While researching for an upcoming speech, I discovered a fascinating linguistic anthropology paper called "Cultural Constraints on Grammar and Cognition in Piraha." The writer, a Berkeley professor, stayed in a Piraha village for years, studying their language and culture. What he discovered is that their way of life doesn't necessitate a complex language, so their small language constrains their grammar, expression, and thought.
A salient example from the paper is that the Piraha people do not refer to their fingers as distinct things. Instead of pointing with one finger, they wave their entire hand. There is not even a word for finger; the people would call them "hand-sticks", and only when pressed to identify them as a separate thing from the hand.
I suggest you go read the paper (PDF) - it's fascinating.
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