Let's imagine that somewhere in the Amazonian jungle there is a small tribe. People that, from our point of view, are a bit strange, because of their culture and approach to life (like many other indigenous tribes in the world). But the tribe is different from the others. They are very primitive in general, hence, people from western civilisation do not appreciate them and even they would like to change their cultural habits and adapt to their own. The tribe's name is Pirahã . Let's have a look at some of the curiosities from it's culture (in brief, of course, extended informations are to find in the Internet):

• they don't use numbers, so they don't have even names for them (there are concepts for a small amount and a larger amount insted)
• they have no unique words for colors (color words are created in complex and compounding manner)
• they are immerse in present (I mean the time interval). Past and future are irrelevant.
• they have no formal leaders and personal property
• lack of concept of the origin of life and the afterlife (they are ateists, but this word is not appropiate. Pirahã just require evidence based on personal experience for every claim)

• from linguistic point of view there are some features in the Pirahã's language that do not fit to the most popular concepts (like no relative clauses or grammatical recursion)
• scientists that saw this tribe face to face claim they are the happiest people in the world

More informations you can find in astonishingly interesting book named Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle by Daniel L. Everett (the first person who learned fluently Pirahã's language and lived among them for 30 years).

The book has universal message. It make us think about our culture and life's approach and stimulates linguistics research. What was first, culture or language? If language is strictly connected with given culture or not? How far are we immerse in our little world obscured by our own language? How much can we free ourselves learning new languages and its culture? Etc...

I recomend it for your reflection...