Visits to indigenous peoples, at the heart of the Black ContinentAbout the wisdom of the place

Africa is inhabited by populations that have survived eversince human civilization was born. Remains and historical traceshave been found here dating back two million years.

Over the time, local people have tried to transform andspiritualize the things they found in nature. At first, they wouldfeed on plants and the remains of the animals’ prey, but graduallyagriculture and crafts emerged; their first tools were rathercrude, but nowadays Africans make quite elaborate objects.

The areas where authentic culture has been preserved untiltoday are true enclaves of spirituality.

All natural resources are put to use by the natives. Peoplelive in perfect harmony with nature, and respect it reverently,almost religiously. Animals are worshipped through variousceremonies, and a lot of plants are used for therapeutic purposes.

Children grow up venerating their family, with older siblingstaking care of their younger siblings and, usually, participatingequally in the domestic duties as the parents go to work.

The Hadzabe people“The Soul of Dawn” (this is what the Hadza people call Planet

Jupiter) was shining in the sky in a somehow eerie manner, as ifmisshapen, laying a flitting veil over the bushes teeming withstrange noises – monkey screams, unheard birds’ crowing, thumpingand splashing sounds…–, in a whitish, somewhat porous light, whichmade the shadows appear to vibrate… It’s late at night and I cannotsleep in the tent that has now become stifling. I woke up to changemy T-shirt. This time, a chilly wetness, difficult to describe inwords, sends shivers down my spine… Only now can I realize that Iam in the midst of a world the existence of which I was not evenaware of. I have read vague stories about it in various books or onthe Internet… However, in reality it is much more shocking! Athick, TB-suggesting cough echoes from the kitchen tent.

Now it is those cooks who are my only link with thepalpableness of the world we are coming from. When I walked intothe hamlet of Barbeig (apparently, it sounds somewhat SF, doesn’tit? Makes you think of “cyborg “… or something like that…), after

four hours’ endless jolting along potholed roads, through never-before-encountered exotic bushes, through clouds of dust and tall,harsh, withered grasses, I felt like… I went through the timetunnel. Just like that, in a jiffy! I do not get scared so easilywhen things suddenly change, and I don’t usually panic, but ithappened so suddenly, and in such a totally unexpected way!

Three rather short men with glass-like eyes, so lean that theylook more like skin-covered skeletons, dressed only in pants, andfollowed closely by a lad with agile movements (the only tribesmanwearing some sort of light leather breasplate over his chest, andcarrying on his shoulder a slender wooden bow decorated here andthere with pieces of animal hide, complete with tufts of hair),carefully prepare their cane arrows, dipping their tip into amixture of blackish, tar-coloured paste, then bend them firmly andlet them straighten back gently, and then put them away on theground tidily. The guide explains to us only, just lowering hisvoice, that those are not poisoned arrows, they are simplyharmless… That i show they live – hunting birds and small animals…The rest of the diet: mere herbs, roots and vegetables… They havenever seen a doctor (I was thinking of the cough I had heard comingfrom the cooks’ tent – tuberculosis is hardly a spectacular diseasehere, where there are biting mosquitoes and tzetze flies aplenty,and where there are frequent cases of fever, yellow fever, malariaand tropical infections unknown to us!); the man who solves allproblems is the shaman… Every now and then, the older man withthick lips and heavy stubby hands stoops and busily puffs atsomething…

The lad wearing a string of beads round his neck and abreastplate made of animal skin is strumming on a musicalinstrument similar to a lute or a Romanian cobză, made from somesort of big calabash. The sharp little sounds arch round the gut ofthe strings for a short instant, then go out rolling and vibratingin the air… It’s an old “song”, an ancient incantation, the crispsounds of which are repeated obsessively, immersing the trio in akind of trance, especially when they puff at their pipe filled withhallucinogenic powders…

To my right, on a scruffy antelope hide full of dust therelies a young man whom I thought was ill. I was then told that itwas their usual position, drowsy after they are under the influenceof the hallucinogenic state induced by inhaling those powders…

The arrows are continuously spinning in the tar-colouredmixture lying in the dust. The improvised lute is ceaselesslythrumming, the short men are speaking a language of their own,which is unlike anything I’ve heard before… They just talk and

puff! Only our guide can say a word or two in the guttural tonguecalled Hadzabe. Amazed, my colleagues keep taking pictures andfilming everything they see.

