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While in Tanzania, a couple of people from African American Travelers and myself got up early in the morning to visit the Hadzabe Tribe to see how they hunt and their survival skills.
The Hadzabe Tribe is from Northern Tanzania near Lake Eyasi. The population is less than 1,000 people. They are considered one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in Africa. As nomads, the Hadzabe don't stay in one spot. They move around frequently to find food and water holes.
The Hadzabe use a bow and arrow to hunt for food. It looks easy to use the bow and arrow, but it's actually difficult. I watched the Hadzabe men tighten their bows and sharpen their arrows for an early morning hunt.
The Hadzabe men go out early in the morning to hunt. They spend hours, sometimes days, hunting for food to feed their family. They can hunt better at night; that's when large animals come out. The Hadzabe diet is predominately plant-based but also consists of meat, fat, and honey.
While the men hunt, women tend to their children, making beads and jewelry, and occasionally find honey.
I was excited to follow and watch how the Hadzabe men hunt. We followed them for a couple of hours. I didn't know what to expect on this amazing adventure.
The arrow that the Hadzabe men use to hunt has poison on the tip of the spear that is made from the branches of the shrub Adenium coetaneum. There is no leader or chief of the Hadzabe tribe, but this hunter with the animal skin and colorful beads hit every target with his bow and arrow. He was five for five.
The Hadzabe tribe survives on the meat that they hunt and kill. They are the only tribe that has permission to hunt in the area where they live.
When this Hadzabe hunter hits its prey, it is still alive, he bites the neck to kill it. WARNING!!! THE VIDEOS MAY CONTAIN IMAGES THAT MAY BE DISTURBING!!!
After several hours of hunting, the Hadzabe men started a fire to cook the meat. In the video below, the Hadzabe men using a language that has a clicking sound. In order for us to communicate with the hunters, we had a translator with us.
The only reason I ate the meat was that my roommate ate it first, lol. It tasted pretty good. It tastes like chicken, lol.
On our way back to the tribe, I was able to get a good look at the huts. They are made of bushes and branches that are draped and interwoven. Large sticks are used to put in the ground to maintain the foundation of the hut.
When I got back to the village, the Hadzabe men showed us how they practice with their bow and arrow. I tried several times to hit the target in front of me, and it was an EPIC FAIL, lol. It takes a lot of skill and practice. The Hadzabe fathers teach their sons at an early age to hunt using a bow and arrow.
Spending my morning watching the Hadzabe men hunt, learning the culture and how to use a bow and arrow is an experience I will never forget.
