There are minority populations living across the globe.
Often times, they are incredible unique,
even though they might be in plain view.
So in order to lead you down the path of discovery,
We bring you 5 unique minorities you've never heard of.
Many people might believe the Basque people to be just a subset
of the larger French and Spanish populations they are surrounded by.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
The reality is, that the Basque people
who live in what is called Basque Country,
nestled between France and Spain,
are truly unique.
The Basque people have retained distinctive genetic markers
that separate them from the surrounding populations.
And perhaps more importantly,
they speak a language unrelated to any other known language in the world.
(speaks Basque)
The Basque are thought to be a hold-over from a previous era,
before the more populous and numerous Indo-europeans
overran Europe.
This unique identity has sometimes been a problem for the Basque
as in the past, organizations such as the ETA,
which stands for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna,
or "Basque Country & Freedom",
would sometimes resort to violence and terrorism to get their way,
seeking a seperate nation state for the Basque people.
Things have calmed down a bit in the last few decades.
And more importantly,
the Basque have left their legacy on other things as well.
For example, the Spanish word for "left"
is "Izquierda", and is ultimately derived
from the Basque language.
The Ainu are a nearly forgotten people
living primarily on the northern island of Hokkaido in Japan.
They're thought to be first inhabitants of the island,
though their ultimate history has been lost to time.
They appear physically distinct from the Japanese
in the sense that, though being Asian genetically,
they appear almost European looking,
and their culture remains distinct from Japanese culture as well.
The Ainu have always been hunter-gatherers,
hunting the abundance of gain that was formerly present on the island of Hokkaido.
However, over time,
through a process of culturual assimilation,
and pressure from the majority Japanese population,
much of Ainu culture has disappeared,
including the unique language, which has fewer than 100 speakers left.
(speaks Ainu)
The reality is, that the legacy of the Ainu
is largely gone, and has only been preserved
in things such as music and traditional art.
Like many ancient peoples of the world,
the transition from tradition to modernity
has not been kind to the Ainu.
The Sami are an indigenous Finno-Ugric people
inhabiting the northernmost parts of Scandinavia,
and parts of northwestern Russia.
Although their language is distantly related to Finnish,
the traditions of the Sami, as well as their cultural practices,
remain distinct from those of their Finnish and Scandinavian neighbors.
Like many indigenous peoples,
the Sami have struggled to maintain their way of life,
while at the same time, attempting to cope with the modern reality of Scandinavian culture.
Norway in particular, has been criticized internationally,
for the forced "Norwegianisation" of the Sami people,
in an effort to assimilate the Sami into a monolithic Norwegian culture.
Sami are traditional reindeer herders,
and receive almost all they need from the reindeer,
ranging from meet to fur, and beyond.
Traditional garb tends to be colorful red and blue,
and designed to keep the wearer warm in the Arctic climate the Sami hail from.
Unlike the Ainu, though the Sami are minority,
they have been able to persist inkling to their ancient heritage.
In part, because of the more accomodating nature
of their majority population neighbors,
compared to the Japanese, in places such as Sweden and Finland.
The Kashubians are a minority population within Poland
with their own distinct traditions, language and sense of identity.
Most famously, the current president of the European Council,
Donald Tusk, is a Kashubian.
Historically, the Kashubians have struggled to maintain their own identity,
next to a competing majority Polish culture,
and have had mixed results.
During the World War II and Communist era,
they were distrusted by both the Nazis and the Poles
and were often considered disloyal,
to whatever the political flavor of the time had been,
be it national socialism or communism.
Fortunately for the Kashubians, in recent years,
they've had more success in garnering cultural recognition.
As the language is the only regional language recognized in Poland, besides Polish.
And people tend to be more open than in former years.
The Yakuts are a large tribe of people
native to the Sakha Republic of Russia, or Yakutia,
far to the north and east of what many traditionally think of
when they think of Russia.
The Yakuts speak a Turkic language
distantly related to the Turkish and Uzbek languages,
but that is where the similarites end.
Having been geographically isolated for millennia,
the Yakuts have adapted to the climate of the region.
Appearance-wise, many appear distinctly East Asian.
And traditionally, the Yakuts engage
either in semi-nomadic hunter-gathering in the more northern parts of the Sakha Republic.
Or animal husbandry in the more southern parts.
Unlike many of the other people spoken of,
the Yakuts have their own region to themselves.
And though they retain their language and culture,
the vast majority are bilingual in both Yakut and Russian,
since Russian is required for job and educational purposes,
in addition to having been essential
in the Soviet Union's communist indoctrination process.
Strikingly, Yakutia also has the honor
of hosting the coldest city in the world.
Which is Oymyakon, where the temperatures can drop
to a startling -50 Celsius, or -58 Fahrenheit.
This might seem intolerable to you, but to the Yakuts,
it's just part of everyday life in Siberia.
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