Lake Eyasi |
Over 100 ethnic groups live in Tanzania. Most of them are more or less "westernized", but a few still live in the traditional way like hundreds of years ago, e.g. the Barabaig and Hadzabe tribes. The Barabaig belong to the Nilotes like the Massai. Both own huge herds of cattle. When wandering in search of water and grass the warriors of the tribe protect the herds from lions and hyenas. |
The young Massai men are responsible for the cattle, from the birth of a calf to the slaughter of an animalfor food. Every 7 to 10 years the circumcision ceremony takes place. The young men between 15 and 23 will become warriors. They move around in small groups and colour their faces with white paint as a sign of their new rank. |
We drive through the bush, anxiously waiting for things to come. We intend to find the blacksmith of the Barabaig tribe but nobody knows exactly of his whereabouts. After some time back and forth through the bush, we hear a metallic "pling. pling". That must be him. Behind the bushes, from outside almost invisible, is the workshop of the blacksmith. The fire is kept going with a pair of bellows made of animal skins. |
They have no own possessions except the bow and arrow they hunt with. They tie hairs from the hunted animals to the bow. The men construct their own arrows. The arrowheads, which are used for larger and more dangerous creatures, get prepared with a highly poisonous liquid prepared from a specific plant. |