By Anthony Mmeri

Lake Eyasi and the Hadzabes

Occupying a shallow through in the shadow of ngorongoros mount Oldeani in Lake Eyasi, another of the Rift valley’s soda lake. In the dry woodland around its edges live the Hadzabe tribe .Numbering between five hundred and 2500, depending on how ‘purely’ you count, The Hadzabe appear to the healing the same way : much of their land has been taken by commercial plantations and ranches , which also form effective barriers to the seasonal wildlife migration on which the hunting part of the Hadzabe lifestyle depends , on the unwelcome attentions of outsiders -notably tourist -is rapidly destroying there culture.

Being absolutely destitute in monetary terms , The Hadzabe are in no position to resist the more pernicious elements of modernity , with its trade enforced schooling , cash economy, AIDS and indeed tourists . The supposedly backward and primeval form of the Discovery that grandmothers are useful for feeding their grand children , to thinly availed attempts by multinational pharmaceuticals companies to patent their DNA.

In 2000, a new report started that the Hadzabe were preparing to leave their land and way of life for the brave new world of Arusha . through at that time the story turned out to be a hoax , within five to ten years it may sadly become a reality. Short of convincing the Tanzanian government to protect Hadzabe land and its wildlife routes (most unlikely given the Government ‘s previous attempts to forcibly ‘civilize’ the Hadzabe ‘the best thing you can do is to help preserve their culture . In the absence of any kind of tourism that directly benefits and is controlled by them , this means leaving them well alone.

Karatu

The dusty town of Karatu -periodically swept by red twisters in spite of the new sealed road- in the main supply base for Ngorongoro Conservation Area, 18km to the Northwest , and an obvious base if you can’t afford Ngorongoros lodges and don’t want to camp there . Capital of Densely populated district, the town has little of interest in itself other than a new cultural tourism programme , which offers a range of walks and drives in the area and encounter with Barbaig , Iraq and Maasai .

Given the steady stream of safari vehicles passing through , tourist are generally seen as a source of money :most Hotels have shamelessly hiked-up their rates for nun Tanzanian , and local children are unusually insistent in their demands not just for pens and shillings , but dollars too.

The best day to visit is on the seventh of each month , for a big market and livestock auction (mnada) that attracts thousand of Masai and barbaig cattle herders , and Iraq farmers.

Practicalities

Katatu is about three hours drive from Arusha along a good sealed road. Buses leave Arusha around 3-4 pm , arriving in Karatu before sunset : Dar Express which start in Dar, is probably the safest . All Buses leave Karatu at day break. You can change money at NBC bank , which also has a Visa/MasterCard ATM. To rent a 4WD, ask at Karatus hotels, petrol stations or the cultural tourism program :prices average $160 for a day’s rental including driver and fuel, but excluding food and park entry fees.

Accommodation

A rare beast is a Karatu hotel that doesn’t charge outrageous rates to tourism , putting it on a per with Zanzibar . As such , camping is the way to stay flush , though there are still some basic local guesthouse s charging standards rates . Karatu has mosquitoes but not malaria, so get a room with a net.

Bougainvillea safari Lodge About 1.5km west of the town centre, pricy but defiantly worth the money, Bougainvillea has 24 supremely cosy bungalows with fire place ,fridge, phone and box nets. The complex also boasts a pool and internet service.

Bushman (BM) Camp 700m south of the highway, signposted at the west end of town .one of few sanely priced places , with pleasant flowering gardens for camping and hot showers and meals.

Crater Rim View Inn 500m south of the highway opposite Bytes (no phone) . Friendly clean and well run , with eight beautifully appointed double rooms and a good restaurant.

Doffa Annex Camp & Garden just off the highway beside paradise Garden restaurant . A pleasantly grassy campsite with hot showers and a basic restaurant meals .They have supu for breakfast .Their main site is 8km west of town-a lovely breezy place under jacaranda trees and with a bar.

