We believe thecultural diversity of Tanzania is one of its greatest strengths. By meeting and
understanding people whose views and values are very different from your own,
you acquire new insights and perspectives that change your attitudes towards
them, towards yourself, and the entire world. This new depth of perception and
wisdom opens new horizons, opportunities, and flexibility in your future
choices. You may travel to Africa to learn more about her wildlife, but through
her people, you will learn more about yourself. This may well be the most
valuable and lasting aspect of your safari with the tribal people of Tanzania.
Over120 Tribes, Few Still Authentic
There are more than120 different ethnic groups in Tanzania that have migrated over many centuries’
pastoralist Nilotic from the Sudan, nomadic, cattle-herding Cushite from
Ethiopia, hunter-gatherer Khoisan from the Kalahari, agriculturalist
metal-working Bantu from West Africa, and Arabian, Indian and Anglo immigrants.
All these groups displaced, conquered, or assimilated each other over thousands
of years to form the present Tanzanian population. Each of these groups had
differentiated traditional religions, social practices, rituals, customs, art,
music, and dance.
Riseof Swahili culture
The tribalcommunities of Tanzania wished to preserve and protect its identity and to pass
on to its children the values that have preserved it throughout generations.
However, with greater interactions, most tribes have been adopting practices of
each other hence moving towards a now popular Swahili culture.
This is how ithappens, young children are taken to schools outside their communities where
they meet other children from elsewhere hence they interact with each other in
Swahili and adopt a more common culture, examples over 20 years ago everyone
could speak his/her native language meaning all 120 different tribesmen could
speak their native language but over the years’ millennials only speak
Kiswahili and the English, this is same to other practices and customs
However, few tribesare still authentic to their ways which have made them popular in and out of
the country, Example the Masai & bushmen tribes are known all over the
world in fact they are more popular than many countries in Africa. With globalization,
development activities, and increased interactions we can’t say for how long
these tribesmen will stay loyal to their practices these practices are dated
ages back so if you are having a chance to visit them there is quite a few you
could learn.
Tanzania’spopular & authentic tribesmen
Maasai Tribe:
Maasai Tribe is oneof the most Popular Tribes in Tanzania and in Africa because of its
extraordinary culture. They are set apart visually by their bright red robes.
Despite their interactions with the outside world, they have somehow managed to
keep their traditions and customs intact. The tribe still practices their
age-old customs.
This tribe is alsofamous due to living close to many premier National Parks in East Africa where
they have had some minor clashes with predators who sometimes hunt down their
cattle but with clashes only restricted to predators who have preyed on their
livestock we can say they have a peaceful coexistence with these wild animals
if we consider what people elsewhere have done.
Those who fight lionsthat have preyed on their livestock are considered warriors in their
communities given the risks involved with many Masai men getting injured and
few deaths. However, with animals going extinct an intervention by the
government made it illegal for Masai men to attack lions.
Note: To Masai cows are the single most importantpossession of their lives and come before everything else. According to them if
a man is owning a good number of cattle and children then he is respected and
considered wealthy.
On the NorthernSafari Circuit of Tanzania, the Maasai can mostly be seen near the Ngorongoro
region of Tanzania, where Over 40,000 of them live.
Tip: best to visit as a detour or stop on yournorthern circuit safari.
History;
If you look back at thehistory of the Maasai Tribe, they originated from the Lake Turkana region, of
Northern Kenya.
During the 15thCentury BC, these tribal people started migrating toward the southern part of
Tanzania near the borders of Kenya. So, currently, they can be found in
Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania.
Culture;
Making, andmaintaining the traditional rules and regulations of the whole tribe is handled
by the elders who are in charge of making sure that the rules and regulations
are followed by their people. The Maasai culture is predominantly patriarchal,
their belief is monotheistic. Their deity is called Engai who has dual nature.
Maasai Songs arecomposed of love for their leader, god, and nature. The music for these songs
is taken from the harmonies and sorrow. Their music is so melodic that you will
just be lost in it while on Tanzania Safari.
HadzabeTribe:
Hadzabe who arehunter-gathers is one of the most distinct tribes of all because their style of living is quite different from others and they are also not closely related to
any other people genetically. Their history and culture are rooted in the
earth. These tribal people will make you remember the early humans on earth.
For over 50,000 yearsthese tribal people have been living in Tanzania. But the strange fact about
them is, only several hundred have survived and can still be found in Northern
Tanzania.
Over the years,little has changed in their way of life, so they still live in the same way
hunting wild animals and gathering wild fruits with no permanent shelters.
Hadzabe people use bow and arrow to track.
Habitat;
The surrounding spaceof the Hadzabe Tribe is filled with bones, skulls, and skins of animals. They
make their living by hunting animals.
The Hadzabe tribe hasbeen migrating from one place to another near the rift valley of Tanzania. They
mostly live near water bodies and feed on birds and big and small animals.
Culture;
According to HadzabeCulture, there are no rules and regulations, whatever they say is a rule for
the time.
Mostly they spendtheir free time dancing and singing with each other. The adult males go for a
hunt while the females take care of babies and make ornaments.
Datoga is pastoralistNilotic people, like the Maasai they were also breeding cattle in the past but
now they are subsistence farmers. In Swahili, the Datogas is also known as
Mang’ati which means agro people.
These tribal peopleare divided into 10 subtribes, and all can be found near the Lake Eyasi, Lake
Basutu, and Singida regions of Tanzania. The pastoral Barabaig are the
best-known sub-tribe of the Datoga people.
History;
Concerning history,the Datoga tribe has reconstructed the past by following its ancient rules and
regulations. These tribes were living in Tanzania for more than 3000 years and
currently, there are more than a million Datoga people.
Habitat;
They mostly can befound in the highlands of Tanzania near the Great Plains of Serengeti. They
mostly live near the regions of Lake Manyara in central Tanzania.
Datoga believes thatthey are the oldest tribe of all that survived in the land of Tanzania. They
make themselves the supreme people of all with maximum knowledge of history.
Culture;
The Datoga peoplefollow the ancient culture of following the soil they live. It’s being said
that their soil is reddish colored so they make and wear the same colored dress
and ornaments.
Moreover, there isanother thing that makes them different from other tribes is their body
tattooing and face painting.
Thingsyou can do or learn on a visit to a Masai or bushmen village
Ethnic groups andthere are plenty of cultural practices to learn, traditional foods to try, and
fun conversations to partake in. You can expect to join and participate in
traditional dances and songs
There is then theopportunity to learn about some of the customary practices, such as fire-making
or beadwork, and to speak to the villagers in their homes. Questions are very
welcome – with your guide happy to interpret as necessary. It is worth noting
that it can be quite smoky in the houses if the fires are lit inside. During
your visit, there is also the opportunity to purchase handmade leather and
beadwork from the villagers.
Visitors to Tanzaniahave the opportunity to witness a hunting demonstration by these proud people,
with early morning hunting excursions a fantastic opportunity to see just how
these people have survived in the wilderness while other tribes have given in
to pressure from the modernizing world.
Knowbefore you visit Masai or bushmen
These tribes are notcompletely shut down from other communities, so they have a basic understanding
of money and will probably try to sell their local crafts or ask for donations.
These tribesmen have incorporated few modern practices.
Note: Expect to pay a little for entrance going tothe village.
