Tribes in Tanzania
Tribes in Tanzania : Tanzania is the home of more than 100 distinct ethic groups and tribes, which are different from each other with its own unique ways of life style and culture. The tribes in Tanzania differ from each other in most of the aspect while a few of them have some similar character, each one differ from dressing styles, economic activity, food that they eat, arts and crafts, customs and traditions and many more way. The best way to explore and experience this culture difference is staying in the village get involved in their unique way of life. Apart from the famous Maasai tribe there are more tribes that are found here, the most common culture that is wide spread not because they are large in populations but because they have a very unique life style that makes it as the most famous tribe in Tanzania and other parts of the world.
Tanzania Is located in the great lakes regions of East Africa, and it’s the 3rd largest country in Africa. The beautiful country is the perfect place for the safari attractions in the world and in Africa, rich with cultural heritages, beautiful beaches that can make you relax and over 120 distinct tribes and ethnic groups.
You will probably wonder how they communicate because of many tribes, Tanzania has national language which is Kiswahili. Yes everyone speaks their native language but the national language that is used by everyone is Kiswahili. This language is very important as it brought units to all the Tanzanians, well to the people of your tribe you can speak your native language but to the once that are not we use Kiswahili.
The most common Tribes that you will likely encounter on your tour in Tanzania.
On your tribe to Tanzania there are some common tribes that you will likely meet because of their geographical location. Most of them are located around the areas where most of the tourists visit.
Meet the famous Maasai tribe.
It’s the most famous tribe in Tanzania and in different parts of the world, they are population size is not large, but they are mostly famous because of its unique cultural practices. They are located on the Northern part of Tanzania in the Arusha town. They are population is estimated to be 800,000 people and more than 1 million including the Maasai from both Tanzania and Kenya. The Maasai in Tanzania are found around Serengeti national park and Ngorongoro national park, their habitat is one of the reason that has made them famous. About 1.4 billion tourists visit this national parks per year and most of them have the chance to meet the Maasai people and have a chance to explore about they are culture and ways of life. It’s very common to meet the Maasai around the national park as they graze their livestock’s because most of them are pastoralist and farmers.
The Maasai people are kind and very welcoming, they will always smile brightly when they see the visitors and most of them will welcome you to their kraals. In their kraals enjoy their traditional dances, foods, life style and see their houses. The women in the Maasai community make handcrafts jewelries, design earing, and many other decorations that they make from beads and sell them to the tourism, this is their community development project that they do to improve their life style. Grab a gift for your family and friends back at home and it’s also a great way to support women in this community.
On your way to Lake Victoria meet the Sukuma people.
They are found in Mwanza region on the northern part of Tanzania along the southern shore of lake Victoria. It’s the tribe with large population in Tanzania with approximate of 5.5 million people. They are main economic activities is fishing, animal keeping and farming. Most of the Sukuma people are Christians and they practice polygamy. The word Sukuma means north and that refers to the people of the north. This tribe is very famous due to their traditional dance famously known as BUGOBOBOBO which is the snake dance, in this dance they place with the snake in different ways.
Explore the culture of the Hadzabe tribe
The Hadzabes are located around Lake Eyasi in northern Tanzania, they famously known because they resemble the Bushmen from the Kalahari. They live in the caves in their decentralized communities that are found around the Yaeda valley and nearby rocky scrub hills. They are main activity is hunting, you might get the opportunity to see them while they hunt when you visit the lake Eyasi. They have a very unique sound of the language as they click they are tongue while pronouncing their words. It’s the most primitive tribe in Tanzania, they do not live any social life like other people, they mainly practice hunting and gathering just like the ancestors. The Hadzabe is among the tribes with small populations of about 1200-1300 total people. In this community the gender roles are well distributed as the men go for hunting and bring back home meat and honey while the women take care of homes, children as well as the gathering fruits and roots for their families.
Meet the Chagga tribe while trekking the Kilimanjaro Mountain.
This tribe has the estimated population of 2 million and hence becomes the 3rd largest ethnic group in Tanzania. They are found on the northern part of Tanzania in Kilimanjaro region and on the southern and eastern slopes of Kilimanjaro Mountain. When trekking the Mount Kilimanjaro or visiting the Kilimanjaro forest, they are the people that you will encounter most and it’s common to meet them as guides or escorting visitors while they climb the mountain. They are the richest tribe in Tanzania and have modernized than most of the Tanzanian tribes. They practice a large scale farming and use irritation agriculture. Most of them owns business most especially shops, they have moved in their homes and when to towns to open business and this has made them even more famous. They will go to other cities and do business but during Christmas holiday and New Year most of their clans meet in their mother land for the end celebrations. They do not practice centralized communities at all, each family is surrounded by its own coffee and banana plantations and this creates a perfect patch work effect across the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, they are also known as the tribe that loves money so much and would do any kind of work to get money.
On the coastal part of Tanzania meet the Zaramo community.
These people are found along the shore of Indian Ocean in Dar es Salaam and Pwani regions of Tanzania. They are main language is Swahili a language that they have adopted from the Arabic language , they have also adopted most of the Arabic culture in terms of dressing styles and religion because most of them are Muslim and very few from other religions. They are main economic activity is farming, fishing and livestock keeping.
Tanzania is the country that is peaceful and rich with so many amazing wonders, the availability of many ethnic group does not make them any less to cooperate with each other, the Swahili language has played the major role in promoting peace and unity as it is the land of peace and harmony and the safe place that anyone can visit even on the solo trip.
