you are intrigued, here is a look at some of the world’s most captivating tribes that you should know about.

Yangshuo county in Southwest China’s Guangxi province has managed to preserve a dying art that dates back more than 1,300 years - fishing with cormorants. The fishermen use a loose collar around the throat of the cormorant, which they have trained to catch fish, while the noose prevents the bird from swallowing their catch and allows the fishermen retrieve the fish when they return to the boats.

This tribe can be found in the north of equator in the geographically fascinating Samburu County of Northern Kenya. They are closely related to the Maasai tribe who also live in East Africa, and both these tribes also speak a similar language. Just like the Maasai, the Samburu tribe are a semi-nomadic people. Do note that the Samburu people have still not parted with old customs, and are still connected to their roots.

Living in northern Tanzania, the Hadza are modern hunter-gatherer people. With a population of around 1,300 members, they are considered as one of Africa's final remaining hunter-gatherer groups. Their ancestral territory encompasses the Eyasi Valley, and the nearby hills. They also hold a significant interest for anthropologists as they offer a link into modes of human existence and survival that have been largely abandoned by the majority of the global population.

It would be safe to say that the Sentinelese are the world’s most isolated tribes, and have managed to capture the imagination of millions from across the world over the years. Till date, they have not come into contact with the modern world, and continue to live on their own small forested island called North Sentinel, which is approximately the size of Manhattan. If reports are to go by, they continue to resist all contact with outsiders, and tend to attack anyone who comes near.

The Maasai tribe constitutes an indigenous ethnic ensemble in Africa, which include semi-nomadic populations that have established settlements in both Kenya and northern Tanzania. Their unique customs, traditions, attire, and proximity to the abundant national game reserves of East Africa have elevated the Maasai to a prominent status among African ethnicities. Their international recognition is also hugely attributed to their close association with national parks and reserves in the region.

The term Māori refers to the native inhabitants of New Zealand, as well as their language. As per the records, both the term and the people of this tribe are a fusion of diverse Polynesian cultures, who have been believed to have reached New Zealand over a millennium ago. Famed for their distinct traditional practice of intricate full-body and facial tattooing, the Māori people hold a distinctive position globally as indigenous individuals with complete legal rights.

You will be intrigued to know that this fascinating tribe was only recently discovered in Papua New Guinea. There have been no previous records of them until the 1970s. In fact, scientists opine that the tribe might have been under the belief that no one else even existed other than themselves.
One of the most interesting engineering feats that this primitive and isolated tribe managed to achieve is their ability to build big tree houses at 140 ft high in the jungles, which were actually designed to protect themselves from rival villages. One could access these structures only via wooden ladders, which were placed up against the stilts.

The Kazakhs residing in Mongolia are actually part of a broader community, which is primarily found in today’s Kazakhstan. Historically, the Kazakhs were semi-nomadic tribes with a strong equestrian tradition, and roaming around places like the Ural Mountains, and various parts of North and Central Asia in Eurasia. The term Kazakhs specifically refers to individuals of the Kazakh ethnic background, whereas Kazakhstani refers to people from Kazakhstan, encompassing all the diverse ethnic groups within the country.
Likewise, not all inhabitants of Mongolia are of Mongolian descent; among them are Kazakhs and other ethnic minorities. For your information, the Kazakh population within Mongolia forms the largest non-Mongolian ethnic group.