Lake Eyasi - a Visit with the Bushmen

After several days of birds and animals, we had a change of pace and went to Lake Eyasi where several tribes live including the Hudzabe or Bushmen tribe and the neighbouring Datoga tribe. The drive was rough again but in a different way- very dusty and dry with big potholes and a sand base. We went to the bottom of the Rift Valley near the Serengeti Plateau where it is hot and dry.

We picked up a guide/translator who guided us to the village and explained how the Hadzabe bushmen live. They are one of the last remaining hunter-gatherers in Africa and live solely on the land in the Lake Eyasi area, just as people lived during the Stone Age for thousands of years.

With less than 1000 Hadzabe people, very little has changed in their way of life. They spend their days hunting and foraging for food, setting up camp for a few weeks in one location and then moving on. Hadzabe live off the land – they have no livestock or a permanent site they call home.

The Hadzabe don’t have a close connection to other Tanzanian tribes. They’ve been living in the same region for a few thousand years, surviving in an area that other tribes found to be infertile and inhabitable. Because they survive almost exclusively on the meat they hunt and kill, they are the only tribe that has permission to hunt game in the area where they live. They are however not allowed to hunt in any of the big game reserves or national parks.

The world the Hadzabe live in is completely without any modern conveniences. They are a skilled people, who hunt and forage what they can from the land in the rainy and dry seasons and adjust their diet accordingly.

The concept of counting is foreign to them and there are no numbers in their vocabulary. They have no written history, instead relying on their own words to pass stories and memories on from one generation to the next. Nor do they use a calendar or clock to track the passing of days or time.

The language is unique, known as a “clicking” language.

The group we visited had about 30 people in their group and they were very friendly, greeting us by fist bumping and wanting to show us their various arrows and beadwork. The men were around one fire when we came and the women were in another area with the kids.

We went on a walk following the hunters with their bows and arrows and were impressed with their shooting skills. One guy shot a sunbird, the size of a hummingbird, that was up in a tree. It got caught in the branches and he threw a stone accurately to dislodge it. He showed us to us and put it in his pocket. Not sure how much meat was in it…

As you will see, their homes are just simple stick houses that are easy to build and take down. They live a nomadic life so houses are not permanent.

I had made 10 simple hand puppets that we gave to the kids, showing them how to manipulate them. They loved them and so did the adults, men as well as women.

The toothbrushes were a hit too.

The guide told us that they really don’t work, just hunt. But if they get any money, they buy local gin, cigarettes and marijuana. They hunt in the morning and then laze around all day.

It would be interesting to learn more about how they live.Read more