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
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