illiterate

it is good to be able to read and write. It is good to have a culture that values literacy. It is also good to have cultures that value oral tradition, which is what some people have instead of written traditions. It is a more immediate and personal form of communication and transmission of culture, and it is just as 'good' and 'smart' as a literate culture. It does not denote 'backwardness.' It is simply indicative of a world-view that differs from that of the 20th century European (Amoja Three Rivers, Cultural Etiquette). "A person from an oral culture, for example, is likely to have a much more developed memory than a literate person" (Creating Just Language). In discussing cultures with alternative communication traditions, describe those traditions. Occasionally you might use "nonliterate" or "aliterate," which are a little less judgmental. See also culturally deprived/disadvantaged, primitive, savage.