The Hadzabe Tribe (also known as the Bushman) still maintain their traditional hunting and gathering way of life. This small tribe of nomadic hunters and gatherers are thought to be the earliest primitive inhabitants of Tropical Africa. They have distant links to the Bushmen of the Kalahari and belong to the Khoisan people – those who speak in clicks.
They currently live around the Lake Eyasi basin and live purely off the land – hunting wild animals and eating berries, roots, honey and baobab fruit. They do not own any cattle and they do not grow any agricultural crops, they depend solely on the bush.
A visit to the village will be led by a local guide who will describe their lifestyle. The Bushman will make fire from sticks and will show you their very few belongings. They will take you on a simulated hunt in the area with their bows and arrows, and visitors can try a little target practice. The visit concludes with a traditional singing and dancing.
In the rainy season, they live in caves, and in the dry season, they live in the trees and bushes. Homes are marked by upright sticks in a semi-circle. Beds and floor mats are hides from kudu and impala.
The men hunt for wild animals and birds with bows and arrows. There are different arrows for different types of animals. Poisoned arrows are used for large animals. They also eat honey, tubers out of the ground, and fruits from the Baobab tree. In the dry season, they must dig down in the dry river bed to find water.
The Bushman are monogamous. The dowry to get married to a woman is 2 big baboons and many liters of honey. Men and women socialize in very separate groups. Small children and babies stay with the women and boys of 7 and older group with the men.
Men wear shorts and animal hides. Women wear colorful cloths wrapped around them. Jewelry is made from beads, porcupine quills, fur, and hide.
During a visit, arrows and jewelry can be purchased from them with TZ shillings if you desire.
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