Speakers of the indigenous Australian language Dyirbal switch to a completely different dialect in the presence of their mother-in-law.
indigenous peoples
Is Santa Claus a psychedelic mushroom?
One fantastic and wonderful origin theory of Santa Claus involves psychedelic mushrooms and shamanic rituals of the indigenous Sámi people who live in northern Finland. Paul Devereux wrote about this incredible hidden history in his fascinating 2008 book The Long Trip: A Prehistory of Psychedelia. Then, Brooklyn filmmaker Matthew Salton blew mainstream minds with this fantastic New York Times “Op-Doc” short video on the topic.
For more on psychedelic Santa, check out the following pieces by Greg Taylor at the Daily Grail:
“Santa is a Psychedelic Mushroom: Were Modern Christmas Traditions Influenced by Shamanic Folklore?”
via boingboing
150k+ First Nation kids…
150k+ First Nation kids were removed from their homes, over a span of 100 years, in order to “get rid of the Indian problem in Canada”.
When the Norse vikings sailed for America in the 11th century…
When the Norse vikings sailed for America in the 11th century, they fully expected (and hoped) to find a race of monsters to fight. Instead, they found the indigenous peoples. Disappointed at finding no real monsters, the Norse (known for being tall) called them Skræling, or pygmies.
There is a man wandering through the Amazon…
There is a man wandering through the Amazon rainforest thought to be the last member of his tribe. No one knows his language or what tribe he belonged to.
There is an island near India, with an a …
There is an island near India, with an approximate population of 250, whose inhabitants have not discovered how to make fire, use stone age tools and weapons, speak a language about which we know almost nothing, have not discovered farming, and kill or drive off all who try to contact them.
The Inuit people offer hunted seals a dr …
The Inuit people offer hunted seals a drink of fresh water before they die.