Us, certain in the knowledge that their gathering of foodĪlone could sustain us.

Subordinate to the men, our women stand proud beside Unlike many African tribes where the women are Hadzabe man having a quiet time after hunting Scientist have agreed that an ancient homo sapien may have evolved from these people (watch this video !) Most of them live around Lake Eyasi, much as their ancestors have for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.

There are only just under 1000 Hadzabe left. The Hadzabe are the last functioning hunter-gatherers in Africa. Living lightly on the land, consuming only what they need, the Hadza have suffered neither the agony of deprivation nor the bitter conflicts caused by surplus.' Yet this small community of some 300 indigenous inhabitants found along most of the perimeter of Lake Eyasi in the Great Rift Valley in present-day Tanzania, where we as a species evolved, has managed to sustain a way of life that has prevailed for thousands of years. And even more so in a world where relentless ‘progress’ and limited resources have extinguished so many traditional cultural practices. They have lost between 75 percent and 90 percent of their land over the past 50 years.The very existence of the Hadza people of East Africa the last true hunter-gatherer foragers in Africa is an astonishing phenomenon at best. Genetically, the Hadza show one of the oldest lineages of contemporary humans.Ĭontemporary settlements and farming practices currently threaten the lifestyle of the Hadza. This is relatively close to the spot where Homo habilis, one of the earliest hominids, lived 1.9 million years ago. According to their own history, which they preserve through oral tradition, the Hadza have lived in their current environment bordering the Serengeti plains since their first days as a unique group.

The Hadza speak a unique language known as Hadzane, which incorporates clicking and popping sounds as well as more familiar sounds. They create temporary shelters of dried grass and branches, and they own few possessions. The Hadza diet is primarily plant-based but also consists of meat, fat, and honey. The Hadza survive by hunting their food with hand-made bows and arrows and foraging for edible plants. The Hadza remain an important study focus for anthropologists, as they represent a modern link to ways of human existence and survival largely abandoned by most of humanity.Īs a hunter-gatherer society, the Hadza have no domesticated livestock, nor do they grow or store their own food. Their native homeland includes the Eyasi Valley and nearby hills. They are considered one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in Africa with approximately 1,300 tribe members. The Hadza are a modern hunter-gatherer people living in northern Tanzania.

African tribes 2 million years ago