Hadzabe/Bushmen and Datoga
Hadzabe or Bushmen
The Hadzabe (Bushman) are an indigenous hunter-gatherer group in Tanzania, primarily based in Baray,an administrative ward within Karatu in southwest Arusha Region.
They are among the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes, with a population estimated at 1,000–1,500 individuals. They inhabit the Lake Eyasi basin and the neighboring Serengeti Plateau, having maintained their traditional lifestyle for thousands of years.
The Hadzabe are linguistically isolated, as their language was once linked to Khoisan due to its click consonants, but no strong evidence supports this connection. Fluency in Hadzabe is crucial for identifying community members, and many now also speak Swahili. They hunt big animals using bows and poison arrows, while women gather wild berries, fruits, and roots.
African Wildcats Expeditions organizes walking safaris in the Lake Eyasi area, allowing visitors to meet the Hadzabe and experience traditional hunting practices.
Datoga
Datoga tribe:
Datoga are representatives of the earliest people who came into east Africa from
south east Ethiopia. Traditionally the young men of this tribe would prove
themselves to be a man by killing a Person other than Datoga, or an elephant, lion or
buffalo, which might be used as the base of a Ceremonial headdress along with pelts
of other animals they had killed. We will learn here about the Datoga culture and
they will show us their dance.
Black smith:
The Black-smith are related to Datoga tribe, but are a different division. They will
show us how they Melt metal to make their decoration stuff such as neck coils.
