Peace visit to the Hadzabe in the Arusha region in northern Tanzania on June 29th, 2025

An integral part of our world tours are encounters with the indigenous peoples of the countries we visit. The Hadzabe are considered one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes in Africa. They also represent the last indigenous people of East Africa. All attempts during the last century to “civilize” the Hadza and make them settle down have failed. As nomads, they live in groups of about 20 to 30 people and use everything nature has to offer for their simple and traditional way of life. As a hunter-gatherer society, the Hadzabe do not keep domesticated animals, apart from dogs as hunting companions. They do not grow food or store it. During the rainy season, they seek out caves, otherwise they live outdoors and build simple huts out of branches, leaves, and grass.

There is no hierarchy among adults; everyone has the same status. The Hadza respect the older members of the tribe and listen to the advice of the most successful hunter.

As Peace travelers, we are not interested in sightseeing, but in honoring and appreciating of the Hadzabe from our oneness with them. Our guides had organized this meeting, brought us together, and, as translators, also facilitated communication with them. The community welcomed us openly, warmly, and directly. The men sat around the embers of a fire, and the women and children sat in a circle next to them.

We laid out the vegetables, fruit, and grains we had brought with us on a table of abundance in the shade of a tree. We honored the elders and the youngest with blessed jewelry. Filled with joy, we meditated together for Peace in Africa and around the world.

We thank the Hadzabe people for their willingness to be in Peace with us. Their example showed us that vitality is expressed through being with and for one another. They own nothing, yet they live in abundance. They are considered uneducated, yet they are experts in living in harmony with nature. Our union with them goes beyond this encounter to the origins of all peoples on Mother Earth.