The Impact of Climate Change on Hadzabe of Tanzania


 


 


            The rapidly changing world brings adverse effects on some people


 


particularly in the underdeveloped countries. Technological, economical, political


 


and sociological factors change and poor nations can’t keep up-to-date because


 


they couldn’t afford to have access to such development. However, there are


 


certain groups of people that do not want to be touched by modernity because


 


they are contented with their ancient way of life.


 


            One certain group of indigenous people that sticks to the tradition is the


 


Hadzabe of Tanzania. Hadzabe are hunter-gatherers exploiting a territory south


 


of Ngorongoro, covering a part of Rift Valley and valleys around the Lake Evasi.


 


The area is home to wide array of wildlife and rich source of flora, including the


 


baobab trees which are homes of the bees producing honey that is an important


 


part of Hadzabe’s gastronomy.


 


            The Hadzabe survives using the most ancient way of life. The men hunt


 


wild animals using bow and arrow with poisoned tips. In their customs, a male


 


Hadzabe is only considered as grown up when he has already brought down a


 


lion. While the women do the rest of the work inside the tribe including collecting


 


fruits and roots, gathering wild honey, preparing meat, building camps, cleaning


 


the huts and doing the cooking. They produce fire by rubbing two pieces together


 


until sparks ignite the fire. The Hadzabe are almost territorial, and they don’t


 


have much contact with other people except for some anthropologists and


 


travelers. They want to preserve their traditions and customs to themselves as


 


much as they can, and are already contented as long as they have meat and


 


honey.


 


            However, despite the reserved attitude of the Hadzabe people of


 


Tanzania, their life and tradition is threatened by external, uncontrollable factors


 


such as the climate change.


 


            Tanzania is home to one of the large symbols of climate change, the


 


melting icecap of Mount Kilimanjaro which is projected to lose its permanence by


 


the year 2020 if the rise on temperature continues. If the icecaps of Mount


 


Kilimanjaro continue to melt, its great significance will impact on the temperature


 


change on sensitive forest ecosystem, driving away animals, killing plants and


 


even takes on effect water cycle. The water cycle plays a big role in ecosystem


 


and food chain. Insufficient source of water will drive away animals and dry out


 


plants. It could also bring drought to the Hadzabe.


 


            The abnormal change of seasons also takes toll on the indigenous people.


 


When the wet season comes where rains are hard and typhoons are


 


continuously coming, the Hadzabe are forced to evacuate to caves which are the


 


earlier homes of their ancestors. The animals seek water and vegetation of the


 


plains when the lakes and valley floors become flooded. Thus, the meat is


 


relatively plentiful. But, the hunting game is still not favorable to the Hadzabe due


 


to the wet hunting floors and wild animals are more elusive. Also, the gathering of


 


roots and berries is not easier when rains are continuously dropping off their


 


homelands.


 


            However, in the far longer dry season which gets longer and drier due to


 


global warming, the food becomes scarcer. The animals drive away to lands


 


where water and food are available, leaving the hunters to chase after them and


 


resulting to longer hunting expedition. The plant resources are also harder to


 


come by. Thus, the Hadzabe have to struggle with hunger until the hunting and


 


gathering finally pay off.


 


             But, one of the adversities the Hadzabe faces now is the plan of buying


 


their homelands to be private hunting grounds of wealthy Arab princes. The


 


Tanzanian government seemingly supports the eviction of the indigenous tribes,


 


obviously because of large sum of money offered to the destitute East African


 


country. The eviction would wipe out the tradition and existence of Hadzabe of


 


Tanzania.


 


            Hadzabe people had survived for thousands of years using their own way


 


of life. They are known for tremendous resilience and adaptability, preserving


 


their traditions and customs under difficult environmental conditions and


 


indifferent political climate. What the government has to do is let the Hadzabe


 


perpetuate their way of life, because even ancient simplicity of lifestyle teaches a


 


huge amount in terms of technological, environmental and existential arts of


 


sustainability.


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


References:


Malone, Andrew, Face to face with Stone Age man: The Hadzabe tribe of Tanzania, July 2007, http://www.dailymail.co.uk


Prendergast, Kate, Adapt or Die? The Hadzabe Hunter-Gatherers of Tanzania and the Art of Survival in the Modern World, http://www.islamonline.net


 


Climate Change in Tanzania, March 2009, http://uk.oneworld.net


 


 


 


 

 



Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com



0 comments:

Post a Comment

 
Top