CULTURAL TOURS
LAKE EYASI ( HADZABE AND DATOOGA)
Lake Eyasi is the shallow soda lake located to the east of Ngorongoro Conservation Area and to the south west of Lake Manyara National Park , is home to one of the most fascinating culture tours – a visit to the Hadzabe and Datooga tribes.
DATOOGA
The DATOOGA are pastoralists who have also turned to some agriculture. They are very isolated tribe , resisting outside influence and education. Only 5% speaks Swahili and their literacy is at 1%.
They are skilled craftsman and are experts at melting scrap metal and molding arrows and knives which they trade with the Hadzabe tribe .
Outside of this interaction , they are not friendly tribe towards outsiders typically but will welcome your visit with a local guide.
In the past young Datooga warrior would improve their status by killing an outsider. Fortunately this no longer is the case , they are a shy tribe but when escorted by a local guide , welcomes visitors .
HADZABE
The HADZABE are one of the last true hunter – gatherer tribes left in the world. They love and cherish their lifestyle , and have completely rejected government attempts to assimilate them into modern society . Free houses and schools were left abandoned as they quickly returned to their traditional lifestyle.
They are very opportunistic , hunting anything with bow and arrow from mice to giraffe , with baboon being their favored prey . For larger prey they use poison tipped arrows .
Their lifestyle is very primitive and temporary to the extent that if a larger animal such as a giraffe is killed , the whole family move to the kill site rather than bring the animal to the camp , since their huts of sticks , mud and leaves can be built in few hours .
They are expert at gathering wild honey and foraging for edible roots and berries . You can accompany them on a hunt , learn how to make fire without matches , compare your archery skills and join them in dance . They are very friendly tribe .
MAASAI TRIBE
MAASAI TRIBE is a semi – nomadic , pastoral indigenous tribe whose ancestral territory stretches across southern Kenya and northern Tanzania . Larger number of their communities still lives within the bounds of popular game preserves – including Maasai Mara , Ngorongoro and Amboseli .
Maasai culture is centered around the belief that God (Engai in Maasai language) created cattle mainly for them , and they are the only owners of all cattle in the world .
Cows play an important role in Maasai daily life , as well as being the primary source of income .
Families and clans establish alliances through the exchange of cattle and consuming the meat and milk of cows is considered a sacred act , one that binds them to their creator .
For hundreds of years long before the official creation of game parks as a means to environmental conservation the Maasai moved and gazed their herds throughout Rift Valley without causing damage to the land or its residents wildlife . They seasonally migrating from one region to another , leaving the land plenty of time to recover.
Traditionally Maasai diet relies on the milk , blood and meat of their livestock , posing no threat to the wild game .
In several decades past , young Maasai men proved themselves as warriors (Morani) with the ritual killing of a lion , using only their iron spears as weapons . Though ritual lion hunting is now outlawed in East Africa, and Maasai will now only kill a lion if it is threatening their livestock .
Maasai dress are very unique in East Africa . The most garment today is a Shuka – a woven , thick cotton blanket usually red with a striped or checked pattern , a blue or black which is worn wrapped around the body . The Shuka replaced the animal skin clothing worn back in the 1960s , made within tribespeople .
The Maasai singing and dancing ceremonies is without doubt the best dancing dance in East Africa. In this jumping dance , young Maasai men has to jump several times straight up in the air , as high as he can while Maasai women are carefully observing . For the young Maasai warrior , dancing means a show of strength and hoping to attract wives .
NOTE that , most of Ricktrackers & safaris itineraries give the option of visiting Maasai communities and learning about their remarkable culture.
