Simply Beautiful

SLU KSP!

Dorobo!

Hunting crew!

Bows and Arrows

Living sunrise to sunset

This is what I looked at every morning when I woke up in Tanzania.

Baobab Trees

Tattoos. I have decided that my next tattoo will be of a baobab trees in between my shoulder blades right above my bra line so you can only see it in certain tops, dresses, or bathing suits.

The baobab is found in the savannas of African and India, mostly around the equator. It can grow up to 25 meters tall and can live for several thousand years. The baobab is leafless for nine months of the year. If I were to describe the baobab, I would say that it looks like it has been picked out of the ground and stuffed back in upside-down. The trunk would be the tap-root, and the branches the finer capillary roots. The Arabian legend of the baobab is that "the devil plucked up the baobab, thrust its branches into the earth and left its

roots in the air". Another legend describes what happens if you are never satified with what you already have;

"The baobab was among the first trees to appear on the land. Next came the slender, graceful palm tree. When the baobab saw the palm tree, it cried out that it wanted to be taller. Then the beautiful flame tree appeared with its red flower and the baobab was envious for flower blossoms. When the baobab saw the magnificent fig tree, it prayed for fruit as well. The gods became angry with the tree and pulled it up by its roots, then replanted it upside down to keep it quiet."

The baobab looks like this for a reason. In the wet months water is stored in its thick, corky, fire-resistant trunk for the nine dry months ahead.

The baobab's bark, leaves, fruit, and trunk are all used. The bark of the baobab is used for cloth and rope, the leaves for condiments and medicines, while the fruit, called "monkey bread", is eaten. Sometimes people live inside of the huge trunks, and bush-babies live in the crown.

Nirvana H. 2000

Driving to Arusha

Lake covered with flamingoes

Jordan, the hunter?

In the morning, we had to wake up before sunrise to go hunting. I was in a group with Bond, Anna and Emily Fleming and was paired with three boys under twenty. One of the boys was ten haha. They walk so fast and sort of left us in the dust. In the beginning, I thought they were hunting baboons but then I realized we were hunting small rodents called pimbis. They actually lost of a few times and I had to yell “wapi?” to find them in which they whistled to us to come. When they hunt, they communicate in a lot of clicks and whistles. They have amazing hearing and their language is based around clicks so they are better hunters. Finally they realized they would have to lose us to catch anything. When we found them, I looked up on the rock I was climbing and had a dead pimbi in my face. WIN! Of course they don’t speak English so all I could say was “Muzuri” so they knew were thought it was good they killed something! They ditched us again on a really cool rock in which we relaxed and talked. We wandered to other rocks and eventually got honey with them. But by the end I was done, the flies and bees were SO ANNOYING. And it was very hot.

Pretty miserable afternoon. First true day of African heat and bugs.

That night we had a question and answer session with the Hadza so we could create our presentations. We all informally sat on a rock and talked. MY questions were based on formal education for my presentation. The most interesting thing about this talk was that the outside world has come to their land to research with they have tails. The outside views them as animals that are uncivilized when within their community they have never had conflict. In the end, we asked them if they had any questions for us and all they wanted to know was if we could date in college. So interesting.

I slept on the rock that night and the stars were even better and the rock was soo comfortable. I fell asleep to watching fires the pastoralists had created in the distance and the Darjeeling Limited soundtrack. Epic.

The next day we took the open air bus alllllll day to the Dorobo site. I basically did not talk and just listened to music. It was wonderful. I was truly sad to leave this place and these fabulous people.

When we arrived at Dorobo, we roughly put together a presentation on education. We concluded that they only needed formal education to keep their land. They need Hadza to fight for their land. Also, primary schools need to be closer to their land so that people actually want to go to school and can keep their culture. We came up with some solutions to the issue but the government support most likely would not be there.

In the morning, we met up with Njao and Sinnary and also met the people who are the head of Dorobo. Ironically, they are from Minnesota. They observed our presentations on land, education, tourism, and outside perception. The guy from Dorobo had a lot of useful information. He educated us on their lack of religion. Even when missionaries come in, they take some morals but then use bibles as rolling paper. They are true to their culture always and believe just in life. When you are dead, you are dead. After the presentations, we departed for another long, long journey. But we got to see zebras so it was worth it.

Regan gets iced by the Hadza.

The next day we trekked across the valley to a different Hadza campsite. We trekked with a few of them and Dorobo. It took us about four hours to get there. We were lucky because it was a clear, hot day but incredibly breezy. My friend, Blaire, described the trek best. She just thought she was tripping. Although I have never tripped, it was so surreal observing such a foreign place. It did not seem real that so much wildlife survived in such a dull place. It did not seem real that we passed elephant tracks along the way. It did not seem real that we saw impalas running past us. It did not seem real that pastoralists in huts were encroaching on these infertile areas trying to burn the land to grow anything. Everything I have learned about was right in front of me and I did not know what to do with it. Something I did not like about this valley was THORNS. They get in everything.

I took a bus up to the campsite when we reached the other side of the valley and it was no more peaceful than hiking because I was introduced to the infamous tsetse fly. Although the flies in this region did not carry disease, they can bite through anything and they never leave you alone. Also stingless bees follow you around everywhere during the hottest time of the day. It just makes you want to scream.

When we reached the top, there was this incredible rock we could relax on that gave you a few on the Rift Valley and the Yaeda Valley. Unreal. So I sat down and had a few Serengeti beers with birthday girl, Regan, and basked in the sun. 21^st Birthday!

The Hadza set up a target about an hour before dusk. They taught us how to shoot bows and arrows. Moshi showed everyone a hundred times. As we learned how to shoot bows and arrows, Moshi approached Regan with an ice. The best 21^st birthday ice ever. Then Moshi insisted on having her shoot 21 arrows hahaha.

At dinner the Hadza brought Regan a cake and everyone sang a Hadza song (most likely about honey) and Regan just starts balling. We all sang and danced and it was truly a cross-cultural experience for both.