The thrumming of the African lute has stopped, and I try totake advantage of this moment of silence to examine the placesuperficially – in spite of myself, my glance stops on a roundball-like shelter, “built” from a bunch of twigs and frail branchescovered with broad leaves – it is the little shelter protectingthem against the scorching rays of the sun at noon, which can be soruthlessly torrid! Radiation is very strong here, just 300kilometres from the equator. The “hut” is cobbled togetherclumsily, with the leaves thrown awry over a few dry twigs tiedtogether at the top with young vines to stop the whole contraptionfrom falling apart, and inside it an animal hide is throwncarelessly – indeed, the most comfortable chair in theneighbourhood…

A woman comes and takes curious, peeping glances at us. Comingfrom very close by, where the shelters of the Hadzabe clan are, thenoise of a whimpering child echoes, disturbing a bit the calmprocedure of the little people around us who are preparing theirarrows. The dog, weak and emaciated, which has gone unnoticed untilthen, tries for a moment to rise to his feet, rather reluctantly itseems, then he lies back, leaning on his hind legs. He raises hisears, attentive to the bushes…

Suddenly, without a word, the youngest of three Bushmen grabsthe bow and rushes towards the bushes. The dog follows on hissteps, then I join them, trying to keep up the pace with them. Manand animal are slinking with lithe movements among the bushes thatI bypass with more difficulty, trying to protect my camera. Lad outnoises like a bird’s cry, stops briefly, then starts again… “Now weare going see how a Bushmen’s hunting party is…”, I hear my fellowscoming after me, and I wonder if we are going to see somethinglive; I desperately wanted, I was so eager to see a true huntinghappening, but if I find it hard to believe that we could seesomething for real such as we are, the whole bunch edgily keen onwatching and filming everything that moves among the bushes.Honestly, I haven’t seen too much, to say the elast…

Some birds… a starving dog that kept scurrying about, and thescrawny lad who had hurried up every time he thought he sawsomething after launching his strange whistling calls. At once, thetall boy paused, leaning on one knee, and then, very agile and sureof himself, he bent his bow with tufts of animal leather and hairs,throwing one single arrow. I had no time to see, to hear, or tofilm anything! It all happened so quickly! The dog suddenly rushedtowards the bushes where the arrow had flown into the bushes andthe boy quickly followed suit. In seconds, I could see him comingback with the arrow which now pierced the small trophy : a ball oflifeless fluffy feathers and a trail of fresh blood on the varnishof the cane… He had spiked a small bird the size of a sparrow,whose long tail resembled that of a magpie; its head was hanginglimply, and its lifeless gleamed like two glass beads. The arrowhad penetrated through the chest, and its tip was dripping withfresh blood… I simply cannot see living creatures being killed, andthat bird with its head hanging over the trail of blood made meweak in the knees. I know that people here don’t have very much to

support themselves and they have to kill to survive, but the imageitself was terrifying. When I saw them pluck the bird immediately,and the whole bunch enjoy the prey like mere beasts of the forest,when I saw them hang the little skeletons in the small twigs of thebushes in front of their houses, beside antelope horns and suchother “trophies”…, when I realized how these people live… I havefinally managed to understand that whole ages of history andcultural tradition separate us…

…I think we should be happy that we were born in a corner ofEurope, that we have an ancient cultural matrix, which we shouldalways identify ourselves with, and that we have a long tradition,much developed if compared to that in other areas…

Currently, the Hadzabe population of the village of Barbeigare barely 1,500. They live isolated, among the shrubbery scatteredall over the swamps in the areas west and south of Lake Eyasi andin Yaeda Valley, to the east, across the Mbulu hills. Some of themalso inhabit parts of the area north of Yaeda and around the townof Mang’ola. During the rainy season they leave their rickety huts,going across the whole southern part of the lake, and migrate northtowards the Serengeti Plateau.

