The Hadza, a Hunting and Gathering Group
The Hadza have been around for thousands of years, and they have not transformed from the original group. There are about 1000 Hadza left. Close to 300 to 400 Hadza live as a hunting and gathering group just as their ancestors have for tens of thousands of years. They are the last hunting and gathering group in Africa. The Hadza are not closely related to any particular group of people. They have been associated with a branch of the Khoisan people because their language consists clicks. They are actually much closer related to the Pygmies. The Hadza language is independent and unrelated to any language in the world. Due to their lifestyle, the Hadza must move around a lot. They need to find a new herd of animals to hunt as well as find a place that hasn’t had its berries and fruits picked over. They typically don’t grow food, and therefore need to keep on the move to provide for the tribe.
Many Anthropologists are interested in the Hadza because they believe that they are what they call a “living fossil.” They don’t think that the Hadza have changed much since there ancestors 10,000 years ago. About two million years ago, 99% of the time everyone lived as hunters-gatherers. Once animals were domesticated and agriculture was figured out, people were able to stay in a fixed location instead of moving around all of the time. This flooded the hunting and gathering group out and the numbers started to dwindle. Soon villages were formed, then cities, and then nations. Although with the adoption of agriculture, it introduced disease epidemics, social status, and world wars. Today only a few primarily hunter-gatherer groups remain across the world. It seems as though they have had it right all along. The Hadza don’t engage in warfare, there aren’t enough people in the tribe to spread an infectious disease. There is evidence that when another tribes’ crops failed, they came to live with the Hadza because their source of food was so continual.
There is no set schedule
Many Anthropologists are interested in the Hadza because they believe that they are what they call a “living fossil.” They don’t think that the Hadza have changed much since there ancestors 10,000 years ago. About two million years ago, 99% of the time everyone lived as hunters-gatherers. Once animals were domesticated and agriculture was figured out, people were able to stay in a fixed location instead of moving around all of the time. This flooded the hunting and gathering group out and the numbers started to dwindle. Soon villages were formed, then cities, and then nations. Although with the adoption of agriculture, it introduced disease epidemics, social status, and world wars. Today only a few primarily hunter-gatherer groups remain across the world. It seems as though they have had it right all along. The Hadza don’t engage in warfare, there aren’t enough people in the tribe to spread an infectious disease. There is evidence that when another tribes’ crops failed, they came to live with the Hadza because their source of food was so continual.
There is no set schedule
Bibliography: Jones, Steve. University College London. 2007. Web. "Live Planet Report." World Wide Fund for Nature (2006). Print. Pimentel, David. Cornell University. 2009. Web. February 25, 2010 GEO 201 A