Plautdietsch is the language of the Mennonites. Since the end of the 19th century, due to the growing Russian militarism, they had to leave their eastern possessions. They emigrated to America and Asia, among other places. Their descendants now speak Plautdietsch, an archaic variety of Low German (about 500 thousand people in the world). 1)
“Pardo” in Portuguese means rice. The rice traditionally harvested by Latin American Indians is water ostraca, which have brown seeds. Thus, the name was given to a racially mixed population by association - for most Pardo have a brown complexion. A Pardo with a light complexion (a characteristic of the white race) may have Indian facial features and tightly curled hair (a characteristic of the black race). 2)
Sororate (Latin soror - sister) is a custom requiring a man to marry his wife's sister or sisters if she is barren or after her death. Practiced by the Bushmen, Hottentots, Heres, and Fons, among others. Sororate is usually found in tribal groups where the wife's background is important. When marrying his wife's sister, the man chooses the same kin group. 3)
Every year in September, at the end of the rainy season, the Wodaabe tribe holds a beauty contest lasting several days, during which the most beautiful one is chosen from among about a thousand young men who dance. The Wodaabe are a nomadic people from the Sahara, probably from Mesopotamia. Interestingly, they feed mainly on milk and harvested plants. 4)
The Kanak people are indigenous people of Melanesian descent in French-owned New Caledonia. They make up about 45% of the population of New Caledonia. The name Kanak comes from the Hawaiian word kanaka meaning “man”. This term, often pejorative in nature, was originally used to designate all indigenous peoples of Oceania. 5)