The world is made of peoples. Meet them, one by one.

Kabila is a free guide to the indigenous and tribal peoples of every continent: who they are, where they live, what they speak, how they live and what they are facing now. Written so anyone can follow it.

Show me a people Start with the basics

575: peoples so far
178: countries
179: language families
9,050: on our list to write

Each dot is a people. Pick one.

Dayak Iban الشعانبة suq̓ʷabš Lakhmids Marubo Tuf Shur Tia Tapirapé Tribe of Naphtali Soninké Ukhang Alas Zayanes Diné Waitaha svear Nyishi Tribe of Zebulun Soꞌto Witoto בִּנְיָמִן (Binyāmīn)Hinono'eino Umoⁿhoⁿ الأنصار‎‎Blackfeet Nation Kinana vađđalaizõd Krasniqë Ayoreo Basmyl Dakȟóta Oyáte Chalá·at Ece'je Waiwai Tacana Apsáalooke Qahtanites Yaminawá Kalinago Híaitíihi Banu Bakr Cubeo Manchineri Tribe of Simeon Jakun Ata Ngada Iznaten فلسطينيون Örpün Agrianes Ishak Daghaghra suku bangsa Kubu العباسيون Batak Mandailing Lampung عبد القيس Meena Kababish kʷòʔlí·yot̓Urak Lawoiʼ Башҡорттар Banu Najjar Maya Nganasan Wazhazhe Banu Aws Pamunkey Bajo Sama Tōltēkah Gitxsan Dayak Iban الشعانبة suq̓ʷabš Lakhmids Marubo Tuf Shur Tia Tapirapé Tribe of Naphtali Soninké Ukhang Alas Zayanes Diné Waitaha svear Nyishi Tribe of Zebulun Soꞌto Witoto בִּנְיָמִן (Binyāmīn)Hinono'eino Umoⁿhoⁿ الأنصار‎‎Blackfeet Nation Kinana vađđalaizõd Krasniqë Ayoreo Basmyl Dakȟóta Oyáte Chalá·at Ece'je Waiwai Tacana Apsáalooke Qahtanites Yaminawá Kalinago Híaitíihi Banu Bakr Cubeo Manchineri Tribe of Simeon Jakun Ata Ngada Iznaten فلسطينيون Örpün Agrianes Ishak Daghaghra suku bangsa Kubu العباسيون Batak Mandailing Lampung عبد القيس Meena Kababish kʷòʔlí·yot̓Urak Lawoiʼ Башҡорттар Banu Najjar Maya Nganasan Wazhazhe Banu Aws Pamunkey Bajo Sama Tōltēkah Gitxsan

People of the day, 2 OctoberDurraniThe Durrani are one of the largest Pashtun tribal confederations, mainly based in southern Afghanistan (Loy Kandahar) and parts of Pakistan, especially Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Numbering about 7 million in Afghanistan and 1.2 million in Pakistan, they are known for founding the Durrani Empire in 1747 and for their influence in Afghan history.Read about the Durrani

Six regions

Every people on Kabila carries the colour of the region it calls home.

Browse by country

AfricaFrom the Sahara to the Kalahari: herders, farmers, foragers and kingdoms.63 peoples AsiaAdivasi of India, hill peoples of Southeast Asia, nomads of the steppe.192 peoples EuropeThe Sámi of the north, peoples of the Caucasus and the old tribes of the continent.54 peoples North AmericaNative American tribes, First Nations, Inuit, Métis and the peoples of Mesoamerica.121 peoples South AmericaPeoples of the Amazon, the Andes, the Chaco and Patagonia.113 peoples OceaniaAboriginal nations, Torres Strait Islanders, Māori iwi, Papuans and Pacific islanders.32 peoples

Meet a few

A different handful every few minutes.

All peoples, A to Z

Sápara 🇪🇨 Ecuador and 1 moreIndigenous people of the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon rainforest About 350

Tupi 🇧🇷 BrazilIndigenous peoples of coastal and central Brazil, known for their deep cultural legacy About 16,000, Tupian

Miccosukee 🇺🇸 United StatesHitchiti-speaking people of the Everglades, related to the Seminole About 640, Muskogean

Ngāi Tahu 🇳🇿 New ZealandThe principal Māori iwi of New Zealand's South Island About 85,000, Austronesian

Ghilji 🇦🇫 Afghanistan and 1 moreA major Pashtun tribal confederation of Afghanistan and Pakistan Indo-Iranian

Kotiria 🇧🇷 Brazil and 1 moreIndigenous people of the Vaupés River in Brazil and Colombia About 4,000, Tucanoan

LaniSuku Timorini 🇮🇩 IndonesiaIndigenous people of Central and Highland Papua, known for their koteka traditions About 200,000

PotawatomiBodéwadmi 🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreKeepers of the fire in the Great Lakes and Plains, with many recognized bands today About 43,000, Algonquian

See how it works

14 step-by-step pictures explain the ideas behind the words: clans, descent, councils, consent, recognition.

