A Cultural Tour Of Tanzania : Learning About Local Traditions And Customs : How many cultures are in Tanzania? With over 120 tribes residing it, Tanzania is merely a country jam-packed with the magnificence of her nature and all the delightful cultures, of which they all offer a unique symbolic feature of Africa at large. Wondrously, all these tribes share a common national language, which is Kiswahili. From attractive cultural museums, to the historical sites and the unique economic activities of various tribes, Tanzania is blessed with the most well-known and interesting cultural ethnicities. You will meet dedicated and sacred worship places of various communities in this country. Below are just but few amongst many delightful insights of Tanzanian culture.
A broad cultural diversity in Tanzania;
Tanzania is rich in cultural diversity embraced by over 120 tribes located various regions of this fabulous country. Some of them for example the Hadzabe, are among rare remaining hunting and gathering societies in the world not to mention the world-famous Maasai community.
The Maasai Tribe
This majestic tribe is located in the northern Tanzania especially in the Arusha region and few are also found in the Manyara region. Some were grazing in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and have currently been relocated to the Tanga region in Handeni. This charming community has been practicing its unchanged way of leadership which is known as age-set organization. In this system, people are given duties and responsibilities depending on their ages.
The children are the ones who stay at homes with their mothers. The age for children range to the time that child is circumcised. When the age of being circumcised arrive, a child is circumcised and now he is called a Moran. Morans are the mercenaries for protecting the Maasai community. They are also responsible for expanding the territory by stealing cattle from other tribes specifically the Mang’ati. Morans are also look for good pasture and enough water for livestock. They are very active individuals of the Maasai tribe and are allowed to marry at this age.
To be clear, initiation ceremonies are not only for circumcision but also for retiring morans into senior age. Initiation ceremonies are conducted after every seven years. After retiring being a moran, an individual is now a senior and can be involved crucial decision making including raiding other villages. But, due to civilization raiding is not permitted by the law, so they are involved in other important decisions.
The highest stage of leadership in Maasai is laibon. A laibon is a senior who is very important in the well-being of the Maasai community. There is no central leader. Paying a visit to the Maasai would be an unforgettable because of the following reasons;
You will enjoy the views of their traditional houses, the bomas. The bomas are constructed in an attractive architectural design by using local building materials like wood and dry grasses. The clear scene of these bomas can be experienced at a special viewing site called Olpopongi Village, an intentionally created Maasai village for visitors to experience an unforgettable adventure about the Maasai.
You will watch the superb traditional performances. These are commonly conducted to mark a certain important event or to celebrate a certain milestone. You can also ask them to perform it for you. You will have to pay for it.
The Maasai are mysterious handicrafts; they create artifacts like paintings, weaves, clothes and sandals. Take time visit the Maasai markets and you will get yourself a collection of arts and handicrafts.
The Maasai dressing style is worth imitating. The Maasai put on sheets called “lubega” which makes them look so gorgeous and great. You can try this style and actually it is superb. The famous Tanzanian bongoflava artist, Diamond Platinumz tried this wonderful on the BET Awards held in California in 2021 and he looked so great.
Alongside with the Maasai on this North-Eastern part of Tanzania, we also have Wachaga, Wapare and Wameru. They are famous for their cultivation of bananas and coffees mainly for economic purposes, as well as the regular food crops such as maize and beans. In the Chaga community, you will be welcomed with local made wine called ‘Mbege’ made from the bananas, and later set for a superb super in Maasai communities known as ‘Loshoro’ which is made of maize and milk as the major ingredients.
The Hadzabe
Have you heard of the communities living in the African wilderness while growing no food of their own? Now it is your turn to interact with them. They are called Hadzabe or simply the Hadza. They are found in northern Tanzania close to the Lake Eyasi one of the most famous Tanzania safari destination.
Hadzabe is one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes in the world. Like the famous Bushmen of South Africa, Hadzabe speak clicking language which is said to be one of ancient language. They have an estimated population of 1300 people living in the Yaeda valley near the Lake Eyasi. They do not have domesticated animals like the Maasai. They own few possessions. They are very nomadic with their huts built temporary for about one or two weeks before migrating to other places. They usually carry their belongings on their backs when migrating.
The Hadzane Language; Hadza people speak ‘Hadzane’ language which involves the production of clicking and popping sounds. Their clicking language is said to be related to that of the Bushmen in the Kalahari Desert, though there is no any connection among the two tribes as proved by the DNA tests. The clicks are used as consonants. These sounds vary from one to another since they are articulated by smacking the tongue to the roof of the mouth. You will need a local translator in order to interact with these people. Surprisingly, their language has no numbers for counting. Yes, you may ask your tour guide or translator to explain you on how the Hadzabe know the number of their family members. They have no written history. They pass their traditions from one generation to another through oral traditions.
The Hadzabe families; Hadzabe are egalitarian; there is no real differences in status among the members. All community members have the same status. Since they have no leader, the decisions are made through discussions. The elders are slightly respected. The camps have 20 to 30 members. Since there is no central leader to address conflicts, most conflicts cause one group to shift to other places for camping. Married couples may choose either to stay with the mother’s or father’s kin. They are also free to live everywhere.
Epeme; True adult men are called epeme men. They obtain this prestige by killing a large game in the young ages of about 20s. Epeme are allowed to eat certain parts of large games such as buffalo, warthogs and wildebeest. These parts include kidneys, lungs, heart, neck and tongue.
One night of full moon marks their ritual dance, ‘epeme’ where men dressed in their ancestor-like clothing dance for women and children.
Other cultural attractions in Tanzania
Around Lake Victoria, you will come across pastoral activities of the Sukuma, which is indeed the largest tribe in Tanzania. They are also well known for their cultivation of ‘pamba’ (a Swahili word for cotton) and fishing.
Sukuma live in extended families and are a very welcoming tribe. They like to share ideas with visitors. They are also known for being polite especially during greetings where women have to have their knees down while greeting. All these are preserved way better in the Sukuma Museum also known as Bujora Cultural Centre in Kisesa, Mwanza.
Meet the Nyakyusa tribe, the inhabitants of Southern Highlands Zone. In this community, you will enjoy the variety of fruits such as avocado, banana, orange, pawpaw, just to mention a few. Alongside with the Nyakyusa society, are the world famous tribe, the Hehe. They are well known for their resistance against the colonial government led by their King Mkwawa. Here you will see the ruins of the Hehe kingdom. A fascinating feature of Hehe society is that they do consume some species of dogs as part of their meal.
On the shores of Indian ocean, you will meet the Zaramo, a tribe majorly characterized for being very charming. The Zaramo are way too charming to an extent that they are sometimes joked as a motor-mouthed society. Zaramo do practice fishing as their main economic activity. Another fascinating feature about Zaramo tribe is their local language which has played a great role to the noble birth of Swahili, our national language.
Another magnificent community in Tanzania include the Haya, the Ha, the Gogo and the Ngoni. Haya is one among the most elite tribes in Tanzania. Haya are the inhabitants of the Kagera region, whereas some extend up to the Tanzania-Uganda Border. Haya are famous for the production of banana and coffee. Having a taste of their delicious food called ‘Ndizi’ (a Swahili word for banana) will always make you solicit for more of it. The Ha, are the inhabitants of coastal region of Lake Tanganyika, meanwhile the Gogo are found in the central zone of the country. They live in small families and are famous for the production of ‘Zabibu’ (grapes). The Ngoni is the tribe said to be original ancestors of the South Africa. They migrated to the North and Eastern Africa including Tanzania.