At the beginning of the dry season, they return around LakeEyasi and build again their rough-and-ready huts from tree branchesand leaves. They live by hunting (especially birds and smallanimals), which is their main source of food; they also eat berriesand honey. Although the Tanzanian authorities have tried somestrategies and measures were taken to bring them to urban areas andto convince them to adjust to a civilized lifestyle, it was foundthey cannot be subjected to a forced social integration programme.Currently the Hadzabe (generally known as the “Bushmen”) are theonly population in Tanzania that is exempt from state taxes. Theterritories they inhabit are increasingly threatened as a result ofthe severe drought that is ever more present around Lake Eyasi,with devastating consequences – the decline of animal populations,the disappearance of many species of plants, food becoming scarce,the danger of spreading diseases. The territories west of LakeEyasi have become private hunting reserves, and inside such areasthe ethnic Hadza were forbidden to do what they have been expert atdoing ever since they could remember: hunt!

Yaeda Valley, long uninhabited due to the massive presence ofthe tzetze fly, is now increasingly occupied by the cattlemen ofthe Datoga tribe. Datoga tribes, who are much better organizedsocially, having a long, well-established shepherding tradition,affected the small Hadza communities by their presence, so thelatter were forced to withdraw from the territories they haveinhabited for thousands of years. Datoga are herdsmen andshepherds, and the excessive grazing (by their sheep, andespecially goats) has led to the disappearance of bushes and the

decrease in the areas where the ethnic Hadza used to get theirberries and game.

The people in the town of Mang’ola produce a lot of onions,which they direct towards the local markets. Mang’ola has attractedlabour, and there has been a massive phenomenon of immigration. Ifin the 1984 census only 2,000 citizens were registered, in 2004their number rose to 38,000, reaching 50,000 in 2008, withdevastating socio-cultural results; the Hadzabe people began to beconsidered more as a tourist attraction, especially after the 2001documentaries released by PBS and BBC. They began to value moneyand alcohol (like the Masai, the Hadzabe did not know of alcoholicbeverages), and the cases of TB infection have increased.

A comprehensive genetic analysis of Hadza ethnic groupsreveals the presence of four major haplogroups, with several sub-groups, interrelated genetically, whose characteristics indicatetheir kinship with the populations of Mbuti and Baka pygmies (up to 52% ), and also with another group known as Ju’hoansi, speakers of thenorthern variant of the Khoisan language. Haplogroup Elbla, whichis quite large (30% of ethnic recorded and studied) shows geneticcharacteristics common with the Bantu population, with which theyhave probably interbred.

In 2007, the local government controlling the territories inYaeda Valley area, ceded 6,500 km2 to the royal family Al Nahyan ofthe United Arab Emirates, to be used as a personal hunting ground,so that both populations living in the area – the Hadzabe and theDatoga – have literally been expelled by force. The few ethnicHadza who opposed the expulsion were shot, which aroused vehementcritical comments in the press, until all this unusual situationwas clarified and the agreement with the royal clan was permanentlyrevoked.

Currently, the Tanzanian government seems to have had recourseto a compromise. Although state authorities forbid hunting inprotected areas, it was nevertheless concluded that the Hadzabepopulation represents a very special case, and that ethnic group isalmost extinct, so it should be protected by law, thereby allowingthe remaining ethnic population to go on leading their life intheir traditional style, being considered an enclave ofcivilization and culture unlike any other.

The Hadzabe have a social organization completely differentfrom all other tribes in Tanzania. Basically, there is no tribalhierarchy, so they don’t recognize the authority of a leader, andthe group is based on a voluntary agreement, each assumingdifferent roles in the community. Groups are each divided into 20-30 individual bands, known as “camps”. Being nomads, they have fewassets to defend, and in case of conflict one of the gangsvoluntarily accepts to move to another camp. Sometimes a camp cancomprise over 100 members, especially during the season when theypick berries. In general, campgrounds shift due to migration causedby alternating dry and rainy seasons, so that Hadza families willalways travel between at least two camps in keeping with theweather and food sources. This is by no means difficult because theshelters that they build, in a very rudimentary manner, can beraised in a few hours, and what little personnal property and dailynecessity items they possess (including children and some smallpets) can be carried on the back during migration. The camp is

totally deserted when someone is ill or dies – their ancestralbeliefs associate the evil caused by disease with the place wherethe illness occurred, so they will never come to that place again,because they consider it taboo.