Gibb’s Farm (Ngorongoro Safari Lodge) 5km off the highway northeast of town. This working arm -surrounded by dry forest and coffee plantations-is by far the nicest place to the Iraqw.

The Iraqw

Karatus main tribes are the Cattle-herding Barbaig and the agricultural iraqw. The history of the 200-,000-strong Iraq , who occupy much of the area between Karatu and mbulu town in the south, is fascinating though the theory that they originally came from Mesopotamia is too simplistic. Given their name, to be likely . nonetheless, the iraqw language is related to the ‘southern Cushitic’ tongues , spoken in Ethiopia and northern Kenya , meaning that at some point in their history they migrated southwards along the rift valley , something you can also tell by their facial features , which are finer than those of their neighbors and similar to those of Ethiopians.

Exactly when the iraqw arrived in Tanzania is not known , but a number of clues are offered by their agricultural practices -the use of sophisticated terracing to limit soil erosion ,complex irrigation techniques , crop rotation and the use of manure from stall-fade-cattle -and provide uncanny parallels to the ruined irrigation channels , terraces and cattle pens of Engaruka at the foot of the great Rift valley’s escarpment.

Iraqw legend makes no mention of Engaruka but does talk of a place called Ma’angwatay, which may have been their name for it . At the time the iraqw lived under a chief called Haymu Tipe , whose only son ,Gemakw ,was kidnapped by a group of young iraqw warriors and hidden in the forest..Finally locating him, Haymu his son would be killed . so Haymu Tipe asked the cattle -herding Barbaig ,who occupied the Ngorongoro highland , to come to fight , which they did . it seems that the iraqw lost their battle ,as Haymu Tipe, his family and his remaining men fled to a place called Guser-Twalay, where Gemakw -who had been released as agreed became ill and died. Haymu Tipe and his men continued on to a place called Qawirang in a forest west of lake manyara , where they settled . Subsequently population pressure in irqwar Da’aw led to further migrations : the first iraqw to settle in Karatu arrived in the 1930s .

Karatu Cultural tourist Program

The best place to learn more about the iraqw is through the Karatu cultural tourism program , which is next to paradise Garden restaurant on the highway. The project has its in the independent Sandemu Iraqw Art and Agricultural Promoters center , roughly one and a half hour walk west of Karatu.The centre is built in the form of a traditionally painted and fortified house, nestling so snugly into the hillside that it only needs a front wall ( similar to the former fortified and camouflage was essential to avoid the warlike attention of the Masai and barbaig . The centre contains display of weapons tools, grinding stones and furniture, and sells mats , baskets , traditional cloths and jewelry , guards and calabashes. Given enough time, they can arrange performances of traditional music and theatre , and lay on traditional meals .Other tours most of which need a vehicle unless you are used to working longer distances. Include a five km (2-3hr) hike up and down Gyekurum hills for views over Karatu (no car needed): a 25-30km circuit to Baray Gorge South of Sandemu centre for forest , birds and hides excavated in living Baobab trunks.; and a half -day excursion to the western escarpment of the great rift valley for view and the kambi ya simbi caves , whose nine chambers are home to bats, porcupines and insects .This trip can be extended to a full day to include water falls , mto wa mbu town and Lake Miwaleni . Two days trip include one of the Iraqw heartland of mbulu the see rock paintings and climb mount Guwangw , and another covering Engaruka , OI Doinyo Lengai and Lake Natron in the rift valley .

About the Author: Lake Eyasi is another of the Rift Valleys soda lake and in the drywood.Birding safaris of flamingo es, black rhino, and different species of birds can be viewed. Around Lake Eyasi we have Karatu area which provides cultural tourism program me and for budget accommodation if you are visiting Ngorongoro where the safari lodges and tented camps are for luxurious tourists. You can make your safari to these places by road or air and this entirely depends with your budget and both guided and organized safaris can be arranged.

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