KOMPAS.com – The Kanyemba region in northern Zimbabwe is home to the Doma or Vadoma Tribe, an ethnic group with unique legs resembling ostriches.
Due to the shape of the feet which consist of only two big toes, many Vadoma members find it difficult to wear shoes.
However, as reported by the Science Times (22/8/2022), they can still walk and run even though they experience difficulties.
On the other hand, the condition of the feet is advantageous because it allows tribesmen to climb trees more quickly.
Most of them live a wandering life hunting, fishing or gathering fruits.
Tree climbing is a useful skill and suits the lifestyle of the Vadoma Tribe.
The Vadoma also tend to be proud of their identity, and consider themselves better than other members of the tribe.
However, over time, these tribal peoples in Africa decided to abandon their hunting way of life and move to the lowlands.
This condition cannot be separated from the crackdown on poaching and threats from forest rangers in the local area.
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Mythology of the origin of the Vadoma leg
Still from the Science Times, Vadoma mythology reveals, their ancestors came from the baobab tree.
The tribal elders believe that their ancestors were like birds that appeared from the sky and settled among humans.
Not from Earth, the ancestor with bird-like features is said to have come from a planet called Liitolafisi.
In fact, according to belief, the DNA of tribal peoples is a combination of Earth women and bird-like ancestors.
The unusual union sooner or later gave birth to children with legs that resembled ostriches.
Genetic abnormalities make Vadoma’s feet unique
iStockphoto/JohnCarnemolla
illustration of an ostrich, one of the flightless birds.
Quoted from the Daily Star (20/8/2023), the unique legs of the Vadoma Tribe which resemble ostrich are a rare genetic condition called ectrodactyly or ectrodactyly.
Ectrodactyly is a birth defect that causes malformations or deformities of the bone structure of the fingers or toes.
This genetic disorder is also known as lobster claw hand because the middle finger on the patient’s hand or toe usually does not grow, so it looks like a lobster claw.
Meanwhile, most members of the Vadoma Tribe are born without three middle toes and only have two toes.
The condition is believed to occur in about one in every four children born in the Vadoma neighborhood.
This rare disorder itself is triggered by an autosomal dominant condition, a genetic disorder in one allele or copy of the gene in question, namely a single mutation on chromosome 7.
Scientists estimate that the unique legs of the Vadoma Tribe are passed down from one generation to another.
Moreover, local rules prohibit indigenous people from marrying outside group members.
These customary rules aim to maintain the uniqueness of the tribe, and prevent the characteristics of the two toes that they are proud of spreading to other tribes.
Even though marriage is restricted, the Vadoma people can still freely mingle and interact with members of other communities.
They also remain productive and do not see their condition as a form of disability.
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2023-09-03 03:30:00
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