Being born and raised in Dar es Salaam, I used to hear stories about the Hadzabe and Datoga communities and some seemed so out of touch with my reality to even imagine how it will be like to actually be there physically. Initially, I didn’t know what to expect from the visit.
Seeing and experiencing a glimpse of their ways of life was a fascinating feeling for me, as I am comfortable with urban living.
For instance, the Hadzabe system of marriage i.e. only marrying inside their tribe to keep their culture intact or their art of bead making which are mostly worn by men. I also observed their way of ruling, where the leader is not a boss and is ALWAYS with his people leading by example, eating natural food (eating anything that is moving and studying what is safe for them by watching what birds eat). Their hunting process… let’s just say that if you are not fit, you may struggle to keep up.
They had to stop and wait for us several times because they sensed they were walking too fast for us to keep up with them.
For the Datoga, their skills as blacksmiths where they create jewellery by recycling metal objects such as nails, their designing skills where they handmake clothes from animal skin, and their way of tattooing which left me wondering just how women managed to finish the design with such amount pain.
These are just a few examples, I hope through my artwork, you will get to experience a part of my encounter with the Hadzabe and Datoga indigenous people.