Amazing photos of an ancient tribe of Amazons provide an opportunity to look into their lives in the depths of Peru. Warlike women pierce their noses, making a kind of mustache out of palm fibers, and also eat body parts of deceased relatives in order to absorb their souls. Alexey Kolbov took a series of stunning pictures from Moscow, traveling along the Galves River. Find out how the Matses tribe lives from our material.
Very little is known about the Matses tribe, which lives in the depths of Peru. Alexey Kolbov managed to communicate with his representatives during a trip along the Galves River.
Amazon women are distinguished by their unique moustaches and tattoos on their faces.
A mustache made of fine palm fibers is called a demouge. Representatives of the tribe pierce their noses with them.
Amazons can insert up to ten sticks on each side of the face. The more moustaches — the more beautiful, it is considered in the tribe. In addition, women get tattoos on their faces.
Matses children are smeared with red paint on their faces, believing that this will help them become stronger. And it should also help protect kids from being abducted by representatives of other tribes, which often happens in the Peruvian jungle.
Alexey spent 8 days in the tribe. He was greeted very cordially. Tourists come here quite rarely, so the aborigines managed to preserve the traditional way of life.
It was only in the 21st century that ceremonial cannibalism ceased to be practiced in the community. Amazons used to eat the body parts of deceased relatives to absorb their souls. Now the creepy ritual is no longer carried out, but one of the women told Alexei that they ate her grandfather’s leg when he died.
To get to matses, the Moscow traveler had to sail downstream in a boat for two days after being dropped off a plane in the jungle by the Peruvian military.
Alexey says that he felt comfortable in the tribe, you can say at home. Saying goodbye, the Amazons could not hold back their tears and asked him to come again.
Unfortunately, the Peruvian authorities do not protect representatives of indigenous minorities. The Matses tribe survived and preserved their primitive traditions only due to isolation in the depths of the jungle.
There are very few corners of the world left untouched by civilization, where ancient tribes live. Their lives are surprising and sometimes frightening. Nevertheless, some desperate travelers managed to collect information about amazing tribes in which cases of cannibalism are still found and creepy rituals are held.
See also — Scam of the Century: A Story about a Tribe that Never Existed
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