-The Ostrich People
The
Vadoma also known as Wadoma (or by the singular, Mudoma), is found in the
Urungwe and Sipolilo districts, west of Zimbabwe, Africa. They are also known
as the Bantwana tribe which means children/descendants. The ostrich people are
a shy people and tend to stay in more rugged areas such as the Zambezi
river valley away from the majority of other people.
There are many people
in their community who can’t wear shoes. They have just two big toes on each
foot. This genetic condition is called ectrodactyly. The foot is missing the
three middle toes and the two outer ones are turned in, which is why the Vadoma
people are also called the "two-toed" tribe. The foot itself is said
to resemble that of an ostrich’s foot, thus the name, ostrich people. Ectrodactyly is
an autosomal dominant condition which is the result of a single mutation on the
number seven chromosome.
They can walk but
with some difficulty because of the shape of their feet. Running is also
difficult for them. The condition however makes them excellent tree climbers. The
elders of the tribe claim that their remote ancestors were birdlike beings who
came from the stars and mixed with their DNA with early earth women to produce offspring.
The elders state that their ancestors came from the star systems of Sirius and
first established colonies on a planet within our solar system that they refer
to as Liitolafisi
Not everyone in the
tribe has this condition, one fourth of the Vadoma people are born with
ectrodactyly, but the ones who do are said to have been accepted into the group
without any difficulty and that they are excellent tree climbers as a result of
this physical irregularity. Because they are isolated, and due to a small gene
pool among them, this tribe experiences this genetic condition of being
two-toed much more often than other tribes in Africa.
The language of the
Vadoma is Chikunda (Portuguese) and the language of the Mkorekore tribe,
which is KoreKore. The ostrich people live successfully off of the land
by hunting, fishing, trapping wild animals and by gathering honey, roots and
wild fruits. Their living accommodations are simple huts made from reeds and
twigs. Information on this rather secret tribe with two toes is difficult to
find, even in reference books.
The government is
attempting to assimilate the people of this small African tribe, the Vadoma,
into mainstream society by providing not only clinics to help them physically,
but schools as well to educate them. The ostrich people are not convinced the
integration is in their best interest, and thus far, the government has been
unsuccessful to convince them otherwise.
Ectrodactyly (also known as a split hand, cleft hand or lobster claw hand) is a skeletal
anomaly predominantly affecting the hands (although the feet can also be
affected). The condition has a highly variable severity.
Epidemiology
The estimated
incidence is at ~ 1 in 90,000 - 150,000 births
Pathology
It results from a longitudinal deficiency in central digits where
the mechanism is thought to be a failure of the median apical
ectodermal ridge in the developing limb bud.
Genetics
The most common
mode of transmission is as a autosomal dominant trait, although autosomal
recessive and X-linked modes of transmission also have been described.
Associations
·
syndromic
o
EEC syndrome (ectrodactyly-ectrodermal
dysplasia-clefting syndrome)
§ ectrodactyly
·
non syndromic
o
syndactyly, aplasia, or
hypoplasia of the residual phalanges / metacarpals
o
sensorineural hearing loss
SOURCES: WIKI/CLUEBESS, www.http://nuwaupianism.com
Interesting read about people who have stayed out of the limelight for thousands of years. Would love to hear their history.
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