The Hadzabe feed on small animals or birds nestling in thebushes, which they hunt very expertly. Even young children havebows to match their size, and prove great skill in handling thearrows. During the time when berries are ripe they go out pickingfruit or gathering roots that can be found in abundance in the LakeEyasi area throughout the dry season.

If a member of the Hadza hunting party happens to kill a largeanimal, for example an antelope or giraffe, they will all changethe location of the camp, temporarily installing it at the veryplace where the animal was killed until “the supply” of food ends.The small animals they kill are brought back to the camp, althoughHadzabes quite frequently eat as they hunt some animal during theirhunting “raids”. Also, if they can find fruit in abundance, theyfeed while they walk, and only after they have had their fill dothey start gathering food to bring to camp.

When going out picking out women are usually organized inlarger groups – compulsorily accompanied by at least one man – andbring back fruit from the forest such as berries, as well as honeyor baobab fruit. Men only go hunting in twos, and only during thedry season, when there is game, so their food is based almostexclusively on meat. To get it, they can sometimes spend wholenights lying in wait near the watering holes where they knowanimals come to drink water. To hunt larger animals, they use theirbows and poisoned arrows. The poison is obtained from the branchesof a bush called Adenium coetaneum. Occasionally, during the hunt,the men can take their dogs with them, although in 80% of the casesthis does not happen.

During the rainy season their diet is mostly vegetable,consisting of freshly picked berries from the bushes, honey, tubersof plants, baobab fruit, and also very little meat. The groups eatwhat they can get – sometimes fruit- and honey-based food prevails,but there are times when some Hadza groups rely more on tubers,while others prefer game… There is no specific rule, everythingdepends on the “offer” and the preference of the moment…

Women use their own “technology” to procure food: they needsmall tools such as knives or small spatulas as (or else, theysimply use small sticks!) in order to dig into the ground, and theycarry these tools in a leather bag or sheath they keep hung attheir necks. Also, to bring the fruit to the camp, they make smallbaskets they weave from plant leaves, and when they dig out tubersthey put on a kind of leather sandals to protect themsleves.

Men take their axes, knives, bows and arrows (poisoned or not,depending on the prey), and small pots to collect honey… Forprotective purposes they use leather footwear and shields, whichare made from leather too.

There is, apparently, a kind of “division of labour” – womengather wild fruit, tubers and greens, while men bring home honey,meat and baobab fruit.

Like many of the populations of hunters, the Hadzabe aremonogamous. Monogamy is not a status imposed by social criteria,but rather freely consented, and partner selection is largely basedon physical attractiveness (symmetry, physique, voice inflection),and also the appraisal of a set of features related to theirhunting tradition: skill, diligence, or qualities that evince anhonest character, such as honour.

Epilogue to a story lived far from the madding crowd

In Africa families tend to be rather numerous, but Africans donot usually live oppressed by the stress of poverty. In general,they realize they can get the bare minimim by work, and turn toaccount the resources associated with their households.

Any trip to Africa is an adventure. An adventure involvingrisks, which are incurred during both the travel itself, and thesearch and discovery of traditions or rituals that Africans cherishin a special way, and sometimes even prefer to associate with thestatus of taboo activities. The joy of knowing and furtherdeepening the knowledge of a culture different from that we wereborn in, discovering regions with amazing populations we used toknow nothing about, admiring the sceneries of unparalleledgreatness, the visits to areas with a fascinating historical andcultural heritage, these are just some of the reasons that urge usto voyage to horizons that were left almost untouched bycivilization, noise and pollution…