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For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact

blogs.smithsonianmag.com

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Re: For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact

#31
The daughters spoke a language distorted by a lifetime of isolation. "When the sisters talked to each other, it sounded like a slow, blurred cooing."

It's interesting how isolation does to a spoken language in only one generation. I'm guessing they had nobody but themselves to talk to, so any mispronunciation would be greatly exaggerated.

Re: For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact

#32
post #9
post #6

The link seems to be non responsive. Does anyone know of a mirror?

Works fro me. But if it's not working for you, you could always try the Coral Cache link, by adding .nyud.net to the end of the domain: http://www.smithsonianmag.com.nyud.net/history-archaeology/F...

Myself use Pocket for reading articles but was interested in the link you provided. However, doesn't seems as it's working. Can't even access the domain nyud.net.

Re: For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact

#33

Lacking guns and even bows, they could hunt only by digging traps or pursuing prey across the mountains until the animals collapsed from exhaustion. It's interesting that they stumbled on the persistence hunting technique so naturally. Indirect evidence to support the Endurance running hypothesis ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endurance_running_hypothesis ).

The other main predator that also hunts in this fashion? Wolves/dogs. There's a theory that it was this overlap in hunting styles that made us natural "partners" and led to the close relationship we have today.

Wolves and dogs can't do this over nearly the same distance humans can — they shed body heat through panting and can only keep up a run for 3-6 miles[0]. Humans can run marathons.

[0]: I don't remember my source for this, sorry. But this is interesting for similar reasons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_versus_Horse_Marathon

Edit: I should say, wolves/dogs can run for long distances too, at a slower gait. But they can only out-pace human marathon-distance runners for a few miles before overheating.

Edit 2: Found a source[1]: "Dogs can gallop for only about 10 to 15 minutes before reverting to a trot, and so their distance-running speed tops out at about 3.8 meters per second." As commenters below have pointed out, yes, if it's cold enough, this doesn't matter ;-).

[1]: http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2012/06/long...

Re: For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact

#34

I found this post which indicates that Agafia is still alive and now trying to recruit church followers to live in the mountains with her. http://www.byzcath.org/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/363063/A...

"recruit" is kind of a loaded word. sounds like she is asking for help with physical tasks she can't manage any more

Re: For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact

#35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is also at least one tribe in South America that has never been contacted by the outside world. http://www.uncontactedtribes.org/brazilfootage

There are a number of tribes along the Amazon who have never been contacted by the outside World, for example Brazil actively tries to identify isolated Indian tribes by fly-over but a policy to not contact them. Here is a story about drug traffickers massacring one of the documented, but uncontacted tribes: http://www.ibtimes.com/uncontacted-amazon-tribe-massacred-pe...

Just to clarify: in Brazil, those "uncontacted" tribes include many (probably a majority) that have had contact with the outside world in the past. However, they currently have no ongoing contact, and the Brazilian authorities don't have enough data about them from the previous attempt at contact.

In some cases, they might have had a less than pleasant experience when they were first contacted by explorers or loggers. Nowadays, while they'd be in danger should they meet illegal loggers and the like, it shouldn't be dangerous for them to contact the authorities. However, their memory from the initial encounter might have been passed on for generations.

Also, as you say, the Brazilian agency in charge of documenting and protecting the Indians has a policy of not forcing contact. So those tribes can remain uncontacted indefinitely.

The page below has more info. Use your favorite translator.

http://mundoestranho.abril.com.br/materia/ainda-existem-trib...

Re: For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact

#36
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other main predator that also hunts in this fashion? Wolves/dogs. There's a theory that it was this overlap in hunting styles that made us natural "partners" and led to the close relationship we have today.

Wolves and dogs can't do this over nearly the same distance humans can — they shed body heat through panting and can only keep up a run for 3-6 miles[0]. Humans can run marathons. [0]: I don't remember my source for this, sorry. But this is interesting for similar reasons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_versus_Horse_Marathon Edit: I should say, wolves/dogs can run for long distances too, at a slower gait. But they…

It is temperature dependent. Try keeping up with the dogs running the Iditarod in Alaska :)

Re: For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact

#37

Jarawa tribe which lives in Andaman, face extinction after coming with contact with civilisation

Think about it as a transformation. Do not delve into death as some sort of full stop for entity.

Everyone will extinct at some point, to avoid it, stop fighting it.

Re: For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact

#39
Dick Proenneke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke) did something similar in Alaska. He lived alone, but brought supplies in, had a wood stove, a rifle, and even spent the occasional winter in civilization. He wrote a book about his first couple years:

http://www.amazon.com/One-Mans-Wilderness-Alaskan-Odyssey/dp...

It suffers a little from some heavy editing, but is very interesting. There's also a video that airs on PBS every so often, which is worth watching. He died in 2003, but left his cabin to the National Park Service.

I've been to his cabin, and it's been preserved as he left it. It's amazing what he was able to make with simple tools. The door is particularly neat - the hinges and bear-proof lock are made entirely of wood.

Sometimes it makes me want to move to Alaska and build a cabin. Internet connectivity is a bit of a problem, but I suppose that's the point.

Re: For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact

#40
"When the warm days do arrive, though, the taiga blooms, and for a few short months it can seem almost welcoming."

Hahaha. This guy has no idea what he's talking about. As someone who has been in the taiga in the summer, it's absolutely horrible. The air is alive with mosquitoes. There are clouds of them around you 24/7. The place is just permafrost and swamps. It's really pretty, but a miserable place to live. That's why there is no on there.

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