40,000 year-old hunter-gatherer tribe gains land rights in Tanzania

“My rights over my land are more important than anything because everything I need can be found on my land” says Petro Bayago, Hadzabe Community Ranger. The Hadzabe people in Tanzania are among the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes on earth. They have roamed their ancestral territory in Northern Tanzania for over 40,000 years. Yet over the last 50 years, the Hadzabe have lost 90 per cent of their land to farmers and herders as local forest is cleared to make way for crops, livestock, and waterholes. “Protecting the forest is the thing that makes me happiest in life” he continues. “When I wake up in the morning, I go out and hunt on my land. If I cannot find meat in the area, I know that I will be able to find honey” he continues. In 2011, the Hadzabe gained legal rights over their ancestral lands, allowing them to protect their ...