Hadzabe, Africa’s Last Hunter-Gatherers – Pt 1

The northern tip of Lake Eyasi is home to small groups of Africa’s last functional hunter-gatherers – the Hadzabe.  They live around Lake Eyasi and the Serengeti Plateau and today, number 1000-2000 – although just 300-400 still live a traditional lifestyle. They were once thought to be related to the San of southern Africa, but modern genetic studies link them to the pygmies of west and central Africa.

The northern tip of Lake Eyasi where it meets the Ngorogoro Conservation Area, Tanzania.

The Hadzabe are superb opportunistic hunter-gatherers.  They hunt animals, collect honey, fruit, tubers and berries for food, and use a wide variety of plant species for medicinal purposes.  During the course of a typical day the men range many miles across the scrub and along the shore of the lake, searching for prey, whilst the women concentrate on foraging.

Hadzabe hunters in dense forest along the shore, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

Hadzabe hunters on a hill above the lake, looking for prey in the scrub below, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

The scrub above the lake.  The small outcropping of rocks on the left is often used by the Hadzabe as a camp.  It has a number of small caves, providing shelter during the rains.  Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

Hadzabe hunters searching in the scrub for animals and food, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

A Hadzabe hunter with a group of dogs.  The Hadzabe do not normally keep dogs themselves, but animals from the local village often accompany hunting groups – the Hadzabe use these dogs to flush their quarry from bushes.  Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

A group of Hadzabe searching along a dry river bed for food, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

A Hadzabe hunter searching a washed-out ravine for food.  Hyenas often use these ravines as dens.  Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

The Hadzabe forage whenever an opportunity presents itself and hunting parties of men and boys will feed themselves as they search for animals, eating fruit and berries, and digging for tubers similar to yams.

A Hadzabe boy gathering berries from a bush, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

A Hadzabe man collecting pods of ripe seeds, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

Hadzabe men digging for and eating tubers, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

Baobab trees play are vital in the lives of the Hadzabe.  The trees produce large quantities of fruit and the Hadzabe hammer wooden pegs into the trunk to facilitate harvesting.  Honey bees also nest in the Baobab, providing a valuable source of food.

Hadzabe boy walking past a large baobab tree, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

A hadzabe man eating baobab fruit beneath a tree, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

The Hadzabe make use of a wide variety of different plant species as natural remedies.  They collect tree sap to use as a mosquito repellent, leaves to relieve tooth ache and bark for stomach infections.  This extensive knowledge allows the Hadzabe to treat minor illnesses and complaints, but is of little use when faced with modern diseases such as AIDS.

Hadzabe man collecting bark for use as a medicine, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

Small pieces of bark used to treat stomach problems.  The bark is simply chewed and swallowed.  Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

The Hadzabe are opportunists, adapting their diet and lifestyle to the changing seasons over the course of a year.  They are also quick to incorporate novel sources of food and embrace new opportunities.  In recent years, the Hadzabe have developed a relationship with fishermen that use gill-nets to catch Lake Eyasi’s small fish.  The Hadzabe help the fishermen pull in their nets and gut their catch, in exchange for fish which is eaten by the whole group, and used to lure Marabou storks to within shooting range.

Hadzabe men helping a fishermen to pull in his nets, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

Hadzabe boy with a catch of fish, Lake Eyasi, Tanzania.

Click here to read part 2.

Related posts:

1. Hadzabe, Africa’s Last Hunter-Gatherers – Pt 3
2. Hadzabe, Africa’s Last Hunter-Gatherers – Pt 4
3. Hadzabe, Africa’s Last Hunter-Gatherers – Pt 2

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 16th, 2010 at 1:14 pm. It is filed under Features and tagged with Africa, Tanzania. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.