Wednesday 16 November 2011

The Hadza Land

"...The hunt. Want something to eat? Get up, grab a bow and look for yourself.

We follow four hunters moving fast through the bush. Red soil, dry river bed, shapeless baobabs. When passing the baobabs, they look up for fruit, which they try to knock off by throwing branches. Creeping under the trees, they are watching for birds. Small, colourful bodies, hit by an arrow, end up under the hunter's belt.

Hunting is exclusively for men. With bow and string twisted from animal tendons the Hadza are able to hunt any animal, from a small bird that is almost impossible to hit, to a giraffe or buffalo. They don't scorn anything, except snakes and hyenas. Baboons are regarded as the greatest delicacy. A precisely aimed wooden arrow with a head made of hammered nail, dipped in the sap of Adenium (called desert rose), can kill an animal the size of zebra in minutes.

This hectic trek is long and exhausting, we weave all the time, and I quickly lose sense of direction. Finally, one of the Hadza gets an owl. A beautiful bird is still alive, looking at us with fading eyes. This trophy ends the hunting, it's time for breakfast. We watch the ceremony of lighting the fire again. A few minutes later small bodies of birds roast over the fire. Hunters, with hair decorated with the birds' feathers, start the feast, clicking and slurping with no signs of embarrassment..."


















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