Throughout history, tribes have always aroused curiosity about their particular ways of life. There is a concept that indicates some of these communities as mmagical or mysticaleither for the place where they live or simply for the customs of the people themselves.
The Hunzasas they’re known, it’s a tribe of 30,000 living high in the Himalayas, in Pakistan’s Hunza River Valley, and bordering India, China, and Afghanistan.
The Hunzakut are known to be ethnically light-skinned and are believed to be the lost descendants of Alexander the Great’s army when he invaded India. The peculiarity of this society is that they are said to be the longest living human beings on earth: they live 120 years, are strong and never get sick. What is myth and reality in the Hunza?
Residence
The tribe lives in the Hunza Valley which is located in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan, one of the two polities of Kashmir under Pakistani control. The curious thing about this valley, in addition to its beautiful mountains, is the “power” it provides to the tribe.
The Hunza have been the subject of many studies and appear to be the keepers of a secret longed for by many: eternal youth. With a European appearance, science has tried to establish ties with other Caucasian peoples. Some authors attribute this physical characteristic because they are lost descendants of Alexander the Great’s army when it invaded India.
The Hunzakut say they live to be 120 years old, get sick little and look very young. At first glance, 40-year-old women seem almost adolescents, and it is even claimed that up to 65 years of age they can give birth.
What’s your secret?
The mystery of its long life, in part, lies in its diet. In the summer they eat raw fruits and vegetables; in winter dried apricots, cereals and pecorino cheese. In 1970, when the highway linking the ancient Silk Roads from Pakistan to China was built, the magazine National Geographic he described this tribe as one of the longest-lived on earth.
In addition to their balanced diet, the Hunza start their day with an ice-cold water bath (even on days when the temperature is -15ºC); and they exercise every day, especially working in the crops or walking tens of kilometers a day in a particularly rugged landscape.
conflicting opinions
British physician Sir Robert McCarrison, former director of the Nutrition Council of India, was the first scientist to make a serious study of the Hunzas. After three years of living among his inhabitants, he assured it it was not possible to detect a single case of cancer, gastric ulcer, appendicitis and other diseases characteristics of the Western world.
After having exhaustively analyzed all the factors and variables capable of influencing the state of health of the Hunza. McCarrison determined that the key factor explaining his extraordinary health, vitality and longevity was their nutritionincluding the fact that they grow their products on terraces with exclusively organic fertilizers, without ever using chemicals that could produce a more abundant harvest, at the cost of reducing the nutritional quality of the food.
However, other experts deny that the Hunza are different from other peoples. According to Dr. John Clark, who spent 20 months among the Hunzakut, he wrote in his book “Lost Kingdom of the Himalayas” about these people, and said that they got sick just like other neighboring populations: they suffered from malaria, dysentery and other diseases.
Furthermore, Clark also points out that the clan has no fixed calendar and that the Hunza attribute their age not so much to the time since their birth as to their level of wisdom. That’s why the most respected elders can go so far as to say they are 145 years old.
believe it or not
The valley of the Hunza River, located in a territory that is difficult to access and isolated from its surroundings by high mountains, has the characteristics that any romantic can associate with Eden. A natural and little explored territory, primitive peoples who live according to traditions, far from the production machinery and processed foods of technologically advanced societies.
Their white skin and light eyes may be scientifically related to the theory that the Hunza are descendants of the lost soldiers of Alexander the Great. This would explain, in addition to their physical appearance, the language they speak. Their language could not relate to any of the great linguistic families of Asia.
What is clear is that the Hunza are a rarity, their tribe is undoubtedly special and has generated much controversy over the years.
Source: Clarin
