THE HADZABE

At the edge of civilisation in East Africa, the Hadzabe eke out a meagre existence as hunter-gatherers.

I joined a team from the Jimmy Nelson Foundation to follow and photograph the tribe for a week in the bush.

While the encroachment of a modernising continent and the ever-increasing closure of wildlife corridors have no doubt had an effect, their lifestyle closely reflects how humanity has existed for 90% of its history.

The Hadzabe live in harmony with the environment because they depend upon it. They read its subtle signs and never stay somewhere too long for their presence to have a lasting impact.

Akin to their reliance on the natural world, so too are they reliant upon each other. They have a deeply rich social culture based on equality and placing the interests of the group far above their own. 

Daily events are often immortalised through stories around the fire after dusk. Men, women and children stand in front of the group to tell energetic and animated tales of comical events, often interrupted by others correcting them or adding missed details. Their days are full of social moments like these and they need no excuse to burst into song and dance which is their other favourite past time.