Scanning the treetops in northern Tanzania: A hunter eyes his potential prey.
In the heart of Tanzania, near shallow Lake Eyasi, the sun rises at 6 a.m., painting the sky with hues of orange and pink. This is where the Hadza, one of the last functioning hunter-gatherer tribes in the world, begin their day.
The Hadza live in twig huts and subsist only on food they find or kill. Their day started with a hunting ritual, smoking tobacco-like leaves from a khaki bush. As they ventured into the thicket of palm and acacia trees, the men carried their handmade arrows, crafted from twigs from a sandpaper tree and tipped with a poison made from the desert rose plant.
The group met a Hadza clan, including the elder Njegela-Saitoti, his son, and others. The day's hunt began, and the men went into the thicket, followed by the group. The vervet monkey that had earlier dodged their arrows was now chattering at the hunters, a common sight in this wild landscape.
The group grew frustrated with each errant arrow, but the men laughed at the misses. Their apparent lack of concern for their poor luck may have been due to enjoying the hunting experience. After hours of pursuit, the group returned to the hunt and soon after bagged a squirrel, which they roasted on the spot.
After finishing off even the tiny bones, the Hadza seemed as content as a post-turkey Thanksgiving crowd. The elder, Njegela-Saitoti, offered the head of the squirrel to the guest of honor, who was my husband, and our boys joined him in sampling the cheek meat and brains.
I wondered aloud if I should offer them a package of cashews from my pocket, but our guide reassured me they would find something else to eat. Indeed, upon entering camp, Njegela-Saitoti found a stringy piece of dried zebra leftover from a previous kill and was glad at least one of us had believed that everything would turn out all right.
The land the Hadza traditionally inhabit is being lost to encroachment by the modern world. Fewer than a thousand Hadza still adhere to the traditional lifestyle today. To support the tribe and preserve their culture, a community-based authority allocates funds, and visits can be arranged through the Africa Adventure Company (www.africa-adventure.com) or Hadza Adventures, which can be contacted directly through their official communication channels.
The Hadza do not raise animals or grow crops, preferring to roam free. Their lifestyle, while seemingly primitive to some, is a testament to their resilience and connection with nature. As the sun sets over Lake Eyasi, one cannot help but feel a sense of awe at the enduring spirit of the Hadza.
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