The bravest communities in the world are those that teach their young ones the value of valor. Without bravery many ethnic groups would not exist today because they would have been extinguished by rival tribes who have the intention of taking their land, children and every other thing of value.
The bravest communities have been given a heritage of courage, and they must be ready to defend that heritage so as to have something to pass down to their children. Even though outright inter-tribal wars have somewhat reduced in modern times, they still exist today; meaning that communities must be ready.
Top 50 Bravest Communities In The World
1. Maori
The Maori tribe is famous for its fury. This is an indigenous Polynesian tribe which occupies mainland New Zealand. They are known for their face tattoos, which is a way of remembering the heroes who died in defense of the people and the land.
The Maori people proved their valor during the New Zealand war in which they bravely gave their lives to defend their homeland and people from the invading colonial forces. That war lasted from 1845 to 1872.
The slogan of the Maori is “kia mate toa” which means fight until death. These brave warriors were outnumbered, and had inferior weapons, and yet even though they new they were going to die, they chose to die in battle so as to at least give their children something of a heritage and that heritage is bravery.
2. Amhara
The Amhara are one of the dominant tribes of Ethiopia; and they are no strangers to warfare. Starting in the 15th century, the Arabs turned their eyes towards the southeast in a bid to dominate the civilization of Ethiopia. The ensuing conflict is called the Ethiopian–Adal War or Abyssinian-Adal War, and it lasted from 1529 to 1543.
It is described as a military conflict between the Christian Ethiopian Empire and the Muslim Adal Sultanate. The Amhara were grossly outnumbered, and they also had inferior weapons, but they were resolved to fight on; and fight on they did.
The result of the conflict is that the Arabs were resisted; the chief belligerent Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi was killed, and his armies scattered. That battle determined the outcome of most of east Africa; saving the region from slavery.
3. Japanese
The Japanese are a community, and a culture, and a nationality. This is a nation of warriors; the warrior class called the samurai continues to be an important part of their culture. The samurai are trained in combat using the traditional Japanese sword.
The samurai have an honor code that is hard to interpret; it is not just about killing as many enemies as possible; but also dying well in battle. A defeated samurai chooses to die by his own hands through a ritual called seppuku; in which he disembowels himself.
In ancient times the Japanese had no concept of money; the payment for services was anything of value, and to the samurai the only thing of value was honor. With nothing to live for, and honor to die for, the samurai are fierce fighters, and their victories will be too lengthy to write here. It is noteworthy that the Japanese once held the whole of Asia by the tip of a sword. Warriors!!
4. Zulu
The Zulu tribe wrote itself into history with acts of valor. This is one of the major tribes in South Africa; and one that refused to let its culture be extinguished, or its land taken from it. The Zulu tribe fought the British in what is today called the Anglo-Zulu war.
That conflict lasted from 11 January – 4 July 1879; and resulted in the partitioning of the Zulu kingdom. The Zulu lost more than 7 thousand men, and many others were wounded; but they made a point- the Zulus will never be easy pickings for any aggressors.
Even now the Zulu have a war dance that is interesting to watch and observe. They are one of the African tribes that have bravery in their blood; and that take pride in their culture.
5. The Sikhs
The Sikhs are an ancient people of the areas of India and Pakistan. The Sikhs have their own religion; one that preaches peaceful coexistence. However, peace is not always possible; and the Sikhs have known that since antiquity.
For those times when peace is possible; the Sikhs have provisions for war. Part of the Sikh traditional dress code is a kirpan; which is a tucked into a strap, and worn with a waistband. It is usually covered by garment, and is only brought out when the need arises.
The Sikhs usually have Singh as their last name; and Singh means lion. The Sikhs are lions; they have a warrior class whose job in the past was to defend the tribe. They fought so many wars to win the right to live in the lands they now occupy; and even now they have cultural celebrations in which they celebrate their warriors.
6. The Jews
The Jews are the people of the state of Israel. From ancient times they have never been allowed to live in peace; they have been fought by the Babylonians, the Persians, the Egyptians, and lastly the Romans. By decree of Rome the Jews were forcibly moved from Judea, and spent centuries scattered in Europe where they faced unbearable hostility.
The Jews were resettled in their former homes in Israel; and they were immediately attacked in which they had to defend themselves. They defended themselves excellently, and proved their bravery in several engagements and wars.
7. Arabs
Arabs are the defacto owners of western Asia and North Africa. Their empire once stretched across the Mediterranean into Spain and the surrounding islands, as well as France, Portugal, Sicily and Switzerland. The Arabs are a mighty people; their strength comes from their unity.
