The Hadzabe and Datoga tribes generally reside around Lake Eyasi just south of the Ngorongoro Conservation area in Northern Tanzania. Hadzabe, are the last remaining ancestors of the original hunter and gatherer people who first inhabited Tanzania while the Datoga people migrated from the North. These two tribes have a somewhat symbiotic relationship and thus have thrived together in this environment for over 400-years despite the vast language barrier.
The Hadzabe are skilled hunters and use several creative methods to attract wild animals and birds within range of their arrows. They often may use horns of an antelope attaching them to their head while mimicking animals’ characteristic bobbing which draws other curious animals closer. They also may hide under an animal skin and wait for vultures to land and easily be caught. Hadzabe supplement their diet with roots tubers plants and honey.
Hunting and honey gathering are predominantly male activities while women and children forage for roots and fruits. Hadzabe are opportunists when it comes to hunting but they consider baboons to be their greatest delicacy. Baboon fur is worn by the men while the women usually wear impala skins. Their huts are made of grass woven by the women, and can be constructed in a mere matter of hours.
Interestingly, Hadzabe are not from Bantu decent like the other ethnic groups of Tanzania, but have more in common with San Bushmen found in Kalahari Desert of southern Africa nearly 2000 miles away. They are small in stature physically slight and have lighter colored skin than most Africans. Their language contains click sounds as that of Bushmen however, a number of researchers have concluded that their DNA is totally unrelated to that of Bushmen meaning the surface similarities of both languages would imply an ancient root.
The Datoga on the other hand do not hunt, opting to keep livestock and work as skilled black-smiths. This is where the partnership between the two tribes comes into play. The Datoga supply the Hadzabe with tools such as the tips for their essential arrows, and in return, the Hadzabe supply the Datoga with meat from their hunts.
Activities at Lake Eyasi
