You seem to be a little misled about barbarians.
Barbarians are uncivilized people. It is a term that the greeks used to describe anyone not Greek. It is a blanket term for underdeveloped or unsophisticated folks, including, but not limited to, nomadic peoples.
In modern terms...anyone that doesn't have cell phones or access to mass communication lines.
Due to their lack of technological advancement, they are usually 'closer to the earth' hunter/gatherers, which is why they get survival. That doesn't mean they are good at it, it just means they are more familiar than city-folk. It's also why they start illiterate.
Previously there was a limiting factor for barbarians, in that they didn't like magic or technology, but that has been removed from the current edition (because most players didn't think their barbarian should be afraid of their flaming sword).
I had a barbarian/cleric designed after a yanomamo (rainforest indian) shaman, and he was great fun. Nothing like a hopped-up, bandy legged, 4'6" human wearing a loincloth and a bad haircut to ruin negotiations.