A trip to the Dentist- and Tanzania

To me, a National Geographic is the magazines that we used to cut out of to make collages in elementary school because we couldn't find any better magazines to cut pictures from. Until today, I don't think I've ever actually read an article from a National Geographic. I was sitting in my dentist office waiting for my appointment and this article caught my eye. It was about the Hadza people, and ethnic tribe in central Tanzania. They have the most fascinating story, only 1000 people belong to their tribe and they are the last functioning hunter-gatherers in Africa. Today, only one quarter of their traditional hunting lands remain as farmers are slowly taking over the area. The Hadza people are not closely related to any other people, and their language which has clicks, is isolate and not related to any other language in the world. This African tribe is said to be most closely related to the Pygmies. They enjoy an incredible amount of leisure time. It is estimated that the Hadza hunt for food about four to six hours a day, and that is their only form of "work". Their diet, even today is more varied and stable than most of the rest of the world. Over all these thousands of centuries, they've left hardly even a footprint on earth. They have no history of famine, in fact there is evidence of people from nearby farms coming to live with the Hadza in a time of crop failure. The Hadza recognize no official leaders; no one has more wealth- or, rather, they all have no wealth. And in this culture, there are no social obligations; no anniversaries, no religious holidays, no birthdays. These people live a simple, pure life, and seem to enjoy every minute of it.


That seemed like the shortest wait in the dentist office I've ever had. It's amazing what an interesting article can do to your sense of time. Needless to say, a National Geographic is no longer just a magazine I cut pictures out of anymore.