Hadzabe

The Hadzabe are Africa’s last hunter-gatherer people. They are similar to the Bushmen who speak the click language. Moreover, it is believed that their language still contains clicks and pops that no other language produces! This small African Bushmen tribe is thought to have been driven out of the Ngorongoro Crater and the Crater highland woods by the more hostile Maasai and Iraqw (Mbulu). As a result, Hadza later established themselves in their current territory near Lake Eyasi. These African Bushmen survive entirely on hunting and gathering fruits and berries. Furthermore, they never raise cattle or produce agricultural products.

Wildlife Hunting

They can use their powerful bows to hunt wild animals such as zebras, giraffes, as well as buffaloes. But most large mammals have declined in number, leaving them to rely on smaller animals such as antelopes and birds. For this reason, they poison the arrows with a poison derived from a tree they are familiar with. Hadzabe males typically hunt alone throughout the day, feeding themselves and occasionally bringing home honey, fruit, or wildlife when available. Unlike men, women forage in larger groups and frequently bring home berries, baobab fruit, and tubers, depending on what is available. Another cooperative activity between men and women is foraging for fruit and honey. A group of foraging women is usually accompanied by at least one adult male.

During the wet season, the diet consists mostly of honey, some fruit, tubers, and also sporadic meat. Visitors can either hunt with the Bushmen using traditional bows and arrows for their daily food or go fruit and berry picking with the women. Meat consumption increases during the dry season when wildlife is more likely to congregate near water sources. Men hunt in pairs at this time of year, spending the entire night waiting by waterholes in the hopes of shooting animals that come close for a nighttime drink with poison-tipped bows and arrows.