The Hadzabe
are an indigenous ethnic group in north-central Tanzania, living around Lake Eyasi in the central Rift Valley and in the neighboring Serengeti Plateau, they are among the last
hunter-gatherers in the world.
The Hadzabe are not closely genetically related to any other
people. While traditionally classified with the Khoisan languages, primarily because it has clicks,
the Hadzabe language appears to be an isolate, unrelated to any other. As descendants of Tanzania's
aboriginal hunter-gatherer population, they have probably occupied their
current territory for thousands of years, with relatively little modification
to their basic way of life until the past hundred years
Since the 18th century, the Hadzabe came into increasing
contact with farming and herding people entering Hadzaland and its vicinity,
the interactions were often hostile and caused population decline in the late
19th century. The first European contact and written accounts of the Hadzabe
are from the late 19th century. Since then, there have been many attempts by
successive colonial administrations, the independent Tanzanian government, and
foreign missionaries to settle the Hadzabe, by introducing farming and
Christianity. These have largely failed, and many Hadzabe still pursue
virtually the same way of life as their ancestors are described as having in
early 20th-century accounts. In recent years, they have been under pressure
from neighboring groups influence on their land, and also affected by tourism
and safari hunting
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
The Hadzabe are organized into bands,
called 'camps' in the literature, of typically 20–30 people, though camps of
over a hundred may form during berry season. There is no tribal or other
governing hierarchy, and conflict may be resolved by one of the parties
voluntarily moving to another camp. The Hadzabe live in a communal setting and
engage in cooperative child rearing, where many individuals provide high
quality care for children.
The Hadzabe move camp for a number of reasons. Conflict is
resolved primarily by leaving camp; camps frequently split for this reason.
Camps are abandoned when someone falls ill and dies, as illness is associated
with the place they fell ill. There is also seasonal migration between
dry-season refuges, better hunting grounds while water is more abundant, and
areas with large numbers of tubers or berry trees when they are in season. If a
man kills a particularly large animal such as a giraffe far from home, a camp
will temporarily relocate to the kill site (smaller animals are brought back to
the camp). Shelters can be built in a few hours, and most of the possessions
owned by an individual can be carried on their backs.
The Hadzabe are predominantly monogamous, though there is no
social enforcement of monogamy While men and woman value traits such as hard
work when evaluating for mates they also value physical attractiveness
SUBSISTENCE
Hadzabe men usually
forage individually, and during the course of day usually feed themselves while
foraging, and also bring home some honey, fruit, or wild game when available.
Women forage in larger parties, and usually bring home berries, baobab fruit,
and tubers, depending on availability. Men and women also forage cooperatively
for honey and fruit, and at least one adult male will usually accompany a group
of foraging women. During the wet season, the diet is composed mostly of honey,
some fruit, tubers, and occasional meat. The contribution of meat to the diet
increases in the dry season, when game become concentrated around sources of
water. During this time, men often hunt in pairs, and spend entire nights lying
in wait by waterholes, hoping to shoot animals that approach for a night-time
drink, with bows and arrows treated with poison. The Hadzabe are highly skilled, selective,
and opportunistic foragers, and adjust their diet according to season and
circumstance. Depending on local availability, some groups might rely more
heavily on tubers, others on berries, others on meat. This variability is the
result of their opportunism and adjustment to prevailing conditions.
Traditionally, the
Hadzabe do not make use of hunting dogs, although this custom has been recently
borrowed from neighboring tribes to some degree. Women's foraging technology
includes the digging stick, grass baskets for carrying berries, large fabric or
skin pouches for carrying items, knives, shoes, other clothing, and various
small items held in a pouch around the neck. Men carry axes, bows, poisoned and
non-poisoned arrows, knives, small honey pots, fire drills, shoes and apparel,
and various small items.
While men
specialize in obtain meat, honey, and baobab fruit, women specialize in tubers,
berries, and greens. This division of labor is rather apparent, but women will
occasionally gather a small animal or egg, or gather honey, and men will
occasionally bring a tuber or some berries back to camp