Even today the Arabs are probably the most united people in the world; they are united behind a common leader, and a common cause which is the preservation of their culture.
8. Masai
The Masai are a unique African tribe; they are known for their unique dress sense, their tall stature, and also for their traditional dance which is more like a competition to see who can jump the highest.
The Masai have to be brave everyday just to survive because they share their land with lions and hyenas who may sometimes have a thirst for human blood. Hunting those fierce beasts is a part of the tests that prove the Masai men as brave, and it is something that they do to show the animals who is boss.
The Masai maintained superiority over the other tribes in the area through sheer military force. They fought several wars with the other tribes, although the causes of the fights are somewhat sketchy.
9. Berber
The Berber are an ethnic group located in the north of Africa; and which now occupy morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, France, Mali, Libya, Belgium among many other places. In their homeland which is in North Africa, they faced a lot of pressure from invading tribes, and as a result they fought many battles to ensure the survival of their tribe.
The Berbers fought the invading Arabs, and the decade’s long conflict had numerous outcomes including Berber victories and defeats.
The Berbers also fought bravely against the United States, Sweden and Sicily in the Barbary wars.
10. Oromo
The Oromo are one of the major tribes of Ethiopia; from antiquity they have had to be brave in order to ensure the survival of their tribe. They developed a very sophisticated form of warfare in which they attacked their enemies at night.
This type of warfare was strange to the kingdom of Ethiopia at the time and so it was very successful because it gave the Oromo so much land. The Oromo kept that tradition of warfare; and today they are currently fighting a war which has lasted 50 years, and is still ongoing.
The following is a more extensive list of the 50 bravest communities in the world.
| Rank | Community | Country |
| 1 | Maori | New Zealand |
| 2 | Amhara | Ethiopia |
| 3 | Japanese | Japan |
| 4 | Zulu | South Africa |
| 5 | The Sikhs | India, Pakistan |
| 6 | The Jews | Israel |
| 7 | Masai | Kenya |
| 8 | Berber | Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania |
| 9 | Oromo | Ethiopia |
| 10 | Irish | Ireland |
| 11 | Sicilians | Italy |
| 12 | Munda | India |
| 13 | Gond | India |
| 14 | Ashanti | Ghana |
| 15 | Fula | Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Senegal, south Sudan |
| 16 | Hausa | Nigeria, Cameroon |
| 17 | Somali | Somalia, Kenya |
| 18 | Akan | Ivory coast, Ghana |
| 19 | Mande | Ivory coast |
| 20 | Fon | Benin Republic |
| 21 | Tuareg | |
| 22 | Edo (Benin) | Nigeria |
| 23 | Kanuri | Nigeria, Niger, chad, Cameroon |
| 24 | Birom | Nigeria |
| 25 | Turks | Turkey, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan |
| 26 | Yoruba | Nigeria |
| 27 | Chiquitano | Brazil, Bolivia |
| 28 | Igbo | Nigeria, cameroo, equatorian guinea, Gabon |
| 29 | Balochs | Afghanistan |
| 30 | Chewa | Malawi, central African republic |
| 31 | Kokama | Brazil, peru, Colombia |
| 32 | Luba | Democratic republic of Congo |
| 33 | Shona | Zimbabwe, Mozambique |
| 34 | Mossi | Burkina Faso |
| 35 | Bamileke-Bamum | Cameroon |
| 36 | Tiv | Nigeria |
| 37 | Ibibio | Nigeria |
| 38 | Ijaw | Nigeria |
| 39 | Beti/Bassa-Mbam | Cameroon |
| 40 | Biu-Mandara | Cameroon |
| 41 | Tutsi | Rwanda, Burundi |
| 42 | Native Hawaiians | Hawaii |
| 43 | Samoans | Samoa |
| 44 | Tongans | Tonga |
| 45 | French Polynesia | |
| 46 | Ebira | Nigeria |
| 47 | Kongo | Angola, Congo |
| 48 | Luo | Kenya |
| 49 | Nilotes | South Sudan, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania |
| 50 | Hutu | Rwanda, Burundi, democratic republic of Congo |
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Closing
The bravest communities in the world often have bravery passed down to them as a cultural heritage. It is often hostility that leads to that culture of bravery in the first place; without pressure from warlike neighbors there is often no need to be brave. The sacrifice that goes with bravery is costly, but being docile is even more costly- it leads to extinction of tribes, languages, and cultures.