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the hadza, pronounced hadzabe'e, are an ethnic group in central tanzania, living around lake eyasi in the central rift valley. the hadza number less than 1000 and are one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in africa. they are also one of the few tribes that still has a click based language.
the hadza, their way of life, and their land are under threat. the recent eradication of the tsetse fly from their lands has cleared the way for cattle herders, charcoal burners, game hunters, and farmers, who overexploit their water, forest, food, and land. a more recent threat to the hadza, their way of life, and their land came in 2007 when the government of tanzania leased 2,500 square miles of this land to the royal family of the united arab emirates for use as a personal safari playground.
in the spring of 2005, i spent some time with the hadza accompanying them on their morning and evening hunts. waking before dawn, the hadza smoke marijuana and tobacco and then head off in a hunting party of 5 of so males. using bows and arrows, the hadza wander their territory in search of whatever game they can find. while small mammals, monkeys, and birds make up the majority of their diet, baboons and larger mammels such as antelopes or giraffes are also sometimes hunted although these are becoming increasingly rare due to habitate loss and encroachment.