All visual explainers

From band to nation

Household. Start small. A household is the family that eats from one hearth. Among the Hadza of Tanzania it may be a couple, their children and a grandparent sharing one shelter.
Band or village. Several households live together as a band or a village. A foraging band may hold 20 to 50 people. A farming village may hold several hundred. This is where daily life happens.
Lineage. Kinship cuts across where people live. A lineage is a set of relatives who can name each link back to a shared ancestor, usually four to six generations ago.
Clan. Several lineages form a clan. Members believe they share one founding ancestor, even when nobody can name every link. Clan members often may not marry each other.
Tribe. Clans and villages together form a tribe: a named group with its own territory, customs and leaders. Many groups prefer the words people, nation or community instead.
Confederacy. Some tribes join a lasting alliance. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy in North America united five nations, later six, under one council while each nation kept its own affairs.
People or nation. The widest circle is the people or nation. Not every people has every level, and none of these levels is more advanced than another. They are different ways to organise.

Learn from the beginning

31 short lessons in 6 tracks. No background needed.

All lessons

Track 1Start hereWhat the words mean, how many peoples there are, and how to talk about them with care.5 lessons, 27 min Track 2How societies are builtBands, clans, kinship, marriage, government and growing up.5 lessons, 30 min Track 3Ways of livingHow peoples make a living from forest, grassland, field, sea and ice.6 lessons, 35 min Track 4Language and knowledgeMemory without writing, the world's languages, belief, art and knowledge of nature.5 lessons, 30 min Track 5Rights and lawFrom colonisation to self-determination: declarations, treaties, land, consent and recognition.5 lessons, 34 min Track 6Peoples todayIsolation, cities, climate, revival, and how to be a good visitor and ally.5 lessons, 28 min

Straight answers

All 49 answers

Ways of living

See them all

Hunting and gatheringLiving from wild plants, game, honey and fish.182 HerdingMoving with cattle, camels, sheep, yaks or reindeer.108 Shifting cultivationClearing a forest plot, farming it, then letting it rest.33 Settled farmingFields, terraces, orchards and paddies worked year after year.373 Fishing and the seaRivers, reefs, ice and open ocean.215 Craft and tradeWeaving, metalwork, carving, caravans and markets.224 Towns and wage workCity life, paid work and enterprises run by the people.251

Test yourself

8 quizzes, eight questions each. You get the reason with every answer.

The basics Society and kinship Ways of living Language and knowledge Rights and law Peoples of Asia and India Peoples of the Americas Peoples of Africa, Oceania and the Arctic

On the wire

More headlines

Future of Amazon rainforest policies at stake in Brazilian presidential electionLos Angeles Times, Latin America
$2.2M Boost For Quantum Test Targeting Iron Issues In First Nations GroupsQuantum Zeitgeist, Canada
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day with City Hall Flag Raising and Native-Led Events Across SeattleSeattle.gov, World
Māori Band Coterie Revives Iconic Warriors Anthem — LBBLBB - Little Black Book, Oceania
Indigenous Peoples Day: Reflections on 500 Years of ResistanceInstitute of the Black World 21st Century, World
Indigenous Peoples Day 2026NDN Collective, World

Newly added

See what is new

Ngāti Kurī 🇳🇿 New ZealandMāori iwi of the far north of New Zealand, with deep ties to Cape Reinga About 6,000, Austronesian Native Village of GeorgetownKeledzhichagat 🇺🇸 United StatesAlaska Native community on the upper Kuskokwim River About 2

KalenjinBiikap Kuutiit 🇰🇪 Kenya and 4 moreA cluster of Nilotic-speaking peoples of Kenya's Rift Valley and beyond About 7.5 million, Southern Nilotic (Nilo-Saharan)

EngganoE Lopeh 🇮🇩 IndonesiaMatrilineal islanders of Enggano off southwest Sumatra About 2,000, Austronesian (classification